Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-12-04
LOST ON BRIDGE TRAINS.
Passengers Who Travel in Order to Secure
 the Salvage.

Passengers Who Travel in Order to Secure
 the Salvage.
 A well-dressed woman got into a Bridge car yesterday, carrying gold headed umbre1la- A moment later a fairly well-attired man came in, walk ing carelessly, and sat down beside her. Had careful observer noticed him when he entered he would have seen him throw 8 quick glance at the um- brella before sitting down.
 The train rumbled across. The lady gazed at the river, and, watching a swiftly moving craft, fell into dreamy state of observation. When the guard called "East St Louis; all out!" the lady got up with a far-away look still in her eyes and walked out, leaving the umbrella. The man beside her had rid den across with his eyes closed as if fatigued When she had got out his hand fell quickly on the umbrella and he was making off with it when the guard collared him. The fellow looked surprised at finding the umbrella in his hand, muttered something about ''pick- ing it up unconsciously," shook off the guards hand and plunged into the crowd.
 That is the fifth time in a month have caught that fellow taking lost articles" said the con ductor to a re- porter. ''The bridge cars are para | disc for such as he. There is more miscellaneous collection of lost articles gathered in these trains than in any other place in America, I'll warrant" The number of missing articles be- ] came so numerous and so many claims were made by pretended owners that several years ago system of checks was put into use. Now anything found in the cars is taken to the office, where a report is made of the article, giving | the time of the car on which it was | found and other details. This is en- tered on a book of blanks having stubs. The trainman then gets a receipt for l what he has turned in. When the caller comes for what he has lost he must thoroughly identify the article before he can get it. The stub of the train mans receipt keeps thus g. perpetual record of everything found.
 These stub books are filed away and are never destroyed. A Aglance through them reveals a bewildering variety of lost goods. The stubs of 1889 are es- | pecially prolific in curious cases. Here are some of the things recorded: Pum- ice stone, diagram, two boxes of cigars, a pocket book containing ffty-two dol lars, a white apron, spool of cotton, pail of rubbers, a picture, waistcoat, a bracelet, some surcingles, several rem nants piece of sheetiron, three sauce dishes and horsewhip.
 One Saturday the record for variety was eclipsed. That day the trainmer gathered up these things:
 Three pairs of stockings, left by : drunken man; a lady's veil, a roll O: sheet music teaspoon, bottle o: wine, gentleman's kid gloves, eye glasses porter's badge, lunch, a gos samer cranberry mold.
 In one stretch, from September 12 tc November 22, two hundred articles were reported. That was the rainy season and forgotten umbrellas swelled th' list. But taking the year around um brellas have the questionable distinction of being the oftenest overlooked Pocket books, however, singular to say are not so far behind. A count of fifty six stubs SC lected at random gave thi ally:
 Umbrellas, 26; poclxet-books, r; pack lges, 7; canes, 2; keys, 3; waiter jacket, l.
 On an av craze three articles are foun' l day. This makes nearly hundred nonth Some sneaks have long az found this out, and travel across oftel each day and run the chance of picl1ini ID something of value. Even if the, fail the low car-fare does not leav them much out of pocket.-St. Loui Globe- Democrat.