Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-03-31
A CAR DRIVERS STORY.
A TnIkative Jeha Gives = Green Report
er n BIt Of Exclusive Netss.

cr n Ilt OF Exclusive News.
Speaking bout 'lectricity," said
Bleecker street car driver, one Of the old
chaps who have been on the line ever since
Il started, ''they's nobody in this town
that's got more good out Of Tectrie lamps
than our company"
"How's thatY" asked the reporter who,
by the way, was new 10 the business and
had only just come IN from the country.
"How's thatp repeated the driver.
"why, it's because they amt half so many
cars lost nowadays as they used to be when
they wasn't nothing but gas to light the
streets with"
Cars lostl Why, man, whRt do you
mean' You don't say that your company
ever loses any of its cars, 10 your
"Why, cert'in. Didn't you kntw thati
Amt You never seen in the papers an ad
vertisement Of lost cart They read some
thing like this: Fifty dollars reward; the
above reward will be paid for information
as to the whereabouts Of car No. 1872 Of this
company's line. It was drawn by black
hoss and white mare. The mare had
spaying onto her nigh front leg and astraw
fender onto her nigh hind one. Signed by
the president of the road
"P'raps you think that anybody could
take Bleecker street car out of the stable
run her down to the end Of the line and
bring her back again. Why, we don't
never let a new man drive n car till he's
run two weeks, at the very least, with one
of our pilots.n
pilots" exclaimed the reporter.
why, cert'in. We have pilots just the
same as ships has, and they git good pay
too; almost's much rs the president. We
have to have 'em to learn the new men the
way round. Jest look at map of our line
It's like this:
"We start down to the foot of Twenty.
third street, then we run to Ninth av'ner
then to Hudson, then to Bleecker, then to
Broadway, then to Park row, then to
Beekman, then to South then to Fulton
ferry and then we waters the hosses.
Starting back, we go to William, then to
Ann, then to Broadway, then to Bleecker.
then to Macdougal, then to West Fourth.
then to West Tenth, then to Hudson, then
to Ninth av'ner and then to the stable
That's one of our routes. The other one is
worse still.
colds | be, sometimes have to stop
when l come to a corner and scratch my
head bit fore | know which way to go.
Butts said in the beginning 'taint nothing
to what it was fore we got these 'lectric
lamps"
ever get lost yourselfS" asked the re-
porter.
"No, never did, but friend of mine got
lost, though, an they didn't see nothin of
him for two whole days. Then they got
dispatch from him dated way up in West
chester county, sayin, The cars all right,
an the hosses is all right, an Pm all right,
but we can't find our way back to the
stables to save our necks.'"
"You don't mean to say that any such
telegram as that ever came to your super
intendent, doyou9" demanded the reporter.
'That's what l said," responded the
driver somewhat haughtily; ian Pm the
man that had to go an bring the car in.
You never see two men gladder'n the con-
ductor an driver of that car was when they
set eyes on me.
"The first thing I said was, How'd you
get lost9'
"'Well, says the driver, 'twas a awful
foggy night says he, an reckon must
got onto the wrSng track somehow
"That was all lie could say about it 'cept
that the further he went the worser he got
lost"
"Why didn't he ask some of the men on
the other lines the way homer" inquired
the reporter.
HE did, but they wasn't friendly, an
gave him wrong directions Probably it
wouldn't "a happened 'cept with very
late car. The driver'd got long way off
our line fore he discovered it, an when he
did find it out an ask of the other drivers
he met the way home they kept sendin him
and sendin him till they got him complete
ly lost"
Excuse me-" said the reporter, "but |
can't stop to hear the rest of the story now.
I've got to get off here and go to a fire. but
if you'll give me your name I'll come
around and look you up tomorrow and get
the rest of it. 1t hasn't ever been pub
lished, has itP"
"Oh, no." answered the driver. Then be
took the reporters notebook and pencil
and wrote his name and address, "B. o. S.
Slyre, 1902 Bunker street"
Thanks" said the reporter gratefully,
"I'll come and see you tomorrow forenoon"
But he didn't. 1t suddenly occurred to
him as he looked at the car drivers name
that "B. o. S. Slyre" spelled something
that sounded like BOSS Liar" and then
he knew that the driver had made game of
him.-New York Times.