Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-06-02
HAVE YOU LOST ANY
The Way the Railroad Com
panies Trace Lost Freight
PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE
WIN Reward the Importunate Loser
eut IL Takes Great Deal OF Both
70 Secure the Goods

n8<hAoa4y - Rff0SE N&As- - A<4A40e< N0-A-
pAnies are 50 prompt IN all other re-
spects, legitimate claims would be paid
without delay, but the reader who has
occasion 10 present bill for damage or
overchArge knows better. Let Us sup
pose, for example, says the Philsdel-
pniA Times, that q party here orders
DALI . dozen cases OF some sort OF
goods from the Pacific coast In due
time DO receives notice from one OF the
freight lines entering the city that the
property n st their station and must
be removed within twenty four hours,
etc. He goes 10 the depot, pays the
freight bail. and when sending Tor the
goods hnds one case missing. He re-
ports she matter To the freight ONCE and
the clerk talks voluoly Of covers" aud
'sshorts.' STRAY freight and other
things which he doesn't understand
nor care about To him Il IS hard.
cold fact that his box - missing. and as
far IS be Is concerned II makes no diff
ference whether II Is under or over,
short or long, provided It IS delivered
To him promptly. The clerk promises
10 trace the mlssing package and the
conGgnee goes away silenced, but not
satisfied. After waiting week he goes
again to the station, and the urbane
clerk informs him no tdings have yet
been received Another week rolls by,
and once more the anxious owner pre-
senss himself. The employe IS so sorry
that the box cannot be found. They
have been telegrHphing all over the
country endeAvoring to locate il, and
the matter has been gwen personal at
kU fhA aUanf The O
property will surely be found IN few
days
The consignes believes down in his
heart that the railroad company has
taken no acton whatever toward trac-
ing the shipment. bat withal he feels
dAstered when told that his case has
had special attention, and, REFRESHING
his wrath, ne goes away TO bide .
space longer. Finally, indignation
getting the netter of his feelings, he
creates . scene when next he visits the
station, which, however, has no visible
eject upon the clerk, who 10 accus-
TONED to such demonstrations. The
engrased citizen Is instructed to send
his bill for the mlssing box TO the
claim agent This ne does, and IN re-
turn receives . request FROM that ofti-
ciAl to subssantiate MS claim with the
bill Of lAding and the paid freight bill.
Not being familiar with shipping
affairs, he has failed to get the bill of
ladiug from the shippers, and two or
three weeks elapse ere he can obtain
and transmit 1t, together with the
freight receipt, TO the claim office.
Iareukh the cire mi alton once.
The claim IL now fairly launched,
49, NJ shvaA rpAnfha Altar the
box WAS found to be missing. Days
pAss by. weeks roll into months. and
no word or remittance comes TO the
claimant. Some three months after
bhe bill has been rendered ne visits the
Diaim office ADD demands settlement.
He IS told the papers are IN the hands
Of connecting roads. and that nothing
Dan be done until they are returned.
The employe explains TO him that they
ere working hard to obtain payment
sf the claim for him. but the western
roads are 90 slow IN attending TO such
matters. Anothsx long period elapses,
and when ne AGAIN decides to visit the
CLAIM once. there 10 blood in bis eye
ard vengeance IN his heart. Here,
However, good news awaits him. Au-
thority has been received to pay the
Slam for account of connecting lines,
snd the claimant - informed that .
voucher viii at once be made in his
favor. and Q remittance will reach him
In Q few days. Three or four weeks
later IL comes along, some six months
after the presentation OF the claim.
That these delays IN making settle
ment for lost property are annoying
and vsxatous csnnot even he denied
~ railroad ofsicia =. but the person VINO
tanks that the papers IN a case have
been pigeon-holed. aud that ad Just
ment OF the matter IL not made from
lack OF interest or attention on the part
of the corporation IL very much mis-
taken. The amount OF work involved
in handing . 50 OF 50 claim for . miss
ing article 10 prodigious, and beyond
doubt the actual cost Of invest eating
sacn matters more than exceeds the
amount Of the ball. When . shipment
or . part of 8 shipment Is reported
mlsssnx. steps are 81 once taken 10 as
certain its whereabouts. so that possible
claims may be avoided, snd IN many
cases property which has gone sstrsy -
found and sent 20 rs destination so
promptly that the owner "a unaware
that ~ has not come directly from the
shippers Losses on local shipments,
- q rule, can be adjusted promptly,
the ground 20 be gone over being lin
tied. II goods shipped from . city
ststion 10 some way station are short
that q. pot received st destination
the fret proceeding toward finding
them 10 20 ascertain fer what other
stations freight va placed IN the same
ear, and then % inquire OF the agents
st those points whether the articles IN
question have been received by them.
Bsns,sx B-wr Lest freight.
n not found . general trscer is start
ed ct one end Of ths line, the agent 70
whom u . addressed being instructed
10 carefully search the warehouse. snd
failing 10 discover the property 20 -
note on the sheet ard then To forward
u 81 the next station, where q similar
search viii De made. When the tracer
reaches the other end Of the line a a
returned 80 the cislni ofic-. III the
sripmept - Still nssing tbs resource.
of TIE department are not yet exhaust
ed. Dtnef cars loaded st The szns<
fsuse ss TIE che "a ~h Ga the psepefty
should have tasa placed are followed
aS snd traced unsil empty "a shas
ofteu happens thai . hox d>st ned - Z
local pssns . found hundreds OF nile,
away, having been improperly los<sed
Eennsstrx Inca. 80 Q rule rsrprs stra I
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