The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-09-15
CHECKING BAGGAGE.

CHECKING BAGGAGE.
The days of the brass baggage check are
numbered. For the past two years the
pasteboard check has been gradually crowd
ing it out of use, until brass checks are
now employed only for local checking, and
for that purpose solely because each COM
pany has large stock of them on hand.
All but three of the railroads entering this
city still use brass checks for local business,
but through baggage is checked on the
printed and written cards.
Thus an American institution which has
long been a source of admiration to Euro
pean visitors is relegated to an obsolete
custom. The old system was Objectionable
for several reasons. An immigrant who
could not speak the English language might
come on to this city while his baggage
would be checked only to Cincinnati This
involved tedious delay while the baggage
was being traced by mail and telegraph
from New York. Again, a busy or absent
minded travelling man might ask for
"check, Vandalia." If a check should hap
pen to be given to Vandalia station, the
man might go ON to Pittsburg or Chicago
before discovering that his baggage was
astray. There was nothing whatever on the
brass check to denote whence or by which
line the baggage had been forwarded. But
now as soon as he looks at his check he can
see the point to which it was forwarded.
The new paper Checks" as they are
called, are designed to and do obviate these
difficulties, which have long been a night
mare to baggage agents Each road has its
own system of pasteboard checks, printed
in different styles and on different colored
cardboard. When travel between certain
cities is heavy, name of the destination, as
well as the originating point, is printed. In
some cases the routing is also printed. But
on general checks, which may thus at once
be issued for any place on any railroad in the
United States, blanks are left for the des-
tination and the names Of the connecting
roads over which the baggage is to pass.
These checks are numbered consecutively
and are kept for limited time after the
baggage has been claimed, when they are
destroyed The check issued to the pas
senger is, therefore, an exact duplicate Of
the strap check, which contains full and
explicit information, and missing baggage
can therefore be quickly located by means
of the details printed or written in.
The difficulty of tracing baggage is less
ened in another way. A brass check
might be received here in the morning,
used to Kansas City at night and sent out
from there the next day. But a paper
check" can be used only once.
Baggage agents in large terminal cities
have to be eternally on guard against
frauds. A baggage room is regarded by
many as desirable object for plumber, and
new schemes to "beat" it are being con-
stantly evolved. Some years ago a man
applied to have a big sample case checked
to Memphis. When one of the employees
demurred and said that the applicant did
not look like commercial traveller, the
man replied that he was a machinist and
that much travelling had broken his chest,
compelling him to use a strong sample
case. The baggage was accordingly
checked to Memphis, but the rightful
owner appeared in time to prevent the
theft of the sample case, which contained
about 5000 worth of jewelry.
To prevent similar frauds a system of
claim checks" was devised. If a transfer
company calls for trunk at a hotel or pri-
vate residence and the owner is not present,
but will return, a claim check" is left for
him, which is duplicate of that attached
to the trunk. If he has gone to the depot,
the baggage man will not receive the trunk
unless the transfer company accepts a
''claim check" from them. Then when q
passenger directs his baggage to be
checked, he is told to call at the office of
the transfer company and get his 'claim
check" This simple means of identified
ton has been found to work effectively.
A favorite method of doing crooked work
at baggage rooms was to steal somewhere a
number of pairs of checks. Then while the
baggageman was looking for the trunk
bearing the number corresponding to that
on the bogus check rendered, the crook
would cleverly remove the strap check
from any trunk Of which he desired posses
sion and substitute therefor strap check
from his pocket. Hence it is that all out
siders are regarded with suspicion in bag
gage room, although this plan of robbery
is nolonger practicable with the new paper
checks"
When asked If, in view of the develop
ments of the past few days, it was not as
easy to counterfeit pasteboard baggage
check as railroad ticket, Baggage Agent
William M. Steelereplied that he thought it
was not.
Each road has different style and diff
ferent color of check" said he, land the
matter that is written in must be in the
same handwriting. Everything on either
check must be identical with parailel'in-
formation on the other, instead of only the
9umber and name of the road being re-
luired to correspond, as under the work
tngs of the old brass check system. Even
though man had a lot of blank forms cor
rectly printed, he would be compelled to
inspect the baggage he desired to steal,
memorize the number and written informa-
ton and then go away and prepare his false
check in the identical manner and hand
writing indicated on the strap check. Mis-
takes would very often be made by him.
which would instantly expose his game.
The plan Of substituting a prepared strap
check is so old that it is rarely attempted
| successfully almost navar for xva ara oop-