Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-08-31
CHECKING BAGGAGE
4 REVOLUTIONS TApuNc PLACE N
MOVING IMPROVEMENTS

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The days of the brass baggage check are
numbered. For the past two years the
paasebcxri cheek has been gradually crowd
ing il cat 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 thrss Of the railroads entering this
city still use brass checks for local bus ness,
but through baggage is checked on the
printed Aad written caris
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 Questionable
fog several reasons An immigrant who
could not speak the English language might
come on to this city while his baggage
would be checked oaly to Cincinnati This
involved tedious delay while the baggage
was being traced by mail and telegraph
from New York. Again. busy or absent
minded travelling man might ask for
check, Vandalia." If check shonld 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 lac looks at his check be 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 night
mare to baggage agents Each road has its
own system Of ps.stehoard checks, printed
la different styles and on different colored
cslrdbo When travel between certain
cities is heavy, name VI the destination, AS
well as the originating point, Is printed. Ia
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 lett for the des-
tination and the names OF the connecting
roads over which the baggage is to pass
These checks are numbered consecutiyely
and are kept for u limited time after the
baggage has been claimed. when they are
destroyed. The check issued to the pas
senger is, therefore, al exact duplicate OF
the strap cheek, 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. \ brass cheek
might be received here in the morning,
used to Kansas City at night and sent out
from there the next day. But 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 man
applied to have Il big sample case checked
to Memphis. When one of the employees
demurred and said that the applicant did
not look like u commercial traveller, the
man replied that he was Il machinist and
that much travelling had broken his chest,
compelling him to use 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 500 worth of jewelry.
To prevent similar frauds II system OF
claim checks" wa, devised. If a transfer
company calls for "a trunk at IA hotel or pri-
yate residence and the owner is not present,
but will return, II Claim check" is left for
MN, WHICH 10 VI
to the trunk. Ii lie has gone to the depot,
the lag.,liA,e man will not receive the trunk
unless the transfer company accepts
claim check" from them. Then when "a
passenger directs his baggage u be
checked, he is told to call at the Office OF
the transfer company and get his claim
check" This simple means of Identified
tion has been found TO work effectively.
l,.i, a
at baggage rooms was TO steal somewhere a
number of pairs of checks. Then while the
bagyageinan was looking for the trunk
bearing the number corresponding to that
on the bogus check rendered. the crook
would cleyerly remove the strap check
from any trunk Of which he desired posses
zion and substitute therefor strap check
from his pocket. Hence ii is that all out
siders are regarded with suspicion in II bag
gage room, although this plan Of robbery
is no longer practicable with the new paper
checks"
When asked if, in view Of the develop
nents of the past few days, it was not as
easy to counterfeit II pilsteboard baggage
check as a railroad ticket. baggage Agent
William NJ. SteeleTeplied that he though 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 Oh either
check must be identical with parallel in
formation on the other. instead of only the
number and name of the road being re
quired to correspond, as under the work
ings of the old brass check system. Even
though man had lot of blank forms cor
rectly printed, he would be compelled to
inspect the baggage he desired TO steal,
InemOri1e the number and written iuforma
ton and then 20 away and prepare his false
cheek in the identical manner and hand
writing indicated on the strap check. Mis-
takes would very often te male by him,
which would instantly EXPOSE his game
The plau of substituting prepared strap
check is SO old that it is rarely attempted
successfully almost never, for we are con
tinually on the lookout for sharpers and
suspicious oilers. We are at times very
busy here, but never so busy that we don't
keep an eye OH every man in the room who
is not an employee"
The origin of the paper check" dates back
few years to the commencement of the
era OF railway consolidation, when changes
in routngs were so frequent that the brass
checks were found inadequate for the work
st Louis Globe Democrat.
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