The Portland daily press., 1893-11-18
EXCESS BAGGAGE
What it is and Whe Paysfor it-Travelers
Trunkssand All About Them.
IKennebec Journal

A Journal reporter was in the baggage
room of a Maine Central station re-
Gently, when travelling man came in
and paid sum of money to one of the
employees present.
AS soon as the drummer had gone the
reporter asked the railroad man, what
was he paying you for? Doesn't the
road carry baggage free?" The baggage
man took a comfortable seat on trunk
he began. cit will carry $50 pounds of
baggage free for each passenger, but all
over that is charged as excess baggage
and must be paid for"
"Do you have much excess baggage?"
A very large amount and nearly all
of it from travelling men. They average
two trunks apiece and $50 pounds excess
baggage"
How do the trunks average large or
small?"
at depends upon the line the drum
mers travel in. Hardware, jewelry. ps-
per and stationery trunks are the small
est. and also, in proportion, by far the
heaviest. Hats and millinery trunks
are the largest and highest The trunks
of linen are the heaviest outright, weigh
ing sometimes as high as 325 pounds.
Other lines come in between these, and
the majority Of the trunks carried are
about the same in size and weight We.
handle all kinds, though, and you cam t
mention thing, hardly, which is not
carried by some drummer or another. We
have.m men with eevrything from burial
robes and undertakers' supplies, to pipes
and shoestrings The most awkward
trunks are those which are carried by
the bicycle agents. They are of odd
shapes and hold each two machines"
"Do the travelling men in the same
business, as a rule, carry the same num-
Der of trunks?"
mo, the number varies even in the
same line. Carpet men carry the most,
from II to Is and one man travelling for
Boston house in this line has paid ex-
cess baggage on two tons of trunks.
Men travelling with clothing carry from
three to six medium trunks; in the toy
and notion line, from six to eight ordi-
narily, and at Christmas time from eight
to ten in the dry goods line, generally
two large ones and sample case; in
harwdare two very heavy small ones;
glass, crockery, and pottery, two to five
medium ones; apothecarles supplies
and fancy goods, four to siz; mats, caps,
and furs, two large and light ones; MILL
nery two large and light ones; paper
and stationery, two to three, heavy; wall
paper, two; shoestrings, two; boots and
shoes, two and sample case; picture
frames and mouldings, two; undertake
trunk; rubber goods, one large trunk;
harness, harness shop supplies and har-
| ness hardware, two heavy small trunks.
and on heavy large one; bicycls, one to
| tt rec; whips, one big sample case; sport
| ing goods, three; cigars, one small trunk;
tobacco leaf, one large trunk; pipes,
| two; jewelry two heavy ones In the
Inns OF groceries, paints, oils, patent oils,
patent medicines, thread, silk, printers
| supplies, drugs, and SO forth, the drum
| mers generally carry one hand satchel or
a very small sample case"
Are the travelling men the only ones
| to pay for much excess bagagge?"
"Oh, no! They are merely the most
| numerous class. People, especially
| good deal and actors and travelling thea
trical companies have considerable, rank
! ing next, in fact to the drummers. The
| smaller shows carry good deal OF seem
cry and stage apparatus in the regular
baggage cars, as well as trunks, and
| have to pay good deal for the excess
| The way we figure is to take the total
weight of stuff carried in the baggage
car, subtract from it the $50 pounds of
free baggage authorized to be carried
free multiplied by the number Of tickets
held in the party. Minstrels carry SO
many men who have, generally small
| trunks, that their scenery usually is
carried free. When company charters
asbaggage car arrangements are made
with headquarters direct. and all we
| have to do is sometimes to transfer the
baggage to the Kennebec Central, when
| the company plays at Togus.
How do you figure excess baggage?n
| aBy so much hundred pounds. No
| fractions are recognized. Our smallest
| charge for any excess to any point is Is
cents, and the largest we have here is the
rate to California, $12 hundred. Once
a mau paid excess on 250 pounds to San
Francisco and you can see that his