Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-09-01
CHECKING BAGGAGE.
A REVOLUTION TAKING PLACE IN
MOVING IMPLEMENTS.

Trading Lost baggage Under the old
method-BagEaEe Frauds.
The days Of the brass baggage check are
numbered. For the past two years the
pasteboard check has been gradually crowd.
ing it ost OF use, until brass checks are
now employed only for local checking, and
for that purpose solely because each COM
| pony 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 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 u tedious delay while the baggage
was being traced by mail and telegraph
/ from New York. Again. n busy or absent
minded travelling man might ask for a
Check, Nnnduliah If a check should hap
| pen to be given to Nandalia station, the
man might so OIL to Pittsburg or Chicago
before discovering that his baggage was
astray. There was nothing whatever ON the
/ DlA1o tAHlN ~ LNAlOAt hAtAGt OF ul WHICH
| line the baggage had been forwarded But
now as soon us he looks at his check he can
see the point TO which it was forwarded.
The new paper checks,n as they arc
called, are designed to and do obyiate these
difficulties, which have long been night
mare 70 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 Ia heavy, name of tho destination, as
well rs the originating point, Is printed. In
some cases tho 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 consecutiycly
and are kept for limited time after the
baggage he's 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 tho next day. But n paper
check can be used only once.
Baggage ngCuts In large terminal cities
have to be cternally ON guard against
frauds 4 baggage room Is regarded by
many as desirable object for plumber, and
new schemes to beat" 1t ure being CON
stantly evolved. Some years ugo man
applied to have u big sample case checked
| to Memphis. When one Of the employees
domurred and said that the applicant did
not look like u commercial traveller, the
man replied that he was maehiiii5t aud
that much travelling had broken his chest
compelling him to use strong sample
case. The baggage was accordingly
checked TO Memphis, but tie rightful
owner appeared in time TO prevent the
theft of tho sample case, which contained
about 5000 worth OF iewelry.
10 prevent similar frauds a system Of
"clRim checks was devised. II a transfer
company calls for trunk at q hotel or pri.
yate residence and the owner 10 not present,
but viii return, claim check" IL left for
him, which is duplicate OF that attached
to the trunk. II he has gone TO the depot,
the baggage man will not receive the trunk
unless the transfer company accepts
"claim check" from them. Then when a
passenger directs his baggage 10 bo
checked, he is told to call at the Office OF
the transfer company and get his claim
check This duplc means OF identified
ton has been found to work effectively
a fayorite method OF doing crooked work
at baggage rooms was 10 steal somewherea
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 cleyerly remove the strap check
from any trunk of which be desired posses.
sion and substitute therefor strap check
from his pocket Hence II is that all out
slders are regarded with suspicion in u bag
gnge room, although this plan Of robbery
IS nolonger practicable withthenew paper
checks"
When asked II, in view OF the develop
ments Of the past few days. It was not a.
easy TO counterfeit pastebOard baggage
check as railroad ticket, Baggage Agent
William NJ. Steele replied that he thoughtit
was not.
Each road has different style and diff
| ferent color Of check" said he, "and the
matter that Ia written in must be In the
same handwriting, Everything on either
check must be Identical with parallel In
formation on the other, instead OF only the
number and name Of the road being re-
inns Of the old brass check system. Even
though u man had lot Of blank forms cor
rectly printed, he would be compelled to
inspect the baggage he desired TO steal,
rnrinorize the number and written infOrma-
ton and then 20 away and prepare his false
| chcel, In the identical manner and hand
writing indicated on the strap check Ms
takes would very often be made by him.
which would instantly expose his game.
/ The plan Of substituting prepared strip
] check is so old that 1t Is rarely attempted
successfully elmost never, for we are con,
tinually on the lookout for sharpers and
suspicious idleus We are at times very
bnsv bere. but never so busy that we don's
Keen an eve on every man in the room who
is not an employee" .,.
The orr gin otth ''papsreheek" dates ! ea Az. |
| a Few years to the commeaeement OF tne
I'm OF railway consolidation. when changes
IN routiugs were 70 frequent that the bras
cheeks were found inadequats for the WORK
So. Louis Globe. Democrat