The morning call., 1893-09-24
THE MAZE.
Market, Taylor and Golden Gate Avenue.
BRASS RETIRED.
A New Baggage-Check Crowding Out
the Kind So Long Used.
ST. Louis GIobe.Democrat

ST. Louis GIobe-Democrat
The days of the brass baggage-check
are numbered. For the past two years
the pasted oard check has been gradually
crowding it out of use. until brass checks
are now employed only for local checking.
and for that purpose solely because each
company has large stock Of them on
hand. Thus an American institution
which has long been a source OF adm ira
tion to European visitors is relegated to
an obsolete custom. The old system was
Objectionable for several reasons. An
immigrant who could not speak the Eng
lish language might come ON to this city,
while his baggage would be check ed only
to Cincinnati.
This involved a tedious delay while the
baggage was being traced by mail and tel
egraph from New York. Again, a busy or
absent-mihded travelling man might ask
for CHECK, Vandala." If a check
should happen 10 be given to VaDdalia sta
ton, the man might go on to Pittsburg or
Chicago before discovering that his bag
gage 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 il has been forwarded.
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 pas eboard checks. printed
10 different styles and on different cOiOred
cardboard. When travel between certain
cities is heavy, name of tile destination, as
welt 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 Tor any place on any rail-
road in the United States. blanks are left
for the destination and the names of the
connecting roads over which the baggage
is to pass.
These checks are numbered consecutive
ly. and are Kept for limited time after
the baggage has been claimed, when they
are destroyed. The check issued TO the
passenger 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 les
sened 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 paper
check" can be used only once.
Baggage agents III large terminal cities
have to be eternally on guard against
frauds. A baggage-room is regarded by
many as desirable object for plunder.
anu new ScnemeS TO OtaL IL are Delng
constantly evolved. Some years ago u
man applied to have a big sample case
checked to Memphis. When one of the
employees demurred and said that the ap-
plcant did not look like commercial trav-
eIer the man replied that he was a machin-
ist. and that much travelling had broken
his chest, compelling him to use a strong
sample case. The baggage was accord
ingly checked to Memphis. but the rightful
owner appeared In time to prevent the
theft OF the sample case. which contained
about $1,000 worth Of jewelry.
TO prevent similar frauds system OF
'claim checks" was devised. If transfer
company calls for a trunk at a hotel or
private residence and the owner is not
present. but will return, "claim check"
is left for him. which is duplicate of that
attached To the trunk. If he has gone to
he depot the baggageman will not receive
the trunk unless the transfer company
accepts "a ''claim check" for them. Then
when passenger directs his baggage TO be
! checked he Is told TO call at the Office of
the transfer company and get 'claim
check. This simple means Of identlfica-
cation has been found TO work effectively.
A favorts method of doing crooked
work at baggage-ro0ms was to steal some-