The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-11
CHECKING BAGGAGE.
A REVOLUTION TAKING PLACE IN
MOVING IMPLEMENTS.

why tho Pasteboard Check Is DisplacIng
tho Common Brass ones-DinicultIes of
Tracing Lost baggage Under the Old
Acknowledgements Frauds.
The days of the brass baggage check are
numbered. For the past two years the
pasteboard check has been gradually crowd,
ing 1t out of use, nntil 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 source of admiration to Euro.
pean visitors is relegated to an obsolets
custom. The old system was Objectionable
for several reasons. An Immigrant wbc
could not speak the English language might
come on to this city while his baggag,
would be checked only to Cincinnati. mi.
involved tedious delay while the bag,
was being traced by mail md telegraph
from New York. Again, busy or absent
minded travelling man might ask for I
check, Vandalia." If check should han
pen to be given to Nandalia station, til,
man might go on to Pittsburg or Chicag,
before discovering that his baggage wa.
astray There was nothing whatever on tn,
brass check to denote whence or by Nhicl
line the baggage had been forwarded Blu
now as soon rs lie looks at his check he car
see the point to which it was forwarded.
The new paper checks" MS they ar,
called, are designed toaud do obviate thcs,
difficulties, which have long been u night
MARI to baggage agents Each road has it,
own system of pastcboard checks, printed
III different styles and on different coloret
cardboard. When travel between certain
cities Is heavy, name of the destination, n
well as the originating point, is printed l.
some cases the routing is also printed. Blu
on general checks, which may thus at one
he issued for any place on any railroad In ii
United Stntes, blanks are left for the de-
| tlhatlon and the names Of the Counectn,
! roads ever which the baggage /, to ma
/ These checks are numbered cousecutiypl
and are kept for n limited time after ii,
baggage has been claimed, WHEN they M
| destroyed. The check issued to the nm
sengrr is, Therefore, an exact duplicate 1,
! the strap check, which contains fun m,
explicit information, and missing baggqs
4 can therefore be quickly located by mean
| of the details printed or written in.
The difficulty OF tracing bnryagc il les
ened in another way A brass chug
| might he received here In the morning
used to Kansas City at night and sent On
from theTe the nest day But "pay.
CHECK can be used only once.
baggage agents in large terminal elite
have to be etcrnally on guard aguins
frauds, a baggage room is regarded b
| many as desirable object for plumber, am
/ heW schemes to beat it Tire being cor
| stapt!y evolved Some years ago II ma.
/ applied to have hig sample case check,
! 10 Memphis. When one of the Cmploy,,
! densuncd and said that The applicant i,
/ not look like Il commercial traveller, iii
| man replied that he w!ls Il aachinist an.
| that much travelling had broken his che (
I compelling him to use strong sglut,
ease. The baggage was accordin.j
checked 10 Memphis, but the rhythm
/ owner appeared in tilHc to prevent ii.
/ theft Of tho -ulp,r ui,-e which coutnipe
about SG,HGOwouh II j,welly.
| To prevent similar frauds n systrul a
claim checks was devised. II "A transit.
company calls for trunk 1T hotel or nr'
1 waite residence and the owners lot present
but VIII return, a claim check" is left f
him, which is duplicate Of TINT atlaclo.
TO the trunk. Ii he las gone to lie ,lrypr
the baggage man will not receive lie triirI
Unless tic transfer company acreri,
claim check from them. Then when
| Passenger directs Ills baggage to i
checked, he is I1ld to call at the ollirg 81
| the transfer company aud get his "ciail
! cEerh.' Ihis simHi, meal, of idculiiiup
. Ma b. 10.