The record-union., 1894-12-04
PUNCH With CARE.
Why the Railroad Man Should Obey
This Injunction.
Some Explanations of the Mysterious
Symbols Passenger VIII Find
on His Ticket.

uepai lLnSuI Is Inc CUSTODIAN OF tneSe myS-
terious symbols-the punch marks are as
important in the disposition of tickets as
are signatures in the acceptance of bank
checks. In any case of dispute between
passenger and conductor, or conductor
and company, the punch marks are final
and lncontroyertible evidence, except
where an original punch mark has been
punched out by larger punch in crimi-
nal hands, which seldom happens.
Every passenger conductor in America
has punch of his own, though not OF his
own selection, and when he applies it to
passengers ticket he has committed
himself to it as irrevocably as though be
affixed his signature on the back of the
contract. Every conductor must punch
every ticket on his train, or hold himself
liable for personal payment of the fare of
his division or part thereof over which
the unpunched portion reads. In nothing
are railroad companies more strict than
In the use OF ticket punches, the conduct
ors insignia of office and the company's
material guarantee of square dealing by
all Interested.
The punch mark is the passengers
protection. By it or its absence any mis-
take or oversight on the conductors part
involving subsequent confusion or loss to
the passenger can be easily traced, proved
and rectitled. For illustration, passen-
ger recently purchased round-trip
ticket from Portland to San Francisco
On the going trip the conductor by mis-
take tore oil the section reading "to San
Francisco" The next conductor, having
no evidence of the passengers right to
travel over his division, demanded cash
fare, which was paid and receipted. On
arriving at San Francisco the passenger
called upon the General Passenger Agent
and, showing his return portion of the
ticket and receipt for part cash payment
on going trip, asked that his loss be made
good. The General Passenger Agent
hesitated moment.
Look here" said the passenger, 81
know something about railroad tickets
myself, even If II not deadhead. You
look up the going portion OF my ticket,
ana II you don't find punch mark w on
1t I'll give you $50 cash and go home" =
Ihe ticket was looked up and the iden-
tlcal punch mark discovered, whereupon
the passenger department refunded the
cash payment made on the train.
The first mark punched in the ticket is
the letter H." meaning originally Linn
1t, by the city ticket agent or 10, al agent
who issues it. This letter is used by all
agents who sell tickets in this country,
and deslgnates the class and limit of the
ticket. The star punch is used about as
freely as the letter al, ;" and has about
the same Significance. 1t is generally ap-
pied 10 lron-clad or nOt-stop-over one
way tickets, and also descriptive tickets.
1t Is even used on coupon tick tets, known
to auditors as excursion" tick cts, which
read to far point on home line, to desig-
nate class and limit. Like the T." it IS
used on the body OF contracts. In the
Auditors Office 1t is used for cancellation.
nf hi ial,
transportation one way between local
stations where there is not sufficient
travel 10 justify the company in paving
the cost OF separate printing are never
punched by the selling agent. Besides
the IL" and star, all ticket offices have
the mark -" which is applied to tick
cts sold to children entitled 10 ride at
half-fare. If baggage is checked from
the house or hotel, the letters ''B CO. are
punched out on the tick ct, meaning bag
gage checked" The transfer company
and also the baggageman at the depot
have this punch, The use of which pre-
vents passenger from getting $50 pounds
OF baggage checked AT his house aud an
other l5O pounds at the depot. Then in
large cities the gatemen have punch,
"G," which means that "nolder has
passed through the gate,' and nothing
more.
Ticket agents, baggagemen and gate
men use always the punches belonging
to their respective classes. Conductors
have individual punches, as already ex-
plalned, no two OF which make the same
mark. Ten thousand would be a mod
crate estimate of all the conductors
punch marks in this country.
The system of punching tickets held by
passengers is simple enough. If ticket
reads TO point Oh his division, the con-
ductor punches it and places it in his
pocket. If 1t reads beyond, he punches
it TO the end of his division, and if sep
arate section represents his division, h @
tears it off and places it in his pocket
Each succeeding conductor follows the
same rule. III the passengers asks for
stop-over at any intermediate point. hi g
ticket is punched to the end of the run
just the same, and a stop-over check is
issued. The return portion of round
trip ticket is never touched by conductors
on going passage. If ticket reads over
two or more roads, the conductors of each
are responsible only Ior their own por-
tions. and must under no circumstances
meddle with any foreign portion. In
this way all confusion is avoided by the
respective ticket auditing departments in
making the monthly settlement of pro-
portions with each other. In case of or
dinary tickets 1t is immaterial whether
conductors punch high or low, TO the
right or left, but inYoluntarily they select
N
portions of every ticket where no con-
ductor is supposed to apply his instru-
ment.
Every conductor knows a few other
conductors punches, but the ticket audit
ing department knows them ALL Before
the general passenger agent gives out a
punch to conductor the ticket auditor
writes the recipients name in large
book, and opposite IL his mark is punched
out, and for every ticke with that mark
which Is subsequently received that con-
ductor is personally responsible His
mark means that within a given time on
a certain train, running over a certain
division, he accepted from passenger.
named or unnamed, the material evidence
OF his right To travel, and indorsed the
company's specification of privileges to
said passenger.
The punch mark means all this and
more. 1t means that the conductor holds
himself personally responsible for any
oversight, lndiScretion or irregularity in
his handling of the ticket. If he loses
his punch he must report Immediately to
headquarters, whereupon his General
Passenger Agent Will furnish him a new
one, necessarily not of the same denomi-
nation. The OLD punch mark is bulle-
tined as lost Great care is exercised in
this regard because of the opportunity
afforded scalper of securing the old
punch and manipulating tickets. A ia
vorite trick of some scalpers used to be to
punch out small mark by inserting
about it larger mark, thereby changing
the denomination of the ticket.
Such marks as ''k" or "F'' or other
letters. excepting &C." ''L'' and "B.
c." have no significance whatever. anV
more than has an angle or bar. Some
people suppose they represent conduct.
or's names. Every mark has untold
significance to the ticket auditor, but
none to any one else