The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-28

point on home line to designate class
and limit. Like the a." it is used on
the body Of contracts. In the auditors
office il is used for cancellation. Ordi-
mar card tickets which are used for
transportation n way between local
stations where there is not sufficient
travel to justify the company in paying
the cost Of separate printing are never
punched by the selling agent.
Besides the IL" and star all agents
have the mark ~" which is applied to
tickets sold to children entitled to ride
at half fare. If baggage is checked
from the house or hotel the letters "B
G" are punched out on the ticket, mean
ing baggage checked" The transfer
company and also the baggage man at
the depot have this punch. the use of
which prevents a passenger from get
ting $50 pounds Of baggage checked at
his house and another $50 pounds 1t the
depot. Then in large cities the gateman
has passed through the gate" and moth
ing more.
Ticket agents, baggagemen and gate
men use always the punches belonging
to their respective classes. Conductors
have individual punches. as already ex-
planned, 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 sys-
tenn OF punching tickets held by passen-
gers Is simple enough. If a ticket reads
to a point on his division the conductor
punches 1t and places 1t in his pocket.
If Ii reads beyond he punches it to the
end of his division, and If a separate
section represents his division he tears
1T off and places it in his pocket, each
succeeding conductor following the same
rule.
HOW CONFUSION Is AVOIDED.
If the passenger asks for stop-cver
"a m rr~aIiof Dntrf ltc <toI~1< te
punched to the end of the run just the
same and a stop-over check is issued.
The return portion of a round-trip
ticket is never touched by conductors
on going passage. If a ticket reads over
two or more roads the conductors of
each are responsible only for their own
portions, n must under no circum
stances NEEDLE with any foreign portion.
In his way all confusion is avoided
by the respective ticket auditing depart
ments in making the monthly settle
ment of proportions with each other.
In the case of ordinary tickets 1t is i'm
material whether conductors punch high
or low, to the right or left, but involun-
tarily they select certain pet portions.
OF course there are portions of every
ticket where no conductor Is supposed
to apply his instrument.
Every conductor knows a few other
conductors punches, out the tlcket
auditing department knows them all.
Before the general passenger agent gives
out a punch to a conductor the ticket
auditor writes the recipients name in
a large book and opposite Ii his mark
is punched out. and for every ticket
with hat mark which is subsequently
received that conductor is personally re-
sponsible. His mark means that within
a given time, on a certain train, running
over a certain division he accepted from
a passenger, named OF unnamed, the
material evidence of his right to travel
and Endorsed 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, indiscretion or irregularity in
his handling OF the ticket. II he loses
his punch he must report Immediately
to headquarters, whereupon his general
passenger agent will furnish him a new
one. not necessarily of the same denomi-
nation. The old punch mark is bulle-
tined as lost. Great care is exercised
in this regard, because of the opportun-
ity afforded a scalper securing the old
punch and manipulating tickets. A ia
vorite trick OF some scalpers used to
be to punch cut a small mark by insert
ing about 1t a larger mark. thereby