San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-04-21
How We Abuse the conveniences Of
Travel offered Us

/
Travel offered Us
Aboard shouted the conductor.
as the hands on the face of his
watch pointed to Gals O'clock.
Those in waiting, and some few
passengers strolling up and down
the platform sprang aboard and
with the ringing OF the bell the
Arkansas Pass coast train pulled
out for its destination.
The writer happened to be a pas.
senger on the same train and see.
ing that a Pullman chair car was
attached, had the porter transfer
his baggage and took seat there
in, paying the conductor the small
sum of twenty-five cents for the
privilege Of this luxurious comfort
as he passed by on his tour Of
ticket collecting.
"Say, Con-" addressing him in
that familiar cognomen generally
applied to the "boss of the train"
for short;) "this promises to be a
lonesome trip for me. l notice
Pm the only passenger on the
chair car"
"Well," replied the "Con" with u
smile, "Tll try and entertain you
part of the time, and perhaps later
on some Of mypassengers will real.
iZe the fact that they can ride $50
miles, and enjoy comfort and Sc
clusion for the psltry sum OF TWEEN
ty.five cents extra. Should / tell
you some things concerning the
abuse OF comforts offered the travel
ing public here in Texas" said the
conductor, "you would hardly be-
lieve them to be true. However
knowing you to be close observer,
l will kindly request you to take
seat in the regular day coach
and observe for yourself. The
lady and gentlemen passengers,
how they will put their money in
to trash and trinkets, rather than
invest part of it in the enjoyment
Of comfort that the line of railroad
affords"
Being in an inquisitive mood,
the writer took a seat in the reg.
ular coach and waited develop.
ments.
Along came the train butcher
boy with a tray Of iudigestible
candy figs and flower candy. Ten
cents was the amount invested by
the first lady; the second could not
resist the temptation and also in
vested dime in sweets, and so on
down the line. l, unnoticed, kept
tally on the different individuals,
and matters grew interesting. The
butcher next came in with n tray
OF fruit which was also literally
patroniZed.
Business being on boom he re-
tired for a few minutes, but soon
returned with an arm full of pa
pers and novels in which the lady
and gentlemen passengers also took
stock. To make matters short, my
tally sheet showed that one lady
had spent 60 cents, another 90, a
third 80, and some OF the gentle
men passengers had also invested
literally.
Well, l was convinced beyond a
doubt that comfort did not con-
stitute part of the wants of the
travelling public and that they had
not given the same any study. In
word, they would rather invest
price or three times the amount
necessary to a comforta BILE trip in
trash candy and unnecessary pur-
chases than pay twenty-five cents
for the privilege OF riding on
chair car, and thus giving the
company assurance OF their appre-
citation toward maintaining a mod
ern train with all conveniences
and worth four times the mere
pittance they ask, considering the
amount OF comfort derived there
from.
Think OF a chair car being hauled
$50 miles containing one lone pas
senger, the receipts therefrom to
the railroad company amounting
to % cents.
Do we appreciate the opportun-
tiles offered by up to date COM
panies or are we going backward,
is the question.
Let the Arkansas Pass officials
pull off this car and the people
who never patronize it would raise
the greatest howl.
LONE TRAVELLER.