Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-04
ABSOLUTELY PURE

ment committee, and the event will be
an annual affair hereafter The railway
companies allowed the use of twenty of
their cars at the nominal sum of $40 each
LOT the DAY. This number was not near
~ large enough to accommodate the peo-
pie who wished to patronize the cars.
which were decorated, and many others
We're added during the day and evening.
I Merchants volunteered to decorate-the
cars and there was much strife in the
endeaVor to make the finest showing
The result was that the public street rail
way cars We're never so thoroughly
decked out and inviting.
1t took more than $50 women. who act
ed as conductors and chaperons to run
the cars during the day Some took their
places at o'clock in the morning and
others rung up fares until after midnight.
Each decorated car was entirely under
the control of two women and matron
was selected for chaperon. The con-
ductors We're picked from the ranks of
the prettiest girls in town. The regular
conductor and motorman were on board
of each car but they were more orna-
mental than useful
The service of the female crews" con-
tlnued only from two to three hours, each
making only two trips over the line, as
superintendent Moser believed that the
more women directly identified with the
enterprise, the greater the financial re-
suit. The fair conductors WED with each
other in ringing up the most fares, some
of the more enterprising women provid-
Ing music and other attractions to entice
people to ride with them. The instruc-
tons OF the superintendent that con-
ductors make correct change, dealing
fairly with the people, were carried out
to the letter. Another requirement was
that every fare taken be ''rung up" on
the register and reports made in the reg
ular way
A general office, established by the
women in the rooms of the Syracuse Bus
mess Mems association, was a scene of
much activity. The officers were on duty
all day, and the hundreds of reports from
conductors and chaperons kept the whole
force busy. The only attempt at uniforms
on the part of the conductors was a
white duck cap and white silk badge
with the inscription, Conductor SYRIA
cuse Street Railway of the w. c. A."
There We're some very funny incidents. of
course, during the day. An Onondaga
street swell boarded a decorated car with
several companions. Within hearing of
Miss Marie Saul, conductor of the car, he
remarked:
81 would cheerfully give IS to make
that pretty girl ring up 100 fares
II am the girl that can do it," quickly
rema rked Miss Saul The swell could do
nothing but pass over IS bill and the
conductor tugged away beamingly at the
bell cord till 100 fares had been regis
tered, to the merriment of the load of
passengers. An eccentric and wealthy
gentleman chartered a car and rode alone
for two hours, with the satisfaction of
mot being crowded" in a Syracuse street
car for once. 1t cost him SIS an hour, but
he said that it paid. if nothing more than
to have the companionship of the two
fair ladies who manned the car
One conductor secured the services of
colored man, dressed him in livery and
had him assist ladies and children in
boarding and alighting from her car.
The Womens Christian associations
trolley day" will not soon be forgotten
in Syracuse The young women had lot
of novel fun acting as conductors, and
some Of them begged to be sent out a
second time. remaining about the office
for an opportunity to go over the line
again. At u o'clock, midnight, the
women suspended the running Of the
cars for a. wear