Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-06

that there is hardly an hour in the twenty
four that does not deliver up it's trunk.
1.-The Washington travelling people come
and go with the rise and fall of the ther-
mometer," said one of the brightest clerks
at one of the local baggage rooms to
Star writer one day during the past week.
Il can tell when I open my eyes in the
morning and glance out the window
whether we will have a quiet or busy day.
If 1t looks ike rain or gives promise of be-
ing cool, one-half of those that intended
going out Of the city will postpone their
trip for a day at least. If it is close and
sultry and the indications point for a hot
spell the people simply leave the city in
rush.
ION every train you will find people who
growl at the crowded condition of the cars,
yet 1T is almost impossible to calculate
what the size of the travelling crowd will
be on each day. / can always pick out the
wise and shrewd travellers. They get their
trunks to me a day ahead OF time, and if
1t Is raining they are the happiest, as their
wisdom tells them they will have plenty
of room. Travelling in the heat can never
be pleasant although the railroads do their
best, and why the public pick cut hot days
to get to the seashore is a mystery to ME.
Common sense should tell them to travel on
a cool or cloudy day, and then if the fol-
lowing day is red hot, they are safely shell
tered on the piaZzas by the sea- and with
the cool breezes blowing in their faces can
smile contentedly as they view the sWelter-
ing new arrivals as they rush into the
hotel and up to the register and of course
get the Second-choice rooms.
Character fh Trunks.
'The new fad of telling the character of
persons by an analysis of their hands, lips,
cars or eyebrows is not to be compared
with what L can do down here in the way
character ha |,
we handle. AS soon as / cast my eyes on
a trunk I can tell whether the owner is
wealthy, poor or belongs to the new rich.
Whether he is selfish and stingy or big
hearted and liberal 1t may seem strange
to you, but the wealthiest people hold on
to a trunk the longest. Whether from fond
reoollections or in a spirit of economy
am unable to say.
THAT trunk over there just out of the
manufacturers hands belongs TO a promi-
nent saloon keeper, who has made lots of
money the last year, and his wife is going
to the seashore to spend some of 1t for him.
An old trunk would never do for them, but
everything must be new, and III wager
that when the lady comes down here to
take a train she will resemble the trunk
in newness of apparel The thoroughbred
traveller dresses comfortably, and the trunk
that goes with him or her speaks for itself.
Then the poorer people that are glad to be
able to take two weeks vacation will
hold on to a trunk too long, and d handy
rope is brought into use. They run the
risk of having their trunks smashed open,
and out of kindness of heart our men here
have often given mere strength to the
trunk by additional binding. They know
the condition of the owners well as 1
do and help out on the basis of fraternal
feeling.
'In variety the baggage handling adj
junct of a railroad is perhaps the most i'm
portant and most carefully looked after of
any. 1t is to be supposed that the passen-
to rt1ip toy,f 70. #
themselves, but with their belongings it is
different. 1t has to be guarded, and enough
safeguards are thrown around the luggage
to give it the Importance of a gold or sill
yer shipment.
On Great Occasions.
"Of course, the situation in this city can
not be compared with New York. Phila-
delphia or Chicago, as in those cities nearly
as much room is given up in the railroad
stations for the care of the baggage as to
the accommodation of the passengers
themselves. but we do pretty well, and on
stated occasions will put to blush even
those cities with our baggage display. In
late years the Masonic conclave, the
Knights of Pythias and G. A. r. reunions
would come under that head. and our
regular terrors are the presidential in
augurations. The G. A. r. reunion beat
anything 1 have experienced.
Travellers trunks are allowed to weigh
$50 pounds, and it is rarely that they ex-
coed this figure, but If they run up to 2G0
we let it so, on the ground that scales may
vary somewhat. If it were only trunks
that we had to handle We would consider
ourselves lucky. The fact that we are re-
quired to handle all kinds of stuff, both
dead and alive, makes the positions any
thing but sirecures. Even in the cases of
trunks, contact with them is not as pleas
ant as might be imagined. For instance.
you can recall the trunk that travelled
f1cm New York to Chicago, and then back
to Pittsburg, containing the remains of a
wealthy Englishman, who had been MUIR
dered and then cut into pieces and put in
a trunk to conceal the crime.
Then the immigrants give us a scare
every now and then. They get the impress
sion in their heads that everything in this
country is tremendously high, and they
carry in their trunks everything imagin-
able. We recently came across trunk
that we We're sure contained a corpse and,
after notifying the police, all hands
can imagine their hilarious shouts when it
was discovered that the trunk contained
about fifty pounds of German cheese, with
an elongated name.
The Size Tells the Story.
''There is as strict a fashion, or might
say etiquette, in regard to trunks as there
is IN dressing. Nowadays no one thinks of
going abroad with Saratoga trunk, and
it Is almost the universal rule that no one
VIII Jake nat trunk TO the SeaShore.
When fiat trunk is dumped down here in
the baggage room 1 know almost to GER
tainty that Europe is its destination. I was
told by knowing lady once that the cause
of this discrimination was on account of
headgear; that is. bonnets and hats When
person takes the trips abroad headgear
plays very small part. while tour of the
s.s shore resorts calls for bonnets and hats
galore
1.-THE Saratoga trunk with its oval ton
contains therein goed-sized hat or bonnet
compartment, while to pack hat in a
steamer trunk would assurediy mean it's
ruin. OF course 1 am not saying that the
desire to buy dainty headgear in Paris is
the cause of carrying only one hat on the
outgoing voyage.
Not long since there was a trunk re-
ceived here that l almost imagined wanted
to salute me so familiar has 1t become. I
know positively that it has made three
trips around the world, and on this last
round was bound for Japan. few years
hack that trunk would have been great