The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-11
BEFORE THE TICKET PUNCH.
How Economical Patrons Were Wont TO Swim
die the Erie In Its Enriy Days.

How Economical Patrons Were Wont TO Swim.
die the Erie In It's EnrIy Days.
I'm the carly days Of the passenger business
on the Eric Railroad, which was the first rail-
road on which through business was done be-
tween New York and Lake Erie, the printing of
tickets was q large item of expense" said an
old.time Erie man. ut would not do to use a
ticket once and then destroy it, as is done nova
days, 30 tickets were printed on the heaviest
kind OF cardboard. When a ticket was taken
up by a conductor at its destination 1t would DO
sent to the general passenger agents office, to
be returned to the agent at the station, where
1t was originally sold. for resale. and would be
thus kept In use as long as the ticket might last.
This system prevailed a long time. when the
discovery was made in some way that the pat
irons of the road were working the company In
a way that was taking more revenue from it
than would pay for the printing Of new tickets
many times over. For instance. say a citizen of
Andover, on tho Western division, might be
going to New York. The fare. I think, was over
50. He would buy his ticket from that station
to his destination. The conductors were run
by divisions Of the road. The Western divi-
sion's eastern terminus was Hornellsville. The
conductor would honor the ticket to that place,
where n new conductor took the train. He car
ried the passenger on the ticket to Susquchanna,
where he surrendered the trim TO a third con-
ductor, who ran it to Port Jervis, where tho
fourth and last conductor took charge.
The ticket from Andovcr TO Now York had
been used to this point, no mark Of any kind
being made upon 1t. At Port Jervis the passen-
ger would get on the train and purchase a ticket
from that station to New York. This would cost
him about S2.70. He would hand this ticket to
tho new conductor, who of course knew nothing
T nep on t a ih na o iickel haTTlRhif s f sIcRet IRON from A PdTt
Jervis would be taken up nj the end OF tho run.
When tho enterprising and economical person
from hllegany county got ready to return homo
no would buy a ticket from New York to Ando-
yer. This would be used westward ms the first
had been used eastward-that ticket being still
safe in his wallet. At Hornellsville, the Begin.
ming Of the Western Division. he would buy n
ticket from that place to Andover for less than
81. This the conductor would take up, as the
the ticket between Port Jervis and New York.
Tho traveller would now have a through
ticket from Andoyer to New, York and one from
New York TO Andover in his possession. They
board on which they were printed held out those
tickets would be good for n trip each way. no
matter how often the citizen or n friend to whom
he might hire them out cared to use them. all
the outlay necessary in making the trips being
1910 from Port Jervis to New York and 81 from
IIornellsville to AndOver. The company would
then be carrying the passenger zoo miles for
when this fraud WAS discovered 1t had been
In operation many months at station after sta
tion along tho line favorably situated for profit
ductors to mark with q pencil through tickets
on their respective divisions. to show that they
had been used thereon; but that was easily got
conductor was provided with a bradawi, with
which he punched n hole in the ticket for his
division. This. Of course. spoiled tho ticket for
use more than once. and the company had to in
crease its printing bills. But 1t found its treas
ury swollen by the use of the awl far beyond tho
large added cost of printing tickets. The brad.
awl In a short time gave way to the punch"