The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-02-12
RAILWAY COUPONS.
How They Are Taken Up on the
Different Roads.
An Intricate But Necessary System
for the Correct Settlement OF
Accounts Between the
Companies.

"You frequently hear it said" re-
marked a traveller on an incoming
train to his companion. that man is
mighty inquisitye animal; that be is
forever behind the returns In pursuit
of knowledge, and that he is never sat
isfsd unless he can lift the cover of
things and watch the wheels go round.
That opinion is only superficial. how
ever. 1t isn't sustained by facts. On
the contrary, man is universally In
different to the real processes which
produce certain results with which he
comes in contact almest every day Of
his life.
Not long ago was obliged to take
trip to the coast, going by way OF
the northern lines, through st. Paul,
and returning by the southern route.
AS took out my ticket noticed that
on every coupon or section of the long
strip appeared the number of the ticket,
and also the initials of each particular
line or road over which it was to carry
mo. That interested me at once and
carefully watched every step in the
When 1 reached home again went to
the general ticket Office of the main line
over which 1 had bought my ticket
and there spent an hour in finding out
what had been done with the coupons
which 1 had distributed over half
continent into the hands of various con-
ductors. There / learned some very In
teresting facts.
''The first coupon detached from the
ticket is handed to the conductor, who
takes it up to the ticket cashier, who
Immediately forwards it to the ticket
auditor in the general Offices of the
line of origin. Here it is first checked
up against the report of the agent who
sold it. the report indicating over what
other line the ticket is sold. The audi
tor and his clerks have division Sheets
which indicate what proportion of the
entire amount received for the ticket
belongs to each of the interested roads.
Generally the value of each coupon is
arbitrarily fixed and is so indicated by
the division sheet, but of course the
original basis of settlement is practical
~ pro rata arrangement. In some
instances the clerks in the auditors
Office have to calculate the division &C.
cording to the mileage of each road.
''The different lines represented in
each ticket are credited with their share
of the total and there is a regular inter
changing of reports between all con-
Meeting roads. Settlements, which are
made by check, generally occur at CO.
day intervals.
Each one Of the connecting lines
receives fromits conductors the coupons
which have been collected, and it is by
means if these that it is able to have a
perfect check on the reports of credits
received from the road of origin as
the railroad men designate the line
which sells the ticket.
THAT practically ends the travels OF
the ticket, for after settlement each
auditor flies his coupons away and pre-
serves them for a year, after which they
are burned.
'Where two or more conductors d.
vide the distance covered by single
coupon it is generally the man on the
last run who takes up the bit of paste
board. Those before him simply punch
the ticket. To this rule there is an ex-
ception where the distance is usually
great. Then the first conductor takes
the coupon up and issues to the passen-
ger train check which is treated by the
following conductors on that division
as a ticket. A ticket sold in New York
over the eastern line connecting with
western road is handled by the auditor
of the latter as if it were originally sold
at Chicago. The frequent reports Of
tickets sold between the various con-
Meeting lines are necessary in order
that each may make its weekly estimate
Of current earnings.
This, tell you," concluded the
chronic Investigator. "is world of sys-
tenn, and railroad Offices are not a whit
behind the procession IN this particu-
lar."-Chicago Post.