The Saint Paul globe., 1897-04-14
Tickets Punched with Care.

Old railroad men can remember when con-
ductors carried punches which were clumsy
and heavy and useful only to cut little round
pieces from the tickets. These primitive in
struments were followed by punches which
had stars and crescents and squares and
other simple designs. The first Of these were
manufactured by maker of surgical instru-
ments in Albany, and the New York Central
railroad conductors used to make it a point
to call on Herman Spangenberg at his little
shop every few weeks to have their punches
sharpened Spangenberg did all the punch
business. By the time they came into general
use the article was patented-and not by the
first maker-and improvements have been
made from time to time until the punch has
become a neat little instrument
The average passenger on railroad train
does not know the value of the conductors s
punch, and among those who have any appre-
ciaton of the little instrument only a few
know that the punch is used for any other
purpose than to destroy the value of the rail-
road tickets That is one of its chief func-
tioIs, but by no means the only one. By the
time passenger is seated in his ticket
has already been slightly mutilated with
punch marks. The dOorman has shipped out
a P-shaped piece, which shows that the ticket
holder has passed through the door. In some
instances, where there gates beyond the
door and before the train is reached, an ad
ditional G is cut out and indicates that
the ticket has been purchased for the ferry.
The letters B On some roads and only
on others show that baggage has been
checked, and a large X is sometimes used to
indicate that the ticket is of the cut rate or
excursion kind.
Punches for use ON the trains by conductors
are issued from the office of the auditor Of
passenger accounts, and j. F. Fairiamb, who
is at the head of that department Of the New
York Central system, has on file in his Office
hundreds of designs Of punch cuts which are
in constant use along the system.
1.-The conductor cou'd not get along with
out the punch said J. F. Pullen, chief clerk
of the office. because it Is a protection for
him. for the company and for the passenger.
T. hoo NTH cfal
design of his own, and a duplicate. The
clerks whose business brings them into daily
contact with the conductors know their
punch marks as well as a bank teller knows
the signature of the depostors. AS to the
methods Of using them" Mr.. Pullen said,
conductors do not all work their trains in
the same way, and do not follow the same
methods to punching the tickets. but there
are certain rules which are laid down by
this department as to the position of the
punch marks which all conductors must fol-
low. We can tell by looking at a ticket
how far 1t was used and by which conductor
the punch marks were made"
The record made by the ticket punch Is of
much value to the department in cases
where tickets are sent for redemption. "A
man will send us an Albany ticket said
Mr. PuIen 'and write that he had to leave
the train at Poughkeepsie and wanted the
DrOper rebate Such tickets are sent here,
and before the auditor seEds a voucher for
redemption we can tell by the punch marks
how far the ticket was used and by whom 1t
was puncneQ. Inere are instances diS0
where in legal affairs for the purpose Of
settling a dispute passenger wants to know
the name of conductor. In such cases there
is no surer way TO find the right man than
to send a ticket bearing his punch cut to
this office"
Railroad officials say that the Kicking
passenger is usually a most positive person
and the punch has been the means Of show
ing how readily one may be mistaken as to
time and place. Only few days ago a man
sent a punched check TO the auditing office
Of large railroad corporation, and with 1t
a violent protest against some fancied abuse
He gave the number Of his ticket and the
time when his train started. The punch mark
showed that he train which left the
station an hour later than the time given by
him. and when told of the fact he said :
That's so. l missed the train and went on
the next one" He was surprised that the
railroad people should have been able to de-
termine the fact, and was finally convinced
that he might have been in error also to
the complaint which the foundation for
the correspondence. Every conductor is re-
uuired to carry duplicate punch and if both
instruments should break down he must get
a temporary set from the nearest ticket re-
ceiver.-New York Tribune.