The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-11

of brand new boots, shoes land overshoeH
that would supply an ordinary store.
Hats, caps and bonnetS OF every style,
which have never been worn, taWalt re-
demption.
Overcoats, too, are almost daily left in
cars by thoughtless passengers They
find their way to the property room, with
all the other lost articles. Valuable fur
canes and boas are frequently found, es-
mentally on lines which are patronized by
fbe wealthy classes.
As;to the large amount of jewelry found
in tho street. cars, much of it is cheap,
raudy stuff hardly worth the trouble to
Teclaim, but occasionally valuable piece
will turn up. A necklace valued at 81 500
was left in IL car by lady who was car
rying it home from the jewelers.. Her
husband found it the following day at
the lost property office.
Among the frequent ''finds'' which the
honest employees turn in are pockctbooks
Many Of these are empty, or contain
papers valuable only to the owners. but
various sums of money are often found.
Last summer an elderly lady, the sole oo-
cupant of d Broadway cable car bound
up town, got off Mt Grace church, leaving
behind her q pooketbook containing 81, $50
in cash. She got it all back, and re-
warded the conductor with 80 cents Tor
his honesty.
a RFG2tU uSHl VI bl1S SOO1S iOou IA OsSA'
are consigned to the "perishable stuff
department. when they reach the proper
ty foom. In this list are all kinds OF
canned goods, teas, ,coffees, cereals, plck-
les, in fact everything that can be found
on the shelves Of an up to date grocery
store. In this list are also bottles and
TASKS, and even denijohns well filed
with with iiauor. good and bad. The lost
flowers and potted plants received en-
ables the property clerk to keep some
thing of conservatory.
The size of some Of the articles left in
street cars is astonishing. 1t is safe to
say that whole trunks would be left be-
hind if they were allowed on the cars. A
drummer recently redeemed sample case
which was SO large that he could hardly
lug it away.
The hardware department In the lost
property room is always well filed. Care
less mechanics and laborers keep it sup
piled with several hundred tools and i'm
Elements There is everything from an
awl to crowbar. Not only do these ar
ticies fill several shelves and drawers, but
this head come knives, pistols and tin
ware in endless variety.
There are half a dozen large baskets
kept full of keys. There are all kinds of
toys, as well as pictures in frames There
are many ggpneumatio bicycle tires, and
enough bicycle parts TO SeG up several
first-cIass machines. There are smoking
pipes, packages of tobacco, handkerchlefs,
muffs, and letters of business and
private nature.
On an average fifty articles are re-
deemed each day at the lost property
room of the elevated road alone, and
many more are redeemed at the Offices of
the surface roads. 1t is said that the
number of lost articles issmuch larger in
warm weather than in winter, and this
is accounted for by the fact that the heat
and humidity cause passengers to forget
their parcels or luggage.
Much of this luggage, in the shape OF
vaiises and bags, is never redeemed, be-
cause it is left behind by travellers on
their way out of town.
In the open cars in summer a great
many more articles are lost than in the
closed cars, and the reason for this, other
than the oppressive weather, which affects
travellers, is said to be that passengers
jump quickly from the open cars, Eforget-
ting their parcels, srand remember them
only after the, car has disappeared.
The fact that largo amount of prop
erty lost in street cars is not appropriated
by the conductor and guards speaks well
for the honesty of these employees. Un
doubtedly the majoritysof lost articles
never recovered are kept by passengers.
who adhere TO the principle of their child
hood that ssfin(Tin'S is keepin's -