Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-21
DEPOT TICKET OFFICE CLOSED AFT
Err TWENTY-NINE YEARS.
NEW ONE OPENED LAST NIGHT
MISS ALICE TRAYLoR BOUGHT THE
LAST TICKET.
Dave Fit1land. an Indian Territory
StOckmnn bought the First Tick
ct Sold From the New Of
fce-Depot Omcinls
Gratified.
Your name. please?"

Your name. please?'
Night Ticket Agent Whitaker, at the
Union depot. looked inquiringly at the
pretty young woman in a fur cape, who
stood before the window at 1925 p. M. last
night.
Il didn't know you had to take my
name she replied.
You are the last person who will ever
buy Il ticket from this Office" said Whit
taker. w will open the new Office with
in two minutes. and We have orders to
get the name of the last person who buys
before closing the window. You see it is
"a great event with us"
Miss Alice Traylor. of Kansas City. was
the young woman. and after receiving her
ticket. the office was vacated after nearly
twenty-nine years of constant occupancy,
day and night.
The plan was suggested by Superintend-
ent Sanford during a discussion of the
question of what class of people may be
called the most characteristic patrons of
the depot for a quarter of a century.
the depot for hurrying about, moving
fixtures and furniture. the officials in a
group exchanged opinions. Some said i'm
migrants. some stockmen. some commercial
travellers and some country merchants.
Well just make a test and take ii for
an index to the character of our patrons
said Superintendent Sanford.
Ten minutes passed after ringing the cur
tain on the old scene before anyone APP
peared before the big windows of the new
office.
He was a type. a familiar one. of a class
that has made Kansas City wealthy ard
famous. He wore 4 SLOUGH hat and soiled
clothes. and in his hand he carried the in
sigma of his guild-a whip. The stockman
was Dave FitZland. He came from the In
dian Territory with three cars of cattle
and wanted a ticket TO Liberty. Mo. He
was given No. 1870. round trip.
The first travelling man was Fl. f. Raeh-
waldt. of Sheboygan. Wis. representing
mileage book No. 647. Interest was at
tached to everything connected with the
moving.
"Y'heave. no, Careful of the door jamb.
You're going catawampus."
SI.OOO.OOO Worth of Tickets.
Six workmen lifted together and a big
walnut case containing Sl,V0.0N worth Of
railroad tickets passed into the new ticket
office of the Union depot last night-the
first TO take up its new abode. For twenty
six years ii had stood on the west side Of
the old office and yielded up thousands of
printed slips of coiored paper to emigrants
Twelve thousand return tickets to the
Pacific coast, valued at $50 each are now
and nine feet high.
The transfer of the furniture of the ticket
office was a signal event in the history of
the old depot building. For twenty-nine
years, a period covering the growth and
development of the great Middle West. the
passage before the two ticket windows has
been a needles eye for a large part of the
migrating passengers who found homes in
the states to the westward.
Officials of the depot stood about and
watched the transformation. There was
something of regret at parting with the
familiar walls, and at the havoc and dis
order wrought by the swift moving figures
II in md ware II in hnt f.TnC nnt
tones as they spoke of incidents connected
with EACH article ana piece of fixture
moved from its accustomed place. There
was something of elation. at any rate. a
conflicting sentiment. coming from the
transformation of old into new. The inter-
est of the occasion was contracted by the
lowlieSt rouStabout and it was not sup
pressed.
Shouts and laughter resounded during the
hours work until it was like a picnic party.
Surprises turned up every minute. And
when the last cabinet was moved out at
exactly 1890 p. m. there was a genuine
jubilee. Officials. ticket sellers and all SUI
yeyed with looks of pride the spacious
apartment. with its ten big windows. put
ting an occasional touch here and there
that added neatness and order to the scene.
Millspnugh's Old Desk.
When the antiquated walnut desk of the
Millspaugh. was moved there was a scram-
venerable general ticket agent. A. W.
BILE of men to see If a long lost coin could
De lOUllU II lie uuSl covered IlOOT, lnpN
prodded and scraped. laughing and joking
the while. like boys when the old time
sidewalk is torn Up. But they found moth
ing.
Millspaugh drew out the drawers and
showed how smoothly they worked and
pointed to features of worth about il. so
the suggestion fell through. He has occu-
pied the same chair, with the monogram.
u. D." perforated in its back, during the
same period.
And when it fell 10 pieces one day. he
---,,ll ,1s he D,,s 1y. .;.
the old chair was repaired. His methodical
ways are proverbial. They even say about
the depot he looks at the clock and splits
takes a chew from the silver box he has
carried. no one knows how long.
They won't find a penny" said Chief
Agent Stroud. watching the men prodding
about corners and under oilcloth. DO you
know. there is not q bank in the United
States. or a ticket office in the world. with
our record. We actually never made IL mis-
take of "a penny in thirteen years ! have
worked here. 1t is simply marvellous.
Every few months a crowd of auditors
come in upon us unexpectedly. and We
| vacate. When they are through work
| checking up, they report no error Not a
| variation of a cent has ever been recorded
by the ticket sellers in counting up each
night. in all those thirteen years. When
the auditors have missed tickets. it has
invariably been found to be an error in
| their own departments"
Half a dozen detectives were employed
! TO watch the workmen. They acted the
part of workmen themselves, and saw that
| every drawer was safely transferred. Men
| carried dozens of drawers containing Sl0.oct
worth of tickets each. but when the in
| voice was completed at midnight, every
ticket was accounted for.
$4,000 Tickets Moved.
Altogether $4,000 tickets in the local tick
| et case were moved. They We're to points
| ont of Kansas City. Ten thousand coupon
tickets in addition to the round trip tick
cts in the 81. oD0.v0 case. mentioned. were
transferred. Nearly all of the coupon
| tickets will be replaced with a new stock
| when the new cases, now being made in
Chicago, are put in. Many of those on
| hand have been in stock for years, and
| are soiled and dog-eared. The railroad com
| panies are all planning to fit the depot out
with new sets.
Queen LII Amused the Crowd.
The depot cat, 'Qeen Lii" amused the
crowd by ner excited actions during the
| evening. She knew a crisis had come and
il disturbed her usual serenity. The at
tention of the crowd was called to her
among the workmen and investigated
| each chunge made. She could not be kept
out of the old ROOM
queen Lii is used TO disturbance and
never before appeared ratified SAID a
passenger director. as the eat took Il
urn about an open space. her jet black
tail erect. with Il kink in the end She
came here TWO years ago ana mas ACQUIRED
u; peculiar trait. She enjoys lodging feet.
Tn. bigger the crowd the better Si2 likes
IT. You can see her any day ScootlrlS
around through the crowd. apparent! 10
no purpose. never knew of her getting
"hf,.T The depot dining room was moved
she had a tough time of it. She had been
a regular boarder and understood her priv.
| iIesss. pav after day she wandered about