The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-24
LEFT ON RAILROAD TRAINS.
Umbrellas, Overshoes and NaDy Sets
of False Teeth.

Recently u Chicago railroad displayed
in its unclaimed psrct l-room five barrels
Of rubber overshoes and IA ucx full of false
teeth. A III this property and more during
period of six mouths, has been LIFT on
suburban and through trains 10y absent.
mirdeu passengers. Tie general baggage
agent, W on being asked what was tho od-
dest occurrences of this kind, said that
woman once lsft on train six-monihs-
old baby, and she oid not miss IL until
trainman overlook her with the liitl,
bundle of humanity b fore she got outside
of the train shed. Ii was not case of
abandonment. sha had actually forgotten
To take up her own offs ring,
Only one-half Of the articles left on
traius are claimed and returned to owners.
AT all the railroad offices in Chica.o
there are 10 be found motle5 coll ctlors of
about all the articles which man or wo-
man ever owned. IL would be impossibls
TO list them in whole page OF nowspa.
per-
The article which figures most extan-
sively among the lost and fouId OF the
big railroads is the umbrella. An official
of the Illinois Central says he receives In
the bagagze department l50 umbrellas
year. General Agent osdd of the burling-
ton says his records show GOO n year,
and the other lines report large collertions
of this serviCea6Ie article, which is ltfe on
trains in all kinds of weather On "a
recsnt fine sur shiny day the burlington
railroad showed on its record a whels
page Of abandoned umbrellas.
Next come the overshoes which are
daily found, sinQly and in pairs, ard Of
tentimes odd in size and Kind At oil the
offices they are accumulated to the extent
OF barrels and barrels. 1t is common
occurrences to find upper, lower and ar
tihcal sets OF false teeth. Some give ey,-
oence of long service. others have teen
too new and have been "lsid out to give
relief. Bat they come In ali shapes and
sizes
Wearing apparel in largo quantities is
To be found in the lost parcel rooms. The
clerks in the Atoms quarters at the
Union station fitted out dummy figure
with every single article that man is
likely to wear from head TO foot. Ths ar
tioles were all left piece by piece en- the
trains and gathered up 10y the employees
until the figure was logged out in newest
fashion.
Tue young woman stenographer In Bag
gage Agent sadd's Office has Il PCT kitten
which was found in an envelope box on
a train, and, there having been no olaim-
ant. young ""rom'' is being taught to
earn his beard by mousing in the bag
gage room.
Crippies frequently leave their crutches
on trains There is n collection of them
Mt all the Offices. Hanging up in the
parcel room of the Illinois Central is
Mig aneLor made OF moss gathered from
trses ia the far South. The maker mad
taken cara of IL until Chicago was
reached, only TO abandon 1t to the caro- of
tue parcel man,
IL is safe to say the larg st department.
store in Chicago contains no article
that cannot be found In one or another
of the Chicago railroads unclaimed
uarcel rooms. The railroads have
different methods of taxing care of and
keeping track OF the stun That of the
Illinois Central seems to e the most
elaborate A case Of boxes, 81 in num-
ber, Is labelled one box flr elch day of
the month. In "a haX IL placed all matter
found on all the trains on the CORES
Iondug date. When "N0. 81 is reached
b,x No. l Is smptied, AMI the articles
carried To The baggage store room, and
tlus the filing and emptylny goes on
565 times year. Elcl article 10 tagged.
show ing the date and train on which a
wSs found, so that recurd ana descrip-
tion of each articls can be had. A slub
Of the tag Is printed ON receipt. 10 be
signed by tie claimant if reclaimed. A
feature Of their plan is that n perfcot
record Is Kept Of the smallest ana m ,st
inconsequential psrcsl. There are a Ger.
tain number Of tags. and in each casa
tie company has either the parcel or the
tax. sales OF unclaimed parcels are mad,
once year. The whole accumulation of
one year j. bundlsd " Two or ,,,re
small packages are tied int one. which
l. sold ell The way IRON 30 cents to -
cents Umbrellas are put Up In dozen
packages, aud sold nt whatever they will
bring. tie work q selling b,inz Let out
o. the auction house with which fhs tes,
bsr2aiu can be mEdp
Mnn' yaluabls srtiess are found ON