The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-06
LEFT ON RAILROAD TRAINS.
Cords of Umbrellas, barrels OF Over
shoes and Many Sets of False, Teeth
Frorm the Chicago 'TIibune

From the Chicago Tribune.
Recently a Chicago railroad displayed
in ITS unclaimed parcel room five barrels
of rubber overshoes and a box. full Of
false teeth. All this property and more
during period Of six months, has been
left on suburban and through trains By
absent-minded passengers. Then general
baggage agent upon being asked what
was the oldest occurrence of this kind,
said that a woman once left on a train
6-months-old baby, and she did not miss
1t until trainman overlook her with the
little bundle of humanity before she got
outside Of The train she'd 1t was not a
case of abandonment. She had actually
forgotten to take up her own offspring,
Only one half OF the articles left on the
trains are claimed and returned to own
ers AT all The railroad Offices in Chicago
there are to be found motley collections
Of about all the articles which man or
woman ever owned It would be impos-
sible to list them In a who!e pege Of a
newspaper. ta nH.
The articles which figure most extern
sivslg among the lost and found of the
! big railroads Is the umbrella. An official
of the Illinois Central says he receives in
the baggage department. 1900 umbrellas
a year General Agent Sadd of the Bur-
| lingtof says his records show abuot 600
a year. and the other lines report large
collections of this servlceable article, which
Is left on trains in all kinds of weather.
| On a recent Vine, sunshiny day the Bur-
! lington railroad showed on its record n
whole page of abandoned umbrellas
Next come the overshoes, which are
daily found singly and In pairs, and Of
| tentmes odd in size and kind AT the Of
fees they are accumulated to the extent
Of barrels and barrels. IL is a common
occurrence TO find upper, lower and par
tial sets Of false teeth Some give evidence
! of long service, others have been too new
and have been laid out" to give relief
But they come In oil shapes and sizes.
Wearing apparel in large quantities Is
to be found in the lost parcel rooms. The
clerks in the ATOMS quarters at the Union
station fitted out a dummy figure with
every single article that man Is likely to
| wear from head to foot The articles
were all left piece by piece on the trains
and gathered up by the employees until
the figure was logged out In newest fash
ion.
The young woman stenographer in Bag
gage Agent Sadd's office has a pet kit
| ten which was found in an envelope box
| on train, and, there having been no
claimant, young TON" Is being taught
TO earn his board by housing in the bag
| gage-room.
Cripples frequently leave their crutches
on trains. There is collection OF them
at all the offices. Hanging up In the
! parcel-room Of the Illinois Central Is ,
big anchor made Of moss gathered from
| trees in the far South The maker had
taken care of It until Chicago was reach
ed only to abandon 1t to the care Of the
| parcel man.
1t is safe to say the largest department
store In Chicago contains no article that
| cannot be found In one or another OF the
! Chicago railroads unclaimed marcel.
| rooms. The railroads have different meth
cos of taking care OF and keeping track
of the stuff That of the Illinois Central
seems to be the most elaborate case
Of boxes, thirty-one In number. Is labeled
one box for each day of the month. In a
box is placed all matter found on all the
| trains on the corresponding date
when mo. 81" is reached box No. IS
emptied, and the articles carried to fbe
baggage store room and thus the flline
and emptying goes on 365 times year.
Each article Is tagged, showing the date
and train on which II was found so that
a record and description Of each article
can be had. A stub OF the tag is printed
on receipt to be signed by the claimant
II reclaimed. feature Of their plan Is
Lhdt perfect record Is Kept of the small
lest and most inconsequential parcel
There are certain number OF tags. and in
each case the company has either the par.
eel or the tag. Sales of unclaimed parcels
are made once a year. The whole accti.
mutation of one year Is bundled" Two
or more small packages are tied In one
which is sold all the way from rs cents
to Is cents. Umbrellas are put up In doz.
en- packages. and sold at whatever they
will bring, the work of selling being lei
out to the auction house with which the
best bargain can be made.
Many valuable articles are found on
trains, II. A. Winter, the venerable
agent Of the Illinois Central, says a short
time ago a pocketbook containing GUAM
tity of money was turned in by train
crew The same day a woman Identified
the purse by stating that 1t contained
some old coins, which she described. The
| property was turned over to her and she
was scarcely out of the Office when an
other woman appeared and asked for the
| same pocketbook. 1t turned out that the
| first woman had heard the second claim
ant, who was the real owner, bewail her
| loss, during which she told what the
book contained. Thereupon she hurried to
| th4 baggage Office, claimed the article and
gave a vacant lot as her street address.
II have no doubt" said Mr. Winter, that
the woman was an adept In that sort Of
business
| --Korea's Emperor now that he has