New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-11
SUMMERS HOLIDAY ALMOST OVER.
THE BAGGAGE MANS BUSY SEASON-AN IN
GENIOUs TRUNK MANUFACTURER.

GENTOUS TRUNK MANUFACTURER.
The vacation season OF 1898 is nearing Its
end. and. although the weather may not lnoi-
cate that the holiday time is over ara that
new season Of life in town has begun. there Is
better evidence in the bagSage-rooms OF the
great railroad stations. At the Grand Central the
ordinarT trunk and baggage sheds are fuii 10
overlooking. and temporary Platforms nun
dreds Of feet long, have been added for the re-
ception Of baggage coming from the west ana
it's way from the watering places ana sum-
ner resorts beyond New-York. The men who
handle this property know just what to expect
ard when t. expect It, we know. said one
of tho veterans, a past master in the art or
handling boxed wardrobes that just 80 soon
as August II comes We'll have the short-vaca-
tlon people to look after. They come from the
nearby seaside resorts. and they don't have
overmuch stuff. Later come the better
class. who go to Saratoga and the mountains
To show off their sunburn, and they have
lots more baggage and later still we get the
people who make II point TO stay until the
summer hotels close After these have gone
we get the European travellers bags and boxes
and packages and that's the biggest lot Of all.
That's when we get the picture trunks and the
scrapbook bags"
man said that the trunks which bore the evil
dencc of extensive European travel in the shape
OF hotel and railroad pastors were called pict-
ure trunks. I'VE have lots OF fun with some Of
those billboard trunks especially If they belong
to young fellows. We are asked to be caretul
in handling them, and If 1t should rain while
the driver Is attending to the transfer bust
ress asked ever so many questions
about covering the baggage in taking 1t through
the city. Many time, after the passenger had
been assured that all pains would be taken 10
keep his trunk dry, have known these owners
20 come back and make a bluff at being In
hurry for the baggage and take II with them
in hack All the time We were onto the fact
that the owners were anxious only about the
labels on the trunks. by which their friends
nigh. see where they had been on their travels"
II seems that at least one business has profted
by the vanity which makes itself manifest IN
the trunk label. large manufacturer OF
trunks and travelling bags in Paris offers new
trunks stained to appear slightly worn and
literally plastered with hotel labels. The Gus
toner may pick the labels from sample box
kept for that purpose, and the groups are ar
ranged to represent several tours. Thus, one
popular series takes In a fashionable hotel in
London and the labels OF equally good hotels
in Liverpool. Belfast, Dublin. several places IN
Scotland and Paris hotel. That Is for
short trip and the charge Is comparatively
small Then there are groups which would IN
dictate TO the person who looked upon the labels
as positive evidence that the owner had wan
dered all over the British Islands. Belgium. Hol-
land Germany and Austria; that he had made
a run on the Oriental Express from Paris 10
Constantinople and the Bucharest and Sonia
and other labels would indicate that he had NOT
hurried The matter. Groups of this Kind are
more expensive. although the prices for anything
in that line are low It Is said that the enter
prsing trunkman makes money on the sale OF
the labels and receives commission also from
the hotels which he adyertlses
The travelled trunk has not yet become an
article Of commerce in this country but IL 1t Is
really such a success where 1t has been intro
duced the present makers Will not have
monopoly and the day is probably not far dis
tant when A man may start on his first trip 10
Europe with a trunk from the labels on when
he may select his hotels when he arrives at the
various towns.