The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-11
FOUND IN THE CARS
Flotsam and Jetsam Forgotten by Pas
sengers.


(NeW York Mail and Express
Young ladies who have scalled at the
''lost property Office of the elevated rail
road to redeem tender billet doux uncon-
sciously dropped in trains; young men
who have called for silver cigarette cases
or gold headed canes; mechanics who
have called for chisels, hammers, augers
or other implements of their trade; labor
erswho have called for shovels, hods and
oyeralls; elegant women who have called
for fat purses and costly articles of femi-
nine adornInent; business and profession
al men who have called for valuable
memoranda and.legal papers; school boys
and girls who have called for text books,
lunch boxes or music rolls, elderly la dies
who have called for handsome lorgnettes
or gold spectacles; everybody who has
called for lost uInbrella--and pretty
nearly everybody has-will remember the
canary bird which sang SO sweetly III it's
gilded cage hanging near the diDgy
window of this most curious of all ourios-
ity shops.
The bird Is dead now. 1t waited two
years and more for it's owner to claim it
and restore it 90 the sunny surrounding
of some cheerful home. 1t waited in
vain. Day after day it saw many people
come and go. Never q day passed but
brought inquiries for cheap jewelry, vul-
gar literature, old clothes and the gim-
cracks and gewgaws of feminine fancy.
But never day brought word or the
little canary; and SO it died.
Over two years ago one Of the guards
on South Ferry train, when he went
through his car at the terminal :, found
the little songster. The cage and bird
had been left behind by one of the many
passengers hurrying to tho boats. That
evening the porter at the South Ferry
took the feathery captive, along with an
armful of bundles, packages and UNI
brellas, to the lost property office. The
days went by. The bundles, packages
and umbrellas were claimed in due time,
or were auctioned off with o batch OF
other duds after six months. But no one
came for the yellow canary, and the
property clerk, being gently disposed,
saved the little minstrel from the sale.
The big record book, under the dead
weight of which the property clerk s desk
strains Is authority for the statement that
other birds were received at the office.
They were given their numbers, were
properly described, and were entered in
| the ledger just as the canary bird WAS,
but their owners claimed them the next
day, and they were undoubtedly glad
to say good by, with a parting chirp, to
the old junk and the old clothes. Even
a kitten, a real live kitten, with pierre
ing meaoW, which gave promise of devel-
oping into resounding bass, was re-
ceived at the lost properly office one day.
The latter was kept only a day sor two,
property clerk disposed of it. He idoea
not say how, but it is safe to presume
that he sent it to join the silent kitten
majority.
reconoiied to Its surroundings and ceased
to look for any one TO reclaim it. II came
to the conclusion-after the bird fashion
that the property clerk was not such a
bad fellow after all, and SO it enjoyed its
morning bath and pecked its cutie bone
and relished its tiny seed as much as ever.
It sang, too, SO that soon the little gilt
cage became the brightest spot in the
property room.
There were some callers whom the
canary grew to know very we'll. They
ing libraries in the city, who never let a
week go by without appearing at the lost
property office to rescue books belonging
to their respective institutions. These
books represent everything in the realm
of literature and are left daily in cars by
patrons of the libraries. AS each book
bears the stamp of the library to which 1t
belongs, it's return is only a matter of a
day or two.
But, great as is the number of books
received at the lost property office. it can
not compare with the number of umbrel-
las. About 5000 are received from the
elevated trains every six months. OF
this number 2,00o are reclaimed by their
owners and the remaining 1000 are dis
posed of at auction.
About 1000 canes arc received every
six months Several hundred pieces kof
cotton and kid gloves are received half
YEARLY. Since July last year, 1926 lost
articies of all description have been re-
ceiyed fromzthe Third Avenue Line alone.
From the Sixth Avenue Line the number
was even larger, reaching 5,053. From
Second Avenue and Ninth Avenue about
half as many as on the gother lines were
received.
Among all these lost articles is mis-
cellaneous assortment of wearing ap.
parel, principally left behind by women
who have Eeen shopping and We're carry
ing their bundles home. There lis also 3
very large collection of laundry packages
The lost property office can show stock