The times., 1899-07-23
POST-HRAhSET Travellers
How Train Officials Help Them in
Their Troubles.
The Pathetic, ComicaI. and Roman
tic stories Thereby brought to
Light-Competcnt Hostesses APP
pointed to Look After the Fright
ened, Sick, or HeIpIess Tourists.

| tnSI may De uescFlDeu as tnat OF
the Post Transit Travellers is now
regularly ofiicered, and provided for by the
popular railroad companies. The passen-
| gers who are to take the outgoing trains
are looked after. those who arrive on the
incoming trains are seen to. the through
| travellers are directed, comforted and
shifted conveniently on their way. the
"I.oal'' travel properly disposed of. and
| then comes the Post STransits-the wait
overs and don't-know where or how go
contingent, a motley squad awkward to
handle, and brought often. and so directly
to the notice and the conscience OF the su-
pervising officials that they were impelled
to create a bureau for the reconciling and
disentanglng of their difficulties.
THAT girl in the waiting rooms been
here six hours. It's near chasing time and
she has no money and no place to co. the
attendant of the wornan's room would re-
port to the station master some night just
as he was about to go home
There's boy standing round who says
his aunt was to meet him and she hasn't
met him and he's hungry and scared one
of the men attendants would report.
THAT old soul sitting in the rocking
| chair came from Ohio to take the Swedish
steamer today. but she's missed it and the
next boat doesn't so for a week.
There's lady really ill in the wom-
! ans room and she's lost her pocketbook
| and wants somebody to telegraph Cincin-
natl"
These and dozens Of similar plights and
predicaments decided the road officials to
install some worldly wise competent per-
| Nor, ho1
referee in case needing wardenship.
| AT one station wise and capable gen
| tlewoman, the widow of a former empioye
is charge d'affairs for the Post Transits
| At another the main terminal for a half
dozen cross country lines and trunk lines
a man speaking five languages is the guide
and clcerone, with young woman as staff
assistant, and in most of the widely .snown
junction stations, where many routes make
| connection. officials other than the scrub
women and those attendants retained for
! personal service are at hand to give coun-
sci and smooth out difficulties. The prin-
cipai deposit of Post Transits. however. is
at the door of the great cities to which
| people f0ck for various reasons. some to
secure business positions that they thought
were assured some for adventure, the So
cial runaways seeking to better fortune,
and the woebegone and anguishei class TO
| whom any destination is the right one so
1t serves TO conceal their identity. Tragedy
comedy, romance. melCdrama. famiiy Sc
| crets, family makeshifts. and happy-go-
| lucky irresponsibIes all feat the way of
the Post Transit travel supervisor
Don't | act awful green?" This
was gasped out by young woman
at big city station lately on relating her
woes TO the gateman. She was a pretty,
gaily dressed girl with look of happy an
ticipation on her face as she stepped off
the train that had changed gradually to
stark anxiety when she realized that there
was no one to meet her. When the gate
man addressed her she stood satchel and
parasol in hand staring down the long sta
tion room with tear blinded eyes.
Il never was from home before, she
sobbed and l don't know Names name
since she's married. nor where she lives
her husband was to meet me sure and
maybe he did come but 1 didn't know him.
and he didn't know me. and now l have no
money to so back home with. Name was
TO pay my way back If 1 paid it coming on,
and it's s6.75.'' The gateman took Miss
AIl-at-Sea's parcels so she could dry her
eyes and then conducted her to the Post
Transit bureau genius, who made her
cup of tea and explained that ticket
would be given her to go home on the
evening train provided she would give her
name and address and written promise
to pay the company as soon as might be.
This railroad company allows a regular
emergency expense account to the direc-
tors. Some of those helped out of trouble
return the money and others do not, but
whether no the company does the pub
lie good turn in trying as far as possible
to set the tangled threads straight.
| Il am SO schooled in passenger nature
now that | can tell at a glance whether
things are amiss with the people who
come in here" said the Post Transit
hostess Some weeks ago young we'll
dressed girl got OFF the i20 afternoon
| train. AT 7:30 she was still sitting here
with look that said as plain as day that
although she waited she was not expecting
anyone.
Presently l got into conversation with
her and asked if she was stranger in the
| city. Yes, she was stranger and did
| know of a furnished room she could get
| that would be in a respectable place and
| wouldn't cost much. She needed a room
for a short time. l told her that l knew
| of such a place. but suggested that as she
was young and this was large city she
| had better come home with me for a night
or two until she knew the ropes. This
| overture opened her heart, as it were, and
| with an air of great relief she told me she
had been much frightened sitting there
thinking over the strangeness of her situa-
ton. That she had run away from her
home in northwestern town because her
| stepmother objected to the young man
whom she favored that she intended to
get work in the city and support herself
until the young man was able to marry
her No, she had never worked nor been
| trained to do anything wage-earning. but
she was well educated and was sure she
could be a clerk of some kind and get
along. On the morning following the
| mi fpI ha at r tg,n.L- f,tll
half hour persuading that girl to write her
stepmother as to her whereabouts and to
abandon the idea of trying to make her
way all inexperienced in a strange city.
Eventually she consented. In a short
time as possible after being notified the
stepmother arrived. thankful to me and
delighted to get back her daughter, who
she said was attached to man whose un-
worthiness the girl did not understand.
The two went off in company, and L think
the little fright Miss Runaway had when
she sat here in the station worrying over
what TO do and where to go will have
good effect"
Il see the tender side of passenger ma
ture also" went on the Post Transit host
ess.
Some time ago a noticeably pretty New
England girl spent the entire day here at
the station seemingly on thorns and pins OF
anxiety. She looked at her watch or at the
clock every few seconds and no person
came anywhere about but she watched
them narrowly. Two Quaker ladies, trav-
elers on the local train. who kept select
boarding house in the suburbs. noticed her
Standing about. and in the afternoon, when
they came in ahead of time for their train
they got to talking with her. The girl
scarcely took her eyes off the clock. AMI
suddenly, as II she had hoped against hope