Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-08-01
SLEEPING CAR SECRETS.
4 Porter Tells How Some Employees
-. Make Money. -

make money -
One would think that the check sys-
TENS Of today afforded no chances for
dishonesty, but the system used by the
Pullman company, which seems almost
perfection itself, Is defrauded by at least
$5OO,0OO annually.
i will endeayor to explain how It Ii
done. Say, for instance, that party Of
four bound for Quebec should board the
Pullman sleeper which leaves this city
nightly and wanted to pay cash fares. A.
dishonest conductor and porter would
"size them up" and IL they thought the
party "all right" the conductor would
probably issue a passengers ticket, which
would be dlled In and punched correctly,
but would fill In and punch the porter's
check to. read, Zone passenger, Spring
field to Quebec" thereby pocketing three
fares, or $3.50. This is divided equally
between conductor and porter. No con-
ductor can be dishonest without being
detected by his porter, Us the porter is
after each trip a check for every passen-
ger that has ridden on his car.
Then, again, conductor who is little
timid would fill in and punch the porter's
check, "Four passengers, Springfield to
Newport, w." rs il they were not going
through to Quebec, and the passengers
check, "Four passengers. Springfield to
Quebec" thereby stealing 81. So much
for the sleeping cars.
Porters Of the buffet cars are also ION
the make" Soups, sandwiches, peaches,
bread and butter, tea, coffee, lemonade
and many other dishes ure generally ex-
panded SO that one order is served for
two, two for four, and so on. Just from
Boston to Mount Desert ferry l have
known porters to reimburse their purses
as much as 500 in this way. Their tips
would probably not amount to a fifth Of
this amount.
All Of these forms of dishonesty do not
60 on forever, however, as sooner or later
you have stolen from an unknown Pull
man "spotter." There is a small army
OF men and women riding about the
country in the interest of this company.
Their duty is not only to detect dishon-
esty, but incompetency and inattention;
consequently every porter and conductor
has his eye open and Is constantly doing
his best, regardless Of tips, for fear that
"spotter might be on"
The wages paid porters range from SIS
to $40 month. On popular sleeping
car line, such as the noted Bar Harbor
express, porter receives but $10
month, but would prefer that salary in
preference to any $50 position that could
be offered me. 1t Is worth double the
amount at times. The porters Of such
sleeping car lines as Springfield to Lewis
and Montreal, Boston to Lewis and
Montreal, Boston to Bangor and many
other lines, pay $50 a month. The tips
on these lines are also good at times.
Buffet car porters generally receive q
salary Of $2t IA month. which III most
cases should be banked, as the tips Iii
these cars are generally sufficient to pay
a considerate mans expenses. The high
est wages paid Pullman porter is $40 a
month. These positions are termed "por-
ter in Charge" rs the porter performs
the duties Of both conductor and porter.
These positions are seldom given.-"A
Pullman Porter" in Springfield Repub-
:ican.
OF iron ore Tor che year 1876 mas peen
completed. The year recorded tho max
imum iron ore production for the
United States, total of 1925, 800 long
tons. This was 1,760,328 long tons, or
10 per cent in excess of the previous
maximum Of 17,5lS,O46 long tons pro-
duced in 1897, and over one and quar-
ter million tons above the record for
Great Britain in 1880 when 1S, 02G, ,040
long tons were mined.
The total output in long tons by the
leading states was: Michigan, 1885,
BAG; Minnesota, 5,963,509; Alabama,
2,4Ol, ,74S; Pennsylvania, 778,0S2; Ten
nessee, 593, ,227, Virginia, 557, ,713; Wis
consin, 5O0, Gas.