The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-19
THE SMALL ExPREssMsN.
Hundreds OF Them in the City-rhs way
They Earn Their Livelihood.

hundreds OF Them IN tno Cny-Tne way
They Earn Their Livelihood.
There are $50 city express concerns listed In
the directory. They are nearly all engaged In
the moving Of baggage between railroad stations
and houses. Their stock and equipment vary
from single pushcar TO stable as large as
city block full Of horses and wagons, with great
storage warehouse overhead. On nearly every
block downtown. and al frequent intervals along
the business streets uptown. tho city exprossmen
have their curbstone Offices. There Is stand
that looks as though IL had been made by putting
two soap boxes together one above tho other. IL
is painted gaudily and decorated with tho namo
OF the express Of which IL is the headquarters.
IL Ia characteristic OF the small express COM
panes that the nearer they approach the mini.
mum Of one man with pushcart, tho moro pro
tenuous are the names under which they do bust
ness In tho deck-likc top OF a stand is slot
That slot Is tho real Office OF tho business Tho
proptctor's wagon stands beside tho stand and
tho proprietor who Is the driver, stands near IL
until there is business doing. The Office IL then
left 10 take care Of itself. lie who would have
trunks moved Snd finds not the proprietor waiting
to move them drops an order In the slot and goes
homo to wait for the wagon. Sometimes IL really
comes. But II tho proprietor has managed 10
pick up another Job at the station or on the way.
or has stopped at convenient saloon to celebrate
his prosperity. or II any other thing Of equally
slight importance has happened, tho wait Of tho
expcctant customer Is likely to be long. and his
train Is likely to depart without him. or, at any
rate, without his baggage.
Notwithstanding their inability to give their
customers any assurance Of regularity or prompt
ness tho small city cxprcssmcn would seem TO
prosper, for their numbers increase steadily with
the growth Of the town. Their regular charge
for moving a trunk is % cents. This Is from Is
to 25 cents cheaper than the big companies that
have leased privileges on trains and inside the
railroad stations are willing to do the work. The
big companies have a sufficiently large equip
mcnt TO make IL safe for their agents to promise
to accomplish certain delivery at q certain time:
moreover, they give printed receipts for trunk
checks and assume the responsibility Of loss
40 that the extra Is or IS cents they exact Is In
the nature Of an insurance fec.
The smsN exprcssman has tho advantage In
moments OF emergency over the great companies
that may not dcyatein tho least from their routes
and time schedules The man who ands OF 8
o'clock that he must have his trunk packed and
delivered at the Grand Central Station to be put
upon the o'clock train halls with ineSpressiblo
delight the sight OF the rattle trap wagon and the
decrepit horse by the gaudy stand on the corner,
will be eSerted to the utmos, to get that trunk
the station time But no usually docs not
realize tina, he will have 70 pay emergency rates
for its transportation. unit, II IL too late 10 change
his plans The c1prossmhn in case like that
asks lust as much as he thinks he may without
rsking the job: and after all II no docs loss the
Job. no phllosophically views the situation as .
gambler woodworking veniuro,i. nothing gained
Its probably the emergency feature Of The express
m MS life that makes them take calm view Of
stormy situations
i guess We have to have rows In this business"
snid man who runs sS wagons and has storage
warehouse to Sun reporter Yesterday. You
the most obliging people on earth and then on the
366th day you'd want us TO get a trunk down 10
Wd SSn 81 of i "Sd so ea hf an AND AND
a highlander We couldn't make you understan nd
then, because you wouldn't have time, that VIC
charge only 81 cents for moving trunk regularly.
because We expect 10 have = lot Of other trunks
~ take to that station at the same general time
or else We have trunks to 20 after. 50 that We al
most never have Ia make n whole trip for truns
But when you break IN here with blood in your
r and want ~ catch n tram and get your trunk
fifteen minutes from your house you've got to
paw Tor IL And YOU won't like IT, and some
Tie % eS% xSe1 ry very a On
ore VIC isiSsry agents iof 's small ems a, teep
which ,hey call every day 10 collect their loads
Some Of thcm have regular routes and will not
deliver goods outside OF certain districts on the
east side II Harlem. for instance. fnhsmuch
a. other eSrressmcn want special rate for max
ing deliveries in that part of town the merchant
who wants TO send package up there. calls In
that particular eNpressmhn
The average erprrssmnn Ia willing 10 go any
where with any sort of load. II only he can die
tate his pncc. Sometimes people have goods
o. ship that they do not wan 10 eSrose TO the
risk q being handled over and over again in being
put aboard and taken out OF freight cara The
city eSpr-ssman stands ready. Tor a good round
consideration IN take the load and SC that tho
wagon without is contents being disturbed
Is put on a fiat car and ~ Ia It's destination
One exprcssmnn among those questioned by tho
rerorter. said that the longest haul he had ever
made WIS made last week. when he took a van
load of altar decorations and priests vestments
from the lower part ~ the city 70 Gardner, n. Y.
lie charged S6I for the job
Most Of the small expreesmen keep their horses
in boarding stables Some OF them pay the
horses board by giving tho stable owner a share
In the profits Of the business The exprcaamen
seem N do business very much on the percentage
plan. anyway. On big van. for Instance. tn REQ
men are employed the driver and two helpers
For every So load they take out the helpers get
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