Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-08-17
IalAtssor. the BAGGAGE NAN.
How Drsmmsss end others Try 10 0utwit ihs
Railroad.

People who only travel occasionally
often wonder at the large amount OF
what only seems to them to be tape OF
the redest hue. There Is necessity Tor
1t all. however, and only the baggage
men and old travellers understand the
benefit of II all and how much the rail-
road saves In the course OF a year by
means of 1t. There are as many tricks
in travelling as In anything else and the
jolly travelling man is on to them all. and
ever ready to catch the unwary bag
gage-master. The occupation Of this ser
want of the people and the corporation
has his trials as well as other people.
There Is always some one wanting to do
what Is forbidden and not few would
have half the force of a station waiting
on them IL they could. There Is the man
who PUSHES up at the last moment with
a truck load of baggage and wants 1t
checked. 1t matters not II there be sew
eral horse loads waiting to be put on
board the train. He wants his checked
and wants 1t checked Immediately. Let
the train be delayed a half hour. or the
whole scheme of the train dispatcher
broken up only do not miss having those
trunks checked. He has perhaps been
talking with a friend and has forgotten
all about his trunks but the baggage
master is to blame for that. lie ought to
he a mind reader to hold his job any
way. II is his business to know where
the baggage Is going and If he don't he
ought to ask. This may seem like an ex-
aggerated case but there is more OF II
about station than those who go there
only occasionally are aware OF.
The tricks that are tried on the long
suffering baggage man are many and In
genious, and he has To be thoroughly ia
miliar with the rules of the road and his
privileges and powers to see through
them all. Excess gives the drummer an
excellent chance to try his wits. He is
allowed by the rule To carry $50 pounds
but has to payf any weight over this.
One of the most common tricks of avoid
ing this extra Is 10 drive up just in time
to have the baggage checked. IT, the
baggage master is accommodating and
unsus2icious ne will rush round and
check the trunks without looking very
carefully after the extra weight. There
is no time to weigh all the pieces and
so the crafty drummer gets off easily.
Another game which is sometimes tried
is that of purchasing tickets enough to
cover all the baggage carried. If the
baggage-master is not handy with his
punch the tickets will get by him unin-
jured and then can be sold or used at
pleasure and the baggage goes through
free. If. however, the tickets are
punched with the baggage punch they
are worthless beyond one trip. When a
lady presents small grip to be checked
and the bagSage-master demands her
ticket 1t seems very much like red tape
but with drummer and IA trunks IL is
different. There is one man who occa-
sionally visits this city who carries II
trunks. His excess to Boston from this
station was 81 in one instance. Nearly
all Of the travelling men carry more than
the $50 pounds although most of them do
not have so many trunks as formerly.
Then there is. occasionally man who
will sneak the storage tag off his bag
gage In the house II he can get the
chance. While overhauling the baggage
for his pieces he will quietly remove the
tags from them and appear very indg
nant when the bagSagcman with a good
memory tells him that he owes the com
pany little rent.