The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-04
ABsENT-MINDEp NEW WORKERS.
\ Curious Lot of Articles Left in the
Elevated Cars

tIefHteu
(From the New York SUM
II the human head wasn't reasonably
well affixed to the human shoulders. the
average citizen of New York would feave
his behind him whenever lie got off a
train. Anyway. this is the belief Of the
Manhattan Elevated Railroad employees in
the Lest Department" at Morris Street.
II might better be called the found de-
partment, for hither come all the things
that people leave behind them in the ele-
waited road cars. There used to be, on up
per Park Row. a pawrbroker's window
into which every small article was piled
indiscriminately as econ as its time of re-
demption elapsed. That window was q
very wonderful exhibit OF miscalianes, but
at no stage of its existence could it com
pare with the big lumber room at 9 Morris
Street
Almost every trip of the elevated trains
adds something to the mass of variegated
property. The shopping hours are most
productive of general merchandise. but
there is likely to be a good haul of opera
glasses from the before and after theatre
trips. and canes, gloves. and even hats are
frequently collected between midnight and
dawn, after the plunging exit from the
train OF gentlemen who positively won't
90 home until morning. OF the losing of
books there is no end. They come in at all
hours of the day and night. and Of all
styles. paper-bound. morocco-backed and
coyerless; and on all topics. Recently an
deliberately annotated Horace stood Shout
der to shoulder with an illustrated treatise
on the use of the chatting dish, while the
chaste and sanity E. p. Roe supported.
without apparent distress, the immediate
proximity of "Sappho;' upheld. however
on the other side by volume of temper
ance pamphlets.
Literary popularity. so the employees in
the department say, can be gagged accu
rately from the condition of their library.
\ volume begins to be one of the books of
the season." when it lies ownerless. on the
seats of the elevated trains. There was
time when the Prisoner of Zenda" used
TO come in. five and six at a time. A little
later Hall Caine Christian lied the
lost" bookshelves. Now David Harum's''
quaint dialect abounds, and various hero
works on Dewey fill the shelves There IS
always a stock-in-t trade of Thacieray.
Dickens, Stevenson, and kipling. Occa-
sionalIy Bible comes in. 1t does not ap
pear. however, that the Metropolitan public
is much given to reading the Bible while
in transit. Prayer books are more COM
mon and even hymn books. Magazines. OF
course. are left in practically every train,
but they don't come in the lost category.
They are regarded as purposely left be-
hind. and in that light constitute perqui-
cite of the guard.
Umbrellas always take up large part of
the floor space In the lost room. \ curl
Gus thing shout them is that they are less
frequently claimed than any other class of
goods The man who loses an umbrella
takes II Tor granted that the finder viii ap-
propriate il. That's what he would do
himself if he found an umbrella Perhaps
he'd even appropriate il without its being
lost if it happened to be very wet day
and the owner wasn't looking.
Some say morality may attain to the
point where the transference of owner
ship in the matter of umbrellas without
due agreement of both parties. VIII be
regarded as unrighteous. In that day the
lion will lie down with the lamb and the
rest of the millennium will be at hand. |
Meantime the Manhattan Elevated Road !
viii continue to add to its unique collec- |
ton of rain tenders, and the losers, in !
stead of seeking to recover their prop !
erty, will despair for time and then !
make glad the heart of the haberdasher |
by purchasing another umbrella. also to
be lost in time. Just as the books show !
the trend Of literary popularity, so the |
umbrella market acts as A barometer. A |
large intake of umbrellas IN the morning |
\,
ing rain, when the business public started |
down town, but cleared up before they got |
to their destination. Tie sunshine drove |
umbrellas out of their heads, and they left !
those useful articles leaning against their |
seats. Similarly. an evening crop indicates |
foul weather during the day. clearing |
away late in the afternoon. From this it I
would appear that the citizen who can't |
afford a large annual outlay to keep his |
head dry had better walk to business or |
hitch his umbrella to his person in some |
way.
Everything man can carry that isn't !
made fast to him in some way comes in |
here" said the clerk o. the lost" de-
partment few days ago.
AS he said it he YVES Interrupted by the !
angry chatter Of cagef 5lackbird, which |
had recently come in. Near the black |
bird stood an enormous German bun ten- |
tered from a Second Avenue train; sup |
posed to be the property of feshy Ger |
man lady who. after disembarking, stood |
upon the platform and yelled loudly but |
incompreheisbly after the departing cars).
and the blackbird wanted the bun; hence
the chattering. Nearby crutch leaned
up against the wall. 1t was new cruteh:
so probably it was forgotten by some
person who was delivering it Once there
came in crstch that showed dnmistak-
able signs of use. Two days later the :