The Washington times., 1901-10-13
WOMEN Love TO SCRAP. :"
80 Declares Car Conductor Who
Thinks He Ought to Know.
nat 'r""piesome Type. the InsuIted
Lady Is Frequent Traveller on
His Line-Is 1t True That the Sex Is
ns "Crankyr as This Critic Asserts

His Line-Is 1t True That the SEX Is
ns Cranky" as This Critic Asserts
mats one kind Of a. crank" said the
conductor of New York car to a sun
reporter, as they watched a woman, vir-
tnousiy and audiby indignant. who con-
sidered herself "insulted" because a man
oHered her his seat after letting other
women stand He had tried to explain
that he had been reading and happened
| to notice because she stood in front of
hlm' but the explanation was not accept
ed. The conductor said he was expecting
to hear the woman order him to put the
man from the car when the unfortunate
bolted of his own accord.
| Ihere are more women cranks travel
ing about in cars than anyone but con-
| ductor knows, especially women who are
I getung insulted at everything. That's Il
talr specimen. But there are others.
| Plenty OF en-"
Are there more women cranks than
men among the passengers" asked a Gu
rious stranger on the back platform.
About ten to one" said the conductor.
| That's all. Men don't kick about things
they know can't be helped Women like
| to stew over everything that goes wrong.
| They seem to think we are all robbers and
| they have no hesitation in telling so.
| If we resent it they say we are insulting
and take our numbers of course there
| are men cranks and when they happen
/ they are hummers and no mistake. But
/ women passengers are enough to drive
| conductor crazy.
Ialk about the troubles of the iceman;
it's nothing to the life of a car conductor.
No one ever pities him or has any consid-
Grafton for him. They begin by regard
ing him as a bandit and a thug from the
start. Yet more is expected of conductor
than any four individuals could attend to
during the rush hours. Is it any wonder
that he gets savage and snaps sometimes
when people ask him fool questions?
"A conductor is responsible for all ac-
cidents to passengers getting on and off
the cars. He must stop and start the cars
with entire safety to those leaving and
those boarding the car, and at the same
time he must collect and ring up fares
make change, give out transfers, examine
transfers proffered as fare and remember
the streets at which people want to stop.
1t $ enough to make man grey.
AS to his knowledge of streets and To-
calities he must be a walking directory
atlas and railway guide. He must know i
where all places of interest are located
and the nearest way to get there. He is
expected to keep tabs on the hours of |
church service and theatre performances. |
IT wont do to say the theatres begin |
about $. oh. | know that the passenger |
Will say, but what time does the curtain |
go up? And If you don't know they look |
at you as though you ought to be asham- |
ed of yourself.
Then we are asked where prominent
people live, not the street or avenue alone !
but the number and the nearest adjacent |
street. Clubs, shops, jais, courts and |
markets, we are supposed to have them
all docketed in our heads. Women pas
sengers often take our numbers and |
threa zen to report us for not knowing if
ShoDs are open a day or a halliday on |
You don't know? And you pass |
the store fifty times a day, l suppose,
they will say with indignation. Others |
about stupidity and ignorance, |
and take notes in their pocketbooks on !
cards, this being supposed by women to
strike terror to the heart of a conductor.
"Oh, It's a lovely life during the hours
when the ladies are going home from
their shopping. If / were asked to men
tion the chief nuisance of all that con-
ductor has to contend with, ] think it is
the habit some women have of dropping
their money on the floor. Twenty times a
day a conductor has TO gruveI on his |
hands and knees lifting the muddy graf
ing and discommoding a dozen passengers
to recover a measly cent that has rolled
Now, if man drops a nickel or a dime
he Will tell you so and you can ring up
his fare or give him his charge and trust !
TO get the lost money out at the end of
he trip when the passengers get out. 1t |
S safe as if it were in deposit vault un-
ier the floor grating. for one can get i
1t 1t. But woman will tell you she has s
ndcs dFoPRSa aSG Sv and this may
lust how much it is But we do. 1t is I
always a cent. I
Once in a crowded car / saw a cent
oil from woman's lap under the graf I
m No hg | s
money as usual. / told her | saw the cent
md offered another in place of it. But {
he insisted upon getting back her origi-
lal coin. When 1 demurred at this she /
ook my number and threatened to report I
ne. a
Women seem to save all THEN cents to r
oppers, but they refuse Indignantly to 7
AXE them for change. In vain you may 4
xplain that you have nothing else. They e
ak and talk and finally take the cents |
fter making lot of noise and causing / .
clay. Women love to scrap. l think y
ometimes they don't get enough fight +
rip in street car to enjoy row with :
he conductor. I
The woman passenger who offers a So
r a 80 bill for change is a daily occur L
ence. When you tell her that you can v
OF change ii she settles back and dares n
ou to put her OFF the car. They are al Il
avs the same type of women. these pas
angers who dare the conductors to put p
hem off. el
"Of course. they know the conductor "
I'll not forcibly eject woman from a II
ar, but they like to have row about q
Sometimes another passenger win Of d
IT to pay the fare in order to end the 81
lmpus and start the car again. But this a
sttlemen of the difficulty VIII not suit z
le woman with the large bill. She o.
ants TO stand on her rights and attract t.
ttention. In reality a conductor is not
Spected to change these large bills. II
''Women who are carried past their "
lock are apt to turn Indignantly upon | al
ie conductor. AS a matter of fact a | w
lnductor has no power TO stop the car | II
,yond signaling to the motOrman. But II