The Topeka state journal., 1903-06-02
RAILROAD NEWS.
Business Of the Special Officer
at Chicago Union Depot.
Must Keep the Sleepy Travellers
Awake.
is A THANKLESS TASK.
How a Drunk Is Awakened by
Water Cure.
Women Are Not So Apt to Go
to Sleep.
IS A THANKLESS TASK.


For disar agreeable work in the line Of
police duty it is doubtful if another
man in Chicago wearing five point
nickel star is harder up against the
proposition than is the GOOD natured
special officer in the Union passenger
station. who all night long keeps a pair
Of gray eyes wide open in the search
for closed eyes of whatever shade aad
hue. says a Chicago exchange And
more sleepy passengers come into Chi
cago railway stations every day than
into any other city in the world.
Technically it is a slight breach Of
any man-made rule for anybody but a
soldier on duty to go to sleep after IL
o'clock at night; but, literally and ma
teriauy for a passenger intending TO 60
out on a 1880 train to be allowed to go
20 sleep at 1910 o'clock and be LETT TO
snore til 11.45, it is one of the most
trying of situations from the point Of
view of the passenger.
For this reason 1t has become the
duty of the special officer to awaken
anybody in the station who may De
seen sleeping. and the duty of waking
a worn. tired drOWsy man who WOuiS
give worlds 20 be left alone for thre
minutes more of rest is anything but =
job to be desired.
After long years Of experience. how
ever waking sleepy railway travellers
may approach an ar In the beginning
one of the first things to be determineG
is whether passenger is dead to the
world from travel and loss OF sleep OF
whether he IS deader stiu from Canal
street whisky. In either case the off,
Ger has not O~lN the time to make OBJ
serva tons. but every opportunity. and
In either face he may read signs OF the
better way Of proceeding with the indl-
v.dl al
BEST WAY TO R0ESE DRINKS.
If Whiskt ifou. the west side of Canai
street his been conducive 10 sh,mper, a
safe and telling 10 thod 0f rroc 7rle is
f0r the officer TO step lightly lut firmly
en- the sleeping mans foot high Oil
the instep is the most effective spot for
The application of pressure. The effec1
is disturbing. without the disturbed
one recognizing the source of the irIl-
taUOn. Two or three passings of the
officer ct minute intervals each tine
with the application OF police shoe
where 1t does the most good. are sufi-
cient Tor any but asgroVated cases or
Canal street snehrietv.
For these aggravated cases an appli-
cation OF faucet of unbOied water
alone win do Regulations will not adj
init of conductors taking q drunken
man aboard q train. and he must be
sobered before he passes the gates.
Water applied to the back of the neck
from a half inch faucet allowing for
the natural leakage down the spinal
column of the intoxicated one. viii do
tNt Woih IN tnlee minutes In most
cases these drunken ones are victims
Of cold nights; they cross Canal street
for something warming, take too much,
recTOss to the warmth of the station
waiting rooms, and are drunk in five
minutes.
oddly enough, the drunken man who
Is subjected to a dOuche of cold water
seldom resents the treatment He may
even thank the officer for SOLDERING him
up. and may express the most cheerful
countenance at his improved feelings.
UGLY KIND TO AWAKEN
The really ugly man to awaken is the
man who by nature is sour perfectly
sober, and vet worn out with travel ana
loss of sleep. Such a man may be nat
urally a sound sleeper and hard to
awaken, and frequently he strikes out
In blind rage without realizing what
his impulses are. Several years ago d
cowboy of this peculiar tempera menu
and condition was sleeping in a dark
corner of the general waiting room. and
the officer went over to him touching
ana finally having to shake him vigOr-
ously.
Apparently the fellow was awake. and
1t was explained that the cowboys train
already had been called, but after the
officer had gone away he turned to fnd
the cowboy sleeping again. To see if the
man was shamming the officer stoOa
over him for half a minute before he
finally reached down with one finger and
raised the fellows chin until the light
struck into his face.
instantly like jack in the box. the
cowboys eyes glared wide Open and he
sprang to his feet. striking out with
right and left like the kicks of mule
1T was a busy mixing up for two min