The Indianapolis journal., 1903-07-13
This Sum Approximately the Amount
That Is Diverted by Traffic in
Sunday Excursion Tickets.
BROKERS BUY RETURN COUPONS
THESE ARE SOLD TO TRAVELLERS
WITH PROFIT TO BOTH PARTIES.
Railroads, the Only Sufferers I'm the
transactions, VIII Try to Stop the
Practice-Day's Crowds.

ing of the pernicious activity of ticket
scalpers in excursion traffic. Every Sun
day the loss to the roads running into the
Union Station aproximates $1,000, at a fair
estimate, 1t is said-not an Insignificant
sum when footed up the entire excursion
season. The difficulty is that there seems
to be no way for the railroad men to di-
vert this loss into legitimate channels.
The methods adopted by the brokers are
simple and decidedly profitable. Thousands
of excursionists who pass through the
Union Station to the streets are approached
by them or by their ubiquitous runners
with the query as to whether the excur-
sionists have return coupons to sell. 1t is
figured that about one-tenth of those asked
the question answer in the affirmative
and the result is that the broker secures
transportation TO cities in Ohio illinois,.
Michigan and Indiana for few cents
These tickets he is able to dispose of al
most without exception at a profit of sew
eral hundred per cent
TICKETS FOR A DIME.
Although the majority of people who
patronize the Sunday excursions to Indian
apolis return to their homes the same
evening, yet there are many hundreds who
simply utilize the cheap rate to make a
more extensive visit to the city, finding
that the round-trip excursion rate is usu-
ally far less than the regular single fare.
These are the people with whom the brok-
ers deal so profitably. They have no fur
ther use for the return coupons to their
tickets. and are willing to take almost
anything for them. Frequently they accept
a dime for a return coupon 10 Cincinnati,
or Louisville, or Michigan City, or some
other point considerably distant from this
city.
After securing these return coupons for
a song, the scalper dispoSes OF them to his
customers for perhaps three or four times
what he paid for them. Travelling men,
business men, all sorts of people anxious for
a bargain in transportation, pay the scalper
his price, which is yet considerably less
railroad company and a mere fraction of
the regular rate. So that the railroad COM
pany carries every week hundreds of peo-
pie who would have bought regular tickets,
or at least round-trip excursion tickets, had
they not been able TO secure bargains
through the ticket brokers'.
ILLINOIS-STREET MART.
Any Sunday morning. just before noon.
Illinois street is lined with barkers and
runners for the ticket brokers. They are
shrewd fellows, whose experience has quail
ified them for knowing just whom to tackle
They rarely make mistakes. For a dime,
fifteen cents. maybe twenty cents, seldom
more, they get return tickets to Cincinnati,
Louisville. Fort Wayne. Michigan City,
Terre Haute and dozens of other points that
are the destinations of hundreds of travel
ers every day. OF course these tickets have
to be used Sunday night in each case. or
they would be utterly valueless, but the
broker nearly always manages to make a
sale.
Last year the practice developed To an
alarming extent and this season 1t prom
ises to be more troublesome than ever to the
railroad companies. They would rather re-
deem the return coupons themselves than
to have them fall into the hands of the
brokers. but this is not always practicable.
The situation presents a knotty problem
for the solution of the passenger men,
The excursion business yesterday was
good. despite the threatening weather The
crowds fell short OF those of the previous
Sundays, but there were about 5000
rate excursions. Seven excursions We're
run out of the city and ten were
brought In. To Michigan, City, the
c., H. & ID. two well-patronized ex-
cursions 10 Cincinnati. The Big Four had
one 10 Louisville and one to Aurora. The
Vandalia took trainload to Greencastle
and the Pennsylvania handled a crowd to
Madison.
From Louisville the Pennsylvania brought
two excursions, both of fair size The L.,
T.. & w. brought one in from Michigan
City. The Big Four handled the following
excursions into the city: One from Cincin-
field, one from Mattoon one from Cham
paign and one from Kankakee. The c.. III.
& ID. carried a crowd in from Decatur Ill
DAY IN THE PARKS.
The excursionists yesterday enjoyed fully
the cool weather that the showers brought.
Many of them visited the parks. which were
we'll filled. At Riverside about 5000 people
spent the afternoon enjoying the band con-
cert and the other attractions offered.
Arndt's Military Band furnished the music
al programme. At Fairview the children
found a paradise. The gigantic playground
with its pony track. its swings and other
devices for the enjoyment OF children. was
the mecca of many thousands. .'The Cave
of the Winds and '.The House Of
Trouble" the big attractions at the nark
were enjoyed by the curious A good sized
crowd visited the great resort OF the South
Side, Garfield Park. Mayors Military Rand
played afternoon and night AT Military
Park Miiler's City Band furnished The
music and in the afternoon and evening
the small beauty spot was well filed MANY
visited Fair Bank during the afternoon
and evening. although there was no music
except harpist playing on the porch OF
the clubhouse.