The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-09-02


Assistant superintendent Of the Terminal
Railway Company. who was Station
Master when It was opened.
Of baggage testified to the wisdom Of
tho advocates OF the Union Station
scheme. and the development. OF the sys-
tenn by the small army OF men who are
employed there.
1T was a hotter day than to-day. by
far. ten years ago." said Jerry CoakIey.
assistant superintendent Of the Terminal
Railway, when the fast mail on the
Baltimore and Ohio pulled out Of the sta
ton and Joseph Ramsey. Jr.. bought the
nrst ticket TO Ramsey. Ill.
Il believe ] am the only member OF
the station management force who &C.
cupied an executive position ten years
ago. Others have all gone to higher posi-
tionA OF course. Barney Fruen;hal. Den
mis- OToole the station baggage master.
Gateman Hickey and others are here yet,
but were not In executive positions then.
Since that time. $4,000 have been spent
In improving the station and its sur
"Unoin station has grown TO far great
er dimensions and business than any one
could have imagined ten years ago. said
II 1t keeps on / cannot pretend 10 guess
On Tuesday OF Missouri Week We handled
7l trains and go hundred trains a day Is
q normal condition OF affairs. This means
the arrival and departure o. anywhere
from 10000 to 10000 travellers Il means
the handling OF more than 30 coaches.
OF which 100 perhaps are day coaches.
probably 20 PulImans. the remainder con-
sisting Of mail. express and baggage
cars.
AUGUST TICKET SALES
TT costs about $z25.co5 a month to run
the station. and the cash ticket sales for
August, Barney Fruenthal tells me Just
now. were about 10000.
While this may seem q small sum COM
pared with the number OF passengers re-
ceived and sent out at the station every
day. II should be borne In mind that
large percentage OF the passenger trafiic
during the Fair period has either bought
round trip tickets At the station OF origin
or buy them at the ticket Offices uptown.
In this way II may be safely assumed that
Union Station. even with the large sales
stated. sells but a small proportion o: the
present passenger Traffic.
Upon the basis OF 5000 passengers
handled at Union Station every day. 1t
may be safely assumed that on an average
they have spent at least g apiece ssr
railway passage to and from ST. Louis
this would result in grand total Of 81
every month in railway fare
OF course. Union Station does no. make
money and cannot lose any Its expenses
are PAID tEt
pro rata, according TO the actual number
Of cars each road brings in each day.
TT may surprise you to know that II
costs 500 day to handle the baggage at
the station and from 1900 to HOO pieces
in twenty-four hours is not extraordinary.
Last night the tablets show that 9.2s0
pieces OF baggage were standing in the
station. to say nothing OF what had come
In and gone out
The daily working force Of the station
runs from 500 TO so men day. the varia-
ton coming according to stress OF bust
ness On Saturday night and Sunday
morning. when the Sunday Republic and
other papers are being dispatched. We
add at least ifty men. and the newspa-
pers themselves send others besides
The station force is made W OF fifty
two ticket sellers. thirty-eight ushers.
thirty-six gatemen. four train callers. four
station police eleven information bureau
men. thirty-four porters and six women
attendants
"AIi this force II taxed to its utmost.
but our record for handling of trains and
people, and the scarcity of accidents.
believe, Is a credit to the railroads and
the city. At least We are trying to mako
Il So"