The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18
TIDE OF TRAVEL
AT CHRISTMAS
BUSY SCENES AT DEPoTS.
RAILWAY MEN REGARD 1T WITH
FEELING OF DREAD.

HOme-FOIks for the Holidays.
Rush at stations Hard 90 Control.
baggage Handled Peculiarly small
for Amount of TraveI-COaches
Usually Crowded to the LImit-Re-
turn 10 city Much slower.
Each Christmas time a tidal wave of
travel sweeps in and all but engulfs
the local railroad stations. 1t is a
season of trial for the station master
and his assistants. one to which they
never become hardened.
People like to go home Christmas.
II is the one time of the year when
the hearth-side seems especially at
tractive. railroad passenger men know
or this human frailty and cater to It
by putting into effect low rates. The
station master also knows of this
weakness, but probably would not en-
courage 1t if he had the matter in hand
He is the official who more than any
cher feels the hfunt Of the heavy
travel.
The travel as a rule begins to show
an Increase Dout the mif die of No
vember The crest Of the wave is reach
ed Christmas Eve. Following Christ
mas, comes a lull, when the trains
viii sometimes come in with but a half
dozen passengers, Then for several
days the returning travellers win come
struggling home. They seldom come
back in crowds like they go.
CrOwding at the stations.
AT the Union Station the scene is the
busiest, of course, for three lines con-
verge there the Atlantic Coast Line,
the Seaboard and the Southern. Sta
ton Master j. C. Blanton and assis-
tants have all they can do to handle
the ceowds from two days before
Christmas to Christmas Eve.
In the station there Is usually not
standing room even for those who have
planned journeys away. The people
congregate upon the platform before
the track gates and patiently await
the coming of their trains. When the
gates are opened there is a rush that
is difficult to control and uniformed
men are constantly on duty keeping
the surging lines Strengthened out
One popularity Of the Christmas
travel is that little or no extra help
is required in the baggage room TO
Keep the packages moving. Christ
mas crowds carry their packages as
rule and what must be consigned
otherwise goes by mail or express, or
course the baggage men have an in
crease in their work, but 1t does not
approach the abnormal. as does pas
senger travel.
Many Go to Old Homes.
An employee of the Union Station adj
vanced the opinion In explaining the
cause of so much Christmas travel
that Savannah has many citizens who
are from a distance, and are not ma
tives of the city. These people. he
said, of course, go home when low
rates prevHl and probably go home
on an occasion like Christmas anyway
Station Master G. IL. Gugel of the
Central of Georgia, expects travel this
Christmas to exceed that experienced
in past years. While he is not yet IN
the midst of the rush he can deduce
from the early Indications felt just
about what degree the travel will APP
oroach.
Five splenddly equipped trains a
day leave his station. great many
short distance tickets to the interior
are sold over the line, and in proper
ton to the number of trains sent out
the travel is as large as on any line
out of the city. He, too, has his
Christmas time fluctuations. He looks
forward with dread TO Christmas Eve
for the rush then comes like an ava
lanche.
Handling Christmas Bnggnge.
Baggage, he reports. is sufficiently
heavy to keep all hands busy. At this
time the great question Is to dispatch
baggage expeditiously. This means
that nothing must go astray, for by
the time IL could be traced the happy
Christmas would be dream of the
past, and so far In the future as to
have no nightmare OF dread. The 70 I'D
has n good record in the handling OF
IL. -
all times, and especially during the
holidays. when an extra degree OF Wig
lance is exercised.
Many additional coaches are carried
on the trains during the Christmas
season. But despite this provision there
is much crowding and much standing
between stations. II Is absolutely inn
possible TO accurately gauge the
amount of travel likely to be taken
on. Every train must be kept down In
It's handicaus entaillng loss of time.
Each additional coach to train means
more work for the engine. Therefore,
caution Is exercised In adding coaches.
officials Arc Hard Worked.
Many are the execrations muttered
against the management OF the rail-
roads on occasions like Christmas. The
public is quite sure II could run the
railroad to the better satisfaction of
everybody concerned. But IL could not.
The officials were once part and par
eel of the great public and have not
lost their love for the interests of the
commonwealth. They have, however.
learned the great lesson Of rairoading
and do their best for all interests. No
one could do more.
TO station master, to baggageman.
20 ticket agent and 10 every employe,
from butcher boy TO president, the
Christmas travel is a time OF great
moment They one and all never quite
become Injured 10 its hardships nor en-
tirely grow immune 10 its nerve
wrecking possibilities in the way or
rush and turmoil. Its passing will
bring 10y unalloyed TO them all.