The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1906-04-20
LUGGAGE CARRIERS.
FEATURES OF A BUSINESS Pc
CULIAR TO A BIG CITY.
Grips and Bundles Of Travellers Going
To and From Depots Afford
Chances of Earning
Money.


In certain downtown streets that
lead to railroad ferries and to steam
boat landings are to be found young
men and boys looking for jobs at car
rying the luggage of travellers making
for these points of departure. War
rem street, for instance. says the New
York Sun, is traversed by many people
bound for the Erie ferry, and of these
travellers a good many come down
town by the Ninth avenue elevated
railroad to get off at the Warren street
station.
And so, especially at about the sail
Ing time of the Sound boats, there is
always to be found at the foot OF the
stairs of the downtown station OF the
elevated railroad at Warren street a
bunch of young men waiting for a
chance to make little something car
rying bags and bundles for travellers
from there to the boat
1t Is at this point and at this hour
that most OF the luggage carrying bust
ness in Warren sereet naturally con-
centrates, and there, naturally, most OF
the luggage carriers assemble, for
there they can nail the people carrying
heavy bundles and bags who might
like to hire a carrier as they come
down the stairs.
Many of these carriers make more
or less of trade of this work; that is
TO say, they are not driven to it by dire
need, to get few cents for immediate
food, but they make sort of business
of it and hustle for the business in a
busineslike way and come there every
day.
Then there are transients at II, who
take look in here occasionally with
the hope of picking up a dime which
they may need very much right then.
But as a Iule no consideration of SEN
timent enters into the account be-
tween the traveller and the luggage car
rier. If the traveller wants somebody
to carry his bag he is likely to take
the first carrier that offers, and that's
all there is to it; it's service for money
and money for service, and 1t couldn't
very well be otherwise at this point,
where the people come down the stairs
from the elevated road all in a bunch
to meet that bunch of carriers waiting
and bidding for jobs at the bottom.
But not all of the luggage carriers
that work Warren street always con-
gregate at the bottom of those stairs.
Occasionally one, and this likely to be
an amateur casual, wanders up Warren
street to intercept possible jobs coming
toward the river from Broadway, and
these wanderers may have experiences.
In the crowd at the foot of the stairs
It's all over in a minute with the train
load; it's a crowd meeting a crowd;
but up there In the street it's an indi-
an individual person carrying valise.
There was a big, stout man, COM
fortably clad, and comfortable and
cheerful looking himself, making down
the street from Broadway, carrying a
big telescope canvas case at his side
in the usual way by the handle with
the straps running through it around
the bag. And coming up the street at
this time--not a regular at the work,
this man, but looking for a job at 1t
now-was another big man with an
eye out for bags to carry; tall and
rather spare man this was, and a man
of some years, and incidentally, with
out an overcoat, and apparently he
really wanted such jobs as he could
pick up, and could make use of the
money.
And when he met the big man COM
ing along with the big telescope bag he
sheered over toward him and reached
down toward the bag and offered to
carry 1t. And the big man with the
bag didn't sheer off from the other, or
steer clear Of him,or go by without
paying any attention to him whatever,
but he sized him up In minute, and
in the most natural way in the world
he held the big bag up high to show
how light it was, and said, smilingly,
to the other big man: Its empty!"
and the other man said: "Oh, thank
YOU"
Now this was meeting as between
man and man; for which both no doubt
felt better, and then the big man with
the bag held his way toward the river.
and the other big man kept along to-
ward Broadway, looking for somebody
with bag that was loaded.