The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-10
TRUNKS, MOUNTAINS OF EN-,
PILED UP IN BAGGAGE ROOMS
, or TIE GRAND CENTRAL.
You Take TEm Away and q Train Comes
In md the Mountains Are There Again
The Vacation Folk n Go In and
Look and That Makes More Trouble.

In and the Mountains Are There Again
The Vacation Folk Can GO In and
Look I'M That Makes More Trouble.
When the sun set over the mountain
range OF trunks at the Grand Central Sta
ton last evening General Baggage Master
McCuliy drew a long breath OF relief, mopped
his amiable, red face and ceased to swear.
A small army OF baggage smashers and
trunk busters, wearied to the one from
trying to roll two good days work into
one and from trying TO soothe cranky old
women and fussy old men, gave a thankful
grunt and turned ove their troubles to the
night shift.
On a few days only this summer has the
glut OF ~undigested baggage at the Grand
Central been worse than it was yesterday.
The tremendous inflow OF people is about
over. Three-fourths OF the New Workers
who have been summering at New England
coast and mountain resorts are home with
their baked arms and faces, but their bag
gage couldn't and didn't keep pace. Try
as they would. the railroad b~aggagemen
Of the New York Central and the New York,
New Haven and Hartford and the grunting,
cussing transfer company employees simply
couldn't reduce the mountains Of baggage
that piled up in the two great sheds, one
in the basement Of the old Grand Central
Palace, which is used by the New Haven
road: and the other which runs parallel
with the train shed from Forty-second
street to Forty-sixth street, used by the
New York Central.
Did you ever see a depot with a pain in
its belly7" said the tired general baggage
master. well, here is a fine specimen. The
baggage room is the stomach Of a railroad
station just as the despatcher's Office is its
brains. This place has had the worst case
of indigestion for the last week or two
you ever heard of. However, we doctors
are doing all we an, working night and
day, and as you can see, the patient is doing
as we'll as can be expected"
Almost from the Forty-second street
entrance OF the baggage room trunks were
stacked up in orags and towering cliffs.
They were hills and hummocks Of them
around on the e~splanade, merely
the foothills Of the range which began in
the long train shed. Splitting the range
was a deep canon through which perspIring
people walked ~endeavonng to locate their
belongings. The all stacks OF bags and
trunks were almost az awe inspiring as the
long, deep tunnel excavation which the
hunters rubbered at on their way to
argue with the patient baggagemen.
Troubled humanity poured through that
ravine in the Central's train shed all day
long, peering, lingering, pleading, implor-
ing, arguing, threatening; the women dis
solving frequently into tears, the men break
at last into numld profanity.
McCully, moving twenty baggage smash
ers as a man would manipulate the keys Of
a typewriter, stopped when a fearful girl
with molasses candy hair n a black and
white polka dot princess dress laid in
sistent fingers on nis sleeve. She was OF
the sympathetic but terribly busy McCully,
started this morning in Lyric Hall. There
were things In that ~trunk-but what does
mere man know o such things2
Are you the boss here?" said Polka
Dot.
For my sins I am said Mccully, po-
We'll, said the girl sharply. Il just have
got to have my trunk. It's a theatrical
Tailer-with the initials j. s. W.
on it and a big Hotel painted in white
enamel on the very top, and the j. s. W.
for Jessie Stevens Wimple. You
know who we are, the Wimple sisters, real
h~eadliners on the Orpheum circuit. Honest
to Gawd, mister, / haven't had a clean
shirt waist for two days, and when l think
about"
Never mind, madam" said McCully.
L ii uO LN6 DeSL i can,
The big baggage master climbed twenty
feet up the mountain range, slipped into a
gully, appeared on the further side cheer
fully waving his hand, disappeared for a
minute or two and finally ~reappeared with
4 grunt Of satisfaction.
AAl right, said McCully. "Pve looatad
YOUR baggage. III have it at your hotel
this evening sure II you'll jack up the trans
FER man"
-Oh, you dear breathed Dottie Winnie
enthusiastically, Il Just feel like kissing
-Thanky, rna'am," said McCully. but
its against the rules Of the railroad COM
pany.'
Outside the baggage shed OF the Central
there was a tangle of transfer wagons,
dozen or more heavy shouldered Young
men sweattnS and swearing, doing their
ievel best to get eight hours work out OF
hours pay but their efforts made no
lppreciable difference in the size Of the
mountain range.
1T will be days" said the ba0gagemen.
.befora We catch even. Here's a train
rom Boston Just coming in, twentv.two
to her, full Of folks and baggage
rom all points in New England. What
hat train alone will do to us is a shame
Ind they've been coming that way ali dav
Ind will keep coming half the night
descended upon McCully and Ris
She sought vainly three large
.rnnks and a small IN and blamed NC
July BECAUSE he did not instantly trIndIa
hem out At her feet. The pestered man
to explain, to argue. 10 reason
Salmly, but the fat woman waddled on
followed by the two slim daughters. frn,lv
convinced. apparently, that McCuIly was
soncealing her trunk just to spite her
4 Presbyterian preacher came next. eager
locate his trunk because manuscrint
'ermons for ak weeks ahead we're In n and
10 needed them badly. He was temperats
n speech, but greatly vexed. The assistant
stage manager OF n Broadway theatre
hustled down the platform demanding a
vet OF Japanese scenery that had bean sept
rom Boston. Somewhere in the borais
u the mountain range ths scenery was
'uried' The assistant stage manager de-
parted sulphurously.
We save . good deal Of time and nro-
'anity by. GLOWING reonlo % enter tho
baggage shed and try to identify their own
.runks," said the baggaReman. sMnvba
{ doesn't DO puch good, but IL helps 70
elieve their feelings"
Over IN the basement Of the Grand Fan
raj Palace, which the New Haven road h
lsing for a baggage room, there was sinnost
"a much confusion and trouble. NesTIy
200 pieces Of baReRge were piled mr.
n the CentraEs room there sare TaorA than