Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-01-03
JOKE ON COMMUTERS.
Erie Neatly Turns the Laugh on
Its Patrons.
~WHAT OTHERS SAY OF U.s.

Prints Jokes Of Passengers About Rail-
roads Uncertain Service In New
Time Table--Novel Reason FOR Sua-
costing Change In Cowcateher's
Position.
Erie railroad commuters whose airy
Quips, happy quirks, nimble jests and
dapper wltticlsms anent the sLowness
Of Erie trains and the phlegm of Erie
directors have added to the gayety
OF nations for months past learned re-
Gently that the Erie corporation pos
sesses a sense of humor all its own,
says the New York World
In all the months that its train serv-
ice has been made the butt of many
jokes the patient and amiabe Erie has
never talked back. 1t has allowed
country editors, vaudeville button
busters, village cut-ups and smoking
car entertainers to go as far as they
liked. Not until the other day did the
Erie give any sign that the humor
was being received either in good or
bad temper
The roads December time table is a
document unique of its kind. In the
time table under the heading What
Others Think of U.s. there appears
without comment two pages of the
Jests that have been born at its ex-
pense and on following page blank
space with the simple heading Mem
oranda." Here are some samples:
PUT THE COWCATCHER BEHIND.
During the foods a few years ago
many bad washouts occurred on the
Erie and the trains were run at low
rate of speed When the conductor was
punching the ticket of a passenger he re-
marked
docs this railroad company allow pas
sengers to give 1t advice IL they do 80
In respectful manner?'
The conductor replied in gruff tones
that he guessed SO.
''Well, then, 1t occurred to me that it
would be well to detach the cowcatcher
from the front Of the engine and hitch 1t
to the rear of the train for, you see, we
are not liable to overtake a COW, and
what's to prevent COW from strolling
into this car and biting a passengerT'-
Magazine
REQUESTING INFORMATION.
When an Erie train stopped rather
abruptly between two stations, passen-
ger asked the conductor the cause He
replied There is a COW on the track"
and passed on, The train proceeded and
within fifteen minutes stopped again. The
passenger asked, What are you stopping
for now?" The conductor replied, We've
caught up to the COW again.
A motherly old lady, anxious to reach
her destination was informed that the
train would be somewhat delayed. but she
concluded TO make the best of 1t. While
discussing the probable time of arrival
at her station. she asked the conductor
who built the Erie railroad?" As he
did not know she volunteered the infor-
nation that the Lord must have built it.
for does not the Scriptures say, And
God made the beasts Of the earth .
and everything that creepeth on the
earth" "-Genesis l. %.
Authors Unknown.
TIME TABLES.
At all the shows rIdicule is the big hit.
The minstrel middle man asks the end
man where he gets his funny jokes
End man replies, Competing the running
time with the time tables of the Erie
railroad."-A Patron.
PROBLEM.
II 1t takes five days for the Erie rail-
road to transport an egg thirty miles, as
testified in a traffic investigation conduct
ed In Rochester recently. state approx
mate age at time OF frying for a Ave cent
sandwich of an egg laid by middle west
ern hen, stored In Chicago for some
months and then shipped to the eastern
market by Erie.-Newburg IN. " News
BASEBALL.
At a recent game of baseball between
two National league clubs at the Polo
grounds one of the players made an at
tempt to score by sliding to home plate,
but arrived 100 late While brushing the
dust and dirt from his clothes a rooter IN
the hleachers exclaimed: SERVES him
right Late and dirty. he looks as IL he
came In on the Erie"
WHAT He WANTED
When looking for information in connec-