The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-09
CARELESS IN CABS
How They Leave Much That Is Valuable in the Cabs of
 New York.
ALL KINDS OF THINGS LOST
And Most of Them Get Back to Those Who Left Them 
 Behind.

At least S50.000 worth of valuables are left each year in the cabs of New York city. according to the head of the lost and found department of one af the New York taximeter com panies. This figure does not include the theater press agents estimate of jewels left by actresses. nor does it cover large sums of money or securi- ties which from time to time are re- covered from public vehicles. In this assortment of articles left by the care less is everything, from false teeth to household furniture. Of the articles left by the careless is everything, from false teeth to household furniture. Of the articles left, in former years from 50 to 75 per cent.Were. recovered by the owners, though the statistics are not absolute, for the reason that many persons reported losses in cabs when in reality they left their valuables in a store or restaurant. es@
 - Recently. however, because of the elaborate systems of keeping track of cabs and care in choosing drivers on ehS Pai VI NliN bIS Cdb NOifl DdltS, which are in competition with the might hawk" cabs, it is believed that between S5 and 90 per cent of arti- cles left are returned to owners or turned into the companies found de- partments, subject to call. This speaks well for the honesty of the cabmen, because there is no law requiring an | owner to pay a reward. In London cabmen and bus drivers turn over all found articles to Scotland Yard, and the owner, after identifying his prop erty, must pay a percentage as a re- ward to the cabman.
 The larger New York companies re. port that cases where cabman is even suspected of appropriating sucl, articles are extremely rare. At the same time the companies take all pos sible precautions. Under the old plar passenger frequently could not re. member the number of the cabman This made it impossible to locate the cab, and the cabman had no way oi finding the loser except through ad. vertising, which he did not always fee called upon to do. Under the new plan however, the companies keep sucr accurate records of the trips of theil cabs that if a passenger remember, when and where he took the taxime. Eter the driver can be identified.
 The strangest two things ever fount in cab, according to an officer of { company which operates nearly b0t 1 taximeter electric cabs and gasoline vehicles in this city were a mans les and live man who was lost. One af. ternoon when the cab returned from trip, the searcher who examines ey. cry cab as if enters the garage, fount a long bundle wrapped in paper which on examination proved to be { leg cut off above the knee. X few min. utes later the phone rang and man. voice asked. Did you find my leg?' The man said he would hurry dowr and get it. He turned out to be a wei known surgeon who was on his way t, lecture to medical students and hat left his specimen in the cab.
 The search of another cab late on, night revealed man who was wedg ed in the seat. The "cabby" could giy, no explanation of how he got there and the man himself was in no con dition to explain. He was entered ol the record, however as 'tFound--on package, which is the usual formula He was sent to hospital, and it wa three days before he could remembe who he was. He never could recal how he came to get in the cab.
 Wireless telegraphy brought word O one loss recently, A woman had takei an electric cab to a steamship. Sh had number of small parcels, in cluding a jewel case with several fair ly valuable ornaments This she pu into the package pocket of the cab the most common place for findin feminine possessions. She discovere her loss after the vessel had saile and sent in wireless message to tn company. This case was found, an the pleasure of the losers ocean fri assured by the single word Found. sent in . return
 The most common articles left i cabs are canes Ind unbrellas. mo, or which the owners do not tako tn trouble to look up. These are so.l z auction after a year or more, an bring commonly about 10 cert apiece. which goes 70 the emrloyp association. Vanity bugs with lit.t powder lrlf's and 5'.alt, mirrors al : next in sr@HueniV. though auaati.i i, of furs, coats, ,|,aks, overshoes an wearing appare, If all sorts arc fDun daily
 Purses with any amount of n, ,ne in them are ec,, craliy ,ound in cal which people hire oyi the monlh year and which are mt paid for ; the end of each trip. The largr amount of money feNnd this year W, a roll of s49 reported by the chauffe, who got two per cent reward. IT most valuable single article rour was a necklace The actress pre- agent valued the jewels at Sc co There is. however, no item of s9O( or anything like it on the cab con 9 pany's found" books. One of il queerest combinations discovered N; package of chewing gum and a S of false teeth in the same cab. So f9
 no glass eyes have been found. n, : have any wooden legs been discovera
 But the cab people think it is only
 question of time
 In the course of the year mur junk, commonly of little value. acc
 mulates in the office Under a. Ia
 which the big cab companies were i e strumental in passing all unclaim,
 aarticles may be sold at auction f D the benefit of the relief associations
 the cabmen- At a recent auction
 this kind only $93 worth of articl
 had not been claimed. although il
 company's officers estimate that il r cabmen had turned in probably h
 tween S20,0oQ and s3O,00O worth
 the course of the year.-New To