The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-10
HOW BEST TO
SHIP AN ELEPHANT
Frank Small Saves S109.50 by
Taking Advantage Of
Express Rates.
BETSY NOW IN CHICAGO

THE longer a man carries an ele-
plant around with him the more he
learns about things in general. Some
Of these things are merely amusing
and some are serious. but they are all
likely to be interesting"
That's what Frank Small say and
he ought to know. for he's been doing
the elephant trick for the better part
Of n year. Once he wal q nice. little.
u~nsuspecting boy. but since h he's
been In the show business. Trivial
things like conveying Buffalo Bill and
his Indians and cowboys OF tho Wild
West Show across the ocean and through
Europe or fetching wild tribes from
Australia or Africa to Coney Island and
elsewhere are feats he has long been
accustomed to. but since he took Betsy
under his wing his notorious mustache
has grown bigger and whittier than ever
before. Betsy Is the elephant.
II had to take her from Boston to
Chicago last week." he said. And.
honest. I never knew before what the
Interstate Commerce Commission was
UP against. 1t was a perfectly simple
proposition to me. All had to do was
to get a big. strong freight car. boost
Betsy aboard, put n few bales of hay
AIM ~ VaNth etN ~ Wv -f'
few men to wait on her In case she
should get sessick. pay the railroad com.
pany as little as possible, and call
around at the landing place in Chicago
when she arrived. 1t didn't call for a
second thought.
That Is what / was thinking when I
inquired the price but when the pirate
in the railroad Office In Boston finished
filling a few sheets OF foolscap with
figures and showed me the CHASTITY de-
tails l grew bewildered and began ask
ing questions. so he kindly explained.
First on he said. you wnnt to send
her by the shortest route and / told
him | certainly did.
"'Thatli be by the New York Gen.
trail via Albany. The price from Bos-
ton to Albany will be 80 cents a mile.
with an additional charge OF ten pas
senger tickets at the theatrical rate OF
s4.i0 each. Then from Albany to Chi
cago you pay 80 cents a mile for the
car. but you don't have to buy the
extra tickets. II you do buy the ten
tickets the car will only cost you 20
cents n mile but ! wouldn't advise you
to do that. for II would cost you more.
The cheapest rate will be go cents n
mile for the whole 1905 miles that's
s30l.20: and ten tickets from Boston
to Albany, that's St. From Albany to
Chicago you only have to buy one
ticket at s3740 total. s3s2. So
Then ] told him to avast for a time
while | should inquire into the mat
ter. The car travels over the New
York Central tracks all the way" l
said. Then why the difference in rat,
east OF Albany? Why a cheaper rat.
from Albany TO Chicago And he still
more kindly explained further tina: the
New York Central in 80 far rs 1t oper-
ated trains in New England was a
member OF the New England Passen-
ger Association and was bound by the
schedule OF prices agreed upon by that
association. West OF the Hudson River.
he said, the New York Central belongs
to the Trunk Line Association. Shicn
has a different schedule. And he smiled
when he said II. He was very pleasant
so far as his manner went. There was
nothing rude about him. All ne wanted
so far as | could see was my money,
Just about that time ! got to think.
ing of the box office tactics In the old
fashioned travelling clrcuses and | told
him ! would go out In the tall grass
and think n little while before trad
ing. So ! went around the corner to
the office OF an express company and
stated the case. That way ! made
more than 800.
"The express mpa put Betsy into
the same car that I had selected, sent
her to Chicago over the same route. n
the same number OF hours. with pre-
cisely the same service that tho rail-
road company would have given. All.
s~olu,ely the only difference there was
between tn two was In the price
All the express company charged me
vas s2T3.l0. don't know how they
figured 1t or how they managed 10 pay
the railroad company, as they mus.
have done. for the use OF the car. which
would have cost me $500. and sill
make money, but I presume they must
have done II somehow,
"All | do know is that Betsy Is play
ing In Chicago and ! have s109.50 In
my pocket which the railroad com.
pany asked me for. A certain per.
ton of it is now available for cello
bratlng purposes"