The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-02-13
RAILROADS ARE
LOOTED IN An
INGENIOUS WAY
English Thieves Plan Many
Tricks to Pilfer from
Railroad Cars.

LONDON, Feb. 12.-Even in war
time. says Answers, we have not quite
given up grumbllng about railways.
II is an old established habit, and we
are apt to neglect the Various diff
f;culties against which the companies
are forced to contend.
We say-some of us do-that the
railways rob us. Now let us look at
the other side of the shield. and see
how the companies are robbed.
Among the enormous numbers OF
Elen employed by the companies there
must be black sheep. The worst OF
these systematic robberies are COM
mitted by these men.
Only few weeks ago no fewer
than twelve shutters on the MidlanG
were sent to prison for stealing from
their employers. They had taken.
among other things, 1890 cigareisr
1872 pairs of socks and $500 Of army
goods. besides quantity Of whis-
key.
Speaking of whiskey, casks Of spir-
it sent by rail are sometimes robbed
ingeniously. A hole is bored in the
barrel and a tube inserted. through
which a portion of the contents is
drawn off. Then the hole is plugged
again.
For more than a year robberies on
a large scale went on at Rugby sta
ton. AT last the railway police got
clue which led them to examine the
houses Of four goods porters and a
brakeman.
Three vanloads of stolen goods
we're found. These included carpets,
jewelry, wines, spirits, clothes oil all
sorts and no less than G15O worth of
groceries, The thieves had become
so reckless that one of them had ac-
tually given a friend whole case Of
stolen cutlery.
Two years ago the authorities Of
the Midland and Great Northern Joint
line were for months worried by an
endless succession of claims for goods
which had disappeared in transit. AS
a last resources three detectives were
hidden in goods van.
At a wayside station in Lincoln
shire, the van was broken into and
several men began removing things,
and hiding them in locker OF the
engine. The result was that two
drivers, two guards and two firemen
were brought to justice.
There is even one case on record
this on the Great Central-in which
an inspector turned thief, and for
three years continued to rob his EN-
ployers.
The companies have. of course, to
make good the value of everything
stolen in transit and each company
yearly foots bill of some thousands
Of pounds for stolen property.
But the depredations are not con-
fined to goods trains. Passenger
trains are also regularly looted. One
company alone-and that one of our
smallest-loses on an average Of two
copper foot warmers daily during the
winter. In one year recently they
lost 700, and each one is worthy
fifteen shiings.
Soap and towels are constantly
stolen from the lavatories. That is
why theS are both as small and mex
pensive as possible. Even the photo
graphs which adorn the carriages are
quite often dug out and taken away,
while window straps are constantly
cut off, presumably for use as razor
strops. More than once water bottle
has been "sneaked' from waiting
room, and there is one case on record
on the South Eastern-where a man
stole framed copy Of the companys
bylaws.
The limit in impudence, was reached
by the following scheme: On GER
tain Sunday morning young man
entered the Blackfriars booking office
and handed to the booking clerk a
note, apparently sent from Victoria
station. 1t was to the effect that "B.
C. Jenkins will relieve you, and that
you commence duties early turn, TO-
morrow, at Whitechapel Station"
1t was not until the superseded
clerk arrived at Whitechapel that he
found the note. like its bearer, was
bogus. Meantime. the supplanter had
escaped with s4OO.