New Britain herald., 1926-01-19
ABSENT MINDED
 PEOPLE INCREASE
. This Is Particularly True Among City DWelers

New York. Jan. 19 CP-Absent- ulindedness is increasing among city folk. It is partly q result of the fcverish pace of the city's life and the kaleidoscopc, ever-changlng scenes of the teeming streets that rival the side shows of a, colossal circus in distracing the mind.
 This is reflected in an array Of figures obtained today from New York police officials whose duty 1t is to find the owners Of hundreds Of articles lost daily in the street. in subway stations, in taXicabs and wherever New Workers move in their daily life Figures show that the number Of lost articles is in- creasing annually.
 A bass drum, bag Of five snakes, nye-foot wreath intended for , funeral artificial arms and legs --~ i these are some of the items among list Of articles retrieved by the police. Recently a S25,000 diamond ring was found in a city dump after l forty tons of refuse had been sifted.
 Probably the most absent-minded man was found by the Interborough Rapid Transit company, in whose subway trains scores of articles are left daily by passengers, The man recently appeared at the company s lost and found window and inquired for q brief case which he said con 1ained important legal papers. A search was made, but in vain. Thcn he vas asked when he lost the case
 ooh, somewhere about the middle Of I9lP." he replied.
 Lost children continue 10 make : big job for the police, but with the use Of the radio in hroadcasting de. scriptions, most Of them are return. ed to anxious parents without grea' , delay.
 Jcwrlry leads all other articles ir tho lost list, and here taXicabs tigur' prominently. A recent announce ment by one taxicab company sail that approximately l,500 article were left in it's cabs each month This company's records show tn finding of such articles as "leathc ease containing sl0o.0Qo worth 0 icWclry." as well as more proSai appurtenances such as bass drum ! and even coffee grinders. But for variety, the lost and foun Apartments Of the subway offer the most interesting collection. R. cent accUmulations includc part z a human body, bag Of live snake an indescriminate collection ( guinea pigs, white rats. canarie' monkeys, parrots cats and dog artificial limbs, tools, umbrellas, ey glasses, keys. mems and women wearing apparel, jewelry an "ouough guns. pistols and blac
 jacks 10 if out the police deparr mcnt."
 Day after day, a stream of forge
 full wind in and out Of the offic' !. of the transit companies, seeking fC lost articles
 It has been noticed by those
 charge Of the lost articles that sint , the var tho quality Of the jewell lost has fallen considerably. MuC u Of the jewclry found today is imiti
 ton. they declare, and here u
 owners fear Of the holdup man
 seen.
 Loaded pistols are daily left
 tho subway trains, and officials b
 licvc that gunmen. carrying weapol
 and fearing that detectives are their trail. drop the pistols in q
 trains and fee. PickpoCkets also II u the subway trains and mail boxes ' disposc of wallets from which tn, have removed all valuables. .7 A rainy day always bring fiot Of lost articles And the increas'
 tramic of Saturday and Mond'
 never fails 10 show itself in il .r volume Of articles turned in by trs
 conductors.