US439227A - Railway-ticket - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. WILSON. RAILWAY TICK-ET.

ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD.

AUDITOR'S STUBN0. I.

Stafford Stella ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD. sngbel AUDITOR'S BTUB-N0. 1. H

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ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD.

one FIRST-CLASS PASSAGE ONE FIRST-CLASS PASSAGE CHICAGO CHICAGO T St a d t d To Station named a top and o a P an ,a bottom of this Ticket.

l S i VOID if the Statinn named at (up is not mlxaot gl 111: Is not repeated at the bottom of this Ticket. Pm] chime s w P GREEN Gen m; Mt Form ChiugaS.W. P. GREEN, Gen! 7m. A t.

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(No Model.) 7

J. WILSON. RAILWAY TICKET.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD.

AUDITOR'S 8TUBN0.

Soul-Lake i t A Southdown ONE 6' s omml June. 'rwo stumnd mums Stella FOUR Strobe! mvE ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD. ,a Taber six Auorron's a'rua-ue. I. Tony may SonrLlke t t i t Southduwn ONE spon'nrd Jnnc. TWO Stalfnrd THREE smu FOUR v Strobe! nvn be 1x r SSVEN Tlmmuatun EIGHT em 7 Thurston YINE I Thomutou EIGHT Tm n e 7 Toronto ELEVEN a if? Uvahle TWELVE Md (1/ "1. Valentine THIRTEEN um s vmm-m roun'rsnx Village 1mm nrmax Villagu anu- Fu'rsnx a F wumu slx'nmx 335 w a EVENTE Hum 21 g Warwick NINETEEX wamlck NHL-IBEX Washington TWENTY Watkins TwEm-om w m 'rwnx'ry wiiulf TYENTY-OXE TwElTY-Two welsh TwEN-nm-wo Weimar TWENTY-THREE Welmar TWENTY-THREE Wendell TWENIHEFOUB Wendzll TWENTY-roux j Twm'n'nvm w w t TWENTY-FIVE ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD. ROCK BOTTOM RMLROAD' oNE FmsT-cL'Aea PASSAGE on: FIRST-CLASS mas/m: CHICAGO a CHICAGO To Station figqfikgt bottom 01 T t n nam at b tto of o s gm; T| :k t o m malg lg Lye numl m n top and bottom VOID i! the munbum at top and bottnm o L e 3 or this Ticke aru or alike. In Cling s. wt] P. GREEN, our! m. m. Farm Ultiago T. P. GREEN, Gen! Ilrt. Am. I l e ONE Lake 01; Souchfluwn TWO 1 southdom, w Spolfnrd June. THREE .3 Spofl'onl June. mums 5mm! Stafl'urd FOUR IIVE Stella FIVE 5mm! 81X sg six Taber SE"E\ Tabe' snvm: Terry mam p Tetr l EKG q Thomaaton NINE 'nmmw 'n-zx Tnrbert ELEVEN Toronto TWELVE Uvulde THIRTEEN 9 Valentine l-OURTEEX 6L vmnn, nrn-znx Ylllnga nun. szx'nsmz w \Iaglder sm'Exrm-zx \Yaldo EIGHTKEN Tube" Euwm wamer slx 17mm: Toronto TWELVE Twigs Uvulde THIRTEEN 'Mhiugmn TWENTY-ONE lemme Fem 'atkln wwxssrw-rwo m I TWE "mm Victorhl FIFIJIIEN fi VIllnge Mllls SIXTEEN Waaldu' smmxrmzs Valdo EIGHTEEN f Walker NINmEN ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD. Warwick Timmy AUDITOR'S BTUB-No. z i mhm mn TWEXTY-ONE Watkins TWENTY-TWO Welsh 'rwmyn-mnzn Welmnr TWENTY-FOUR wenaeu 'rwnxn -mn ROCK BOTTOM RAILROAD. AUDITOR'S STL'B-Nc. 2

m: mums vz'rens cm. Pnoro-u-mn.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES WILSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-TICKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,227, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed September 13, 1889. Serial No. 323,866. (No model.)

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES WILSON, of Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Tickets; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of railway-tickets which are prepared by the ticket-agent from blanks so made that the ticket may be sold from a certain initial station to any one of a number of terminal stations.

The object of the invention is to makea ticket which shall afford absolute security to the company against fraud either by the person selling the same or by the purchaser. It has been customary heretofore to provide ticket-forms having blanks in which to stamp or write the name of the station to which the ticket is sold. One of the principal objections to such a ticket is that the person selling the ticket may place upon the same the name of a terminal station at a certain distance from his oflice and report this particular ticket as being sold for a terminal station at a shorter distance from the oflice, thus making it possible for the ticket-agent to re tain a portion of the fare charged for the ticket. It has been proposed, as ameasure of safety, to supply a form with a list of names indicating all of the stations on a railroad, and in selling tickets in such form to sever the form at a point below the station sold to. In a ticket of this kind, if the stations are arranged otherwise than in geographical order, the passenger can tear off a portion of his ticket below another name, and thus indicate a ride for a longer distance than that for which he has paid. In this form of ticket, furthermore, the stub in the ticketsellers hands indicates a list of stations beyond the terminal station sold to. By collusion with the conductor the ticket-seller can easily sell to a station remote from his office, but sever the ticket at the name of an inter mediate station.

A device embodying my present invention consists of a form or blank embracing a complete ticket and a complete stub, the parts being so constructed that when the stub and ticket are detached from each other one will show, without possibility of alteration, the name of the station to which the ticket is sold, or a symbol indicating the same, and the other will show, by the absence of the name of the station to which the ticket is sold or by the absence of a symbol representing the same, the name of such station, so that when the ticket and stub are compared one will supplement the other in showing that no alteration has taken place. The form of blank referred to is produced by placing on the form,in connection with a suitable heading or body containing the name of the selling-station or a blank for the insertion of the same, two lists of stations or series of symbols in dicating the same to which a ticket may be sold, each list containing all of the stations on the road or section thereof which it is desired to cover by the blank used. The names or symbols in each list are arranged either alphabetically, numerically, geographically, or arbitrarily; but both lists are alike, and the lists are arranged on opposite sides of the body part or heading of the ticket which containsv the name of the station at which the ticket is sold.

At the time of selling the ticket the blank is severed at opposite ends and through each of the columns or lists, so as to formtwo stubs, being severed in a manner hereinafter more particularly pointed out, so that the ticket shall contain at either one or both ends the name of the station sold to, while the two stubs taken together show, by the absence of a single station or a symbol representing the same, the particular station to which the ticket was sold. The blank thus used, if-it contain the names of all the stations on a certain road or section of road, together with a blank space for the insertion of the name of the station at which the ticket is sold, may be used indiscriminately at any of said stations by inserting in the blank the name of the station at which the ticket is sold.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in whiching one form of my invention as supplied to the parts reach the auditor.

the ticket-agent. Fig. 2 indicates the com plete ticket as produced from said blank. Figs. 3 and 4t indicate the check-stubs which are retained by the ticket-agent. Fig. 5 illus- 5 trates another blank embodying my invention. Fig. 6 shows the ticket made from the blank shown in Fig. 5. Figs. 7 and 8 show the stubs from the blank shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 9 illustrates still another form of ticket- [0 blank embodying my invention different from that shown in the other figures by beingmore compact. Fig. 10 shows the ticket made from the blank shown in Fig. 9. Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate the stubs produced from the blank 15 shown in Fig. 9.

To first describe that form of myinvention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, A is a ticket blank or form of any desired width and length and embracing, preferably, five parts or seetions a a a a a*. The part a is at the middle of the ticket, the parts a and a at the top and bottom thereof, respectively, the part a between the top sect-ion a and the middle section, and the part a between the bottom section a and the middle section. Upon the middle section a, which portion is usually known as the contract part of the ticket, may be placed the usual lettering designating the name of the railroad and the initial or selling station, or a blank for the insertion of the latter. The end portions a a constitute the auditors stub or ticket-sellers receipt, on which are commonly printed the usual instructions regarding the forwarding 3 5 of the stub to the auditor and also of the name of the station from which the ticket is sold or blanks for the same. Preferably the sections a a and the body-section a contain the same serial number, so that the stubs may beeasily compared with the ticket when all The intermediate sections a a each bear a list of the names of the several stations, each list being exactly alike and arranged in a single column.

The column of stations in the section a is marked a and that in the section a is marked a.

The ticket-seller having the form A in his possession and desiring to sell a ticket good for a passage, say, from Chicago, the name printed on the part a of the ticket, to Terry, will sever the blank upon the dotted line 3 3 above the name Terry in the column a and also on the dotted line 4 at below the name Terry in the column a". He will thus sever the blank into three parts, the middle part constituting the ticket proper and the end parts constituting the stubs which are to be returned to the auditor. The ticket is indicated by B, Fig.

2, While the two stubs are indicated by C and D, Figs. 3 and 4. After the blank has been severed in the manner described the ticket will contain a complete list of all the stations on the road or section with the station to which the ticket is sold both at the top and bottom of the same, while the two stubs will contain a complete list of the stations with the exception of the name of the station to which the ticket is sold. Upon comparing the ticket with the two stubs, therefore, if it is noted that the ticket contains both at its top and bottom the name of the single station which is absent from the two stubs, it will be known that neither the ticket nor the stubs have been tampered with.

The contract part a of the ticket will contain the printed instruction that the ticket is good only to the station named at the'top and bottom of this ticket. The passenger therefore cannot alter said ticket to indicate either a longer or a shorter passage, because none of the station-names are duplicated on the ticket, and if the ticket is severed at one end to indicate another station than that sold to it cannot be similarly changed at the other end. Similarly the stubs cannot be changed by the ticket-agent, because inasmuch as both stubs contain a complete list of the stations less one the stubs cannot be changed to indicate another station without removing the name of more than one station-a fact which can be instantly detected by counting the stations on the stubs or comparing them with a complete list of stations.

It will of course be readily seen that the 5 column of station-names on the ticket may contain all of the stations on a certain section of road and a blank for the insertion of the name of the initial station or that at which the ticket is sold. Such a form will serve for all of the stations on the road, the fact that the initial station or that written in the blank is also present in the columns of names having no effect in the use of the ticket. A single form can thus be employed for all sta- [o5 tions on a road or section of road,while fraud in the issue or use of the ticket is rendered impossible.

In Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 I have shown another embodiment of my invention, which has the no advantage over that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 and above described of being slightly more convenient in use as far as the preparation of the ticket for selling is concerned. In this instance the form A is provided with sections I I 5 a a a a a, arranged in the same manner as hereinbefore described, the sections a a above and below the body or contract part of the form containing lists or columns of station-names a a, arranged in the same manner as hereinbefore described. In addition to the said lists or columns of station-names said parts or sections a a contain columns a a of numbers arranged in serial order opposite the station-names. These columns of numbers are not arranged in the same manner on the two sections a a, but the numbers are shifted or changed so that the number 1 comes opposite the first name of the column of station-names in the top section and opposite the second name in the other section. Thus in the section a N o. 1 comes opposite. the second station-name, Southdown, and the number24 comes opposite the last stationits removal from the ticket.

name, Wendell, while in the section a the number 1 comes opposite the first stationname, Sour Lake, while the last number, 25, comes opposite Wendell. At the time of selling the ticket from aform thus made, supposing the terminal station to be Terry, the blank will be severed along the line beneath the word Terry and the word Seven in section ta as indicated by the line '7 7, Fig. 5, and also beneath the word Terry and the word Eight in the section a as indicated by the line 8 8. The ticket B thus formed, as shown in Fig. 6, will have the name of the terminal station-to wit, Terry -at its bottom, and will have the word Eight at both its top and bottom. The two stubs C, Fig. 7, and D, Fig. 8, will together contain a full list of all the stations on the road and will have the terminal station to which the ticket was sold at the bottom of the stub C. In the column of numbers which will be formed when the stubs C and D are placed together the number 8 will be absent. The auditor who receives the stubs O and D will examine the same and will readily understand that, inasmuch as one number only of the column of numbers is absent, the stub has not been changed since He will also know that the last name on the upper stub 0 indicates the name of the station sold to. The ticket B, furthermore, cannot be changed by the purchaser, for the reason that it contains No. 8 at both its top and bottom, and if any attempt is made to make the ticket read to another station than that to which it was sold the numbers at the opposite ends of the ticket will be different. The contract part of the ticket thus made desirably has upon it the words Void if the numbers at top and bottom of this ticket are not alike.

The advantage of the form shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 over that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is that in that form of ticket having a column of numbers or numerals as well as a list of stations the ticket may be severed at both ends beneath the name of the station to which the ticket is sold, it being obvious that when it is necessary for the ticket-agent to sever the ticket above the terminal station in removing one stub and below the terminal station in severing the other stub the agent is likely to make a mistake unless great care is used in every instance. By employing the form last described, however, and with the understanding that the blank is to be severed beneath the name of the terminal station at both ends of the ticket mistakes of the kind referred to are not likely to occur.

It will of course be understood that in the use of a form such as is shown in Fig. 1 the blank may be severed below the name of the terminal station at both ends of the blank without liability of fraudulent alteration of either the ticket or the stubs, inasmuch as the ticket will contain a complete set of station-names, while the two stubs will also contain a complete set of station-names, so that anyalteration making the ticket or stubs read to another station will be impossible; but the use of the blank in this way involves the disadvantage that neither the conductor nor the auditor can tell whether the ticket or stubs have been tampered with except by comparing the same with a complete list of all the stations named on the blank, in order to see that all of the station-names are contained on the ticket in one instance or the two stubs in the other.

As far as the general features of my invention are concerned, I do not wish to limit myself to the forms of blanks hereinbefore described, as many modifications of the construction set. forth embodying the same principle may be made and will readily suggest themselves in practice. One of such modifications is shown in Figs. 9, 10,11, and 12. In this instance the ticket is divided into five sections a a a a a and the sections a a a are arranged in the same manner as hereinbefore described. The sections a a, however, contain duplicate lists of the stations on the road or sections thereof arranged in a column or columns running transversely to the body of the ticket, this construction having the advantage of making the ticket very much shorter, inasmuch as the station-names can be printed more compactly in this manner than when the columns are arranged lengthwise of the ticket. In the particular construction illustrated the station-names in the section a are arranged in two columns a and a while the station-names in the section a are arranged in two columns a and (1. The columns of the section a contain the same names and are arranged in the same manner as the columns of the section a. In selling aticket from the blank thus made the ticket will be severed through thesection a of the line 11 11, passing above the name of the terminal station sold to, while the section a will be severed on the line 10 10, passing below the name of the station to which the ticket is sold. The central or contract part of the ticket in this instance will contain the designation of the initial point followed by the words To station named at top and bottom of this ticket.

It will be noted in the use of the form of blank shown in Figs. 1 and 5 that the ticket will always be of the same length, inasmuch as each will contain a complete list of stationnames of the road or section of road on which the blank is to be used. For the further reasons that the tickets are of rectangular form and therefore of convenient shape for handling, the form of the invention illustrated in said Figs. 1 and 5 may be preferred to that illustrated in Fig. 9, and a specific claim is therefore herein made covering the form of blank illustrated in said Figs. 1 and 5.

It will of course be understood that the station-names on the ticket may be represented by symbols or characters or parts of names, and,furthermore, that one of the lists of stations on the blank may consist of the stationnames themselves and the other of numbers or numerals representing the stations named in the other column.

In a prior application for patent, Serial No. 322,353, filed August 29, 1889, I have shown and described a blank for the same purpose as that herein shown, containing two lists 01' columns, each containing the names of all the stations on the road or division thereof, said lists or columns being arranged side by side in reverse order. The means employed to prevent fraud are substantially the same in the device shown in this application as in the one above referred to, the same consisting of two sets of station-names having opposite arrangement with reference to a common heading, body, or contract part of the ticket, such reverse arrangement being obtained in one case by placing the lists or columns side by side and arranging the station-names in reverse order, and in the other case by placing the lists or columns atopposite sides or ends of the ticket. The invention set forth in said prior application, Serial No. 322,353, is therefore suificiently broad and comprehensive to include that herein shown, and is intended to be so claimed in that application.

The invention herein set forth is in the nature of an improvement upon the one described and broadly claimed in said application, Serial No. 322,353, the claims herein being limited to the location of the lists of station-names at opposite sides or ends of the ticket, as hereinafter clearly pointed out.

I claim as my invention 1. The herein-described severable form for a railroad-passengers ticket and stub bearing in its middle part a name or other desi nation of the selling-station, a stub ateach 40 end, and between said middle part containing the designation of the selling-station and each of the stubs a list of station-names, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described severable form for a railroad-passengers ticket and stub bearing at its middle a designation of the sellingstation, at each end a stub, and between the said middle part bearing said designation of the selling-station and each of the said stubs a column arranged lengthwise of the form and containing a complete list of stationnames, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES WILSON.

Witnesses:

O. CLARENCE POOLE, TAYLOR E. BROWN.

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