Mystery: Streetcar Fare Collector ca 1890?

wesp · **Posted:** Tue Feb 08, 2022 2:14 pm

A volunteer with the DC History Center (aka the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.). contacted me about the item in the photos.

Quote:

The item shown in the attached is among our collections, but we have little information about it. The only provenance we have is a written tag which calls the item a "Fare collection register" used on the old Washington and Georgetown cars in the 1890s. It was (apparently) given to us by one "E. Merrill," who was given the item by John Fleming, a purchasing agent for Capital Transit.

I know E. Merrill is Edward Merrill, president of Washington & Georgetown > Capital Traction > Capital Transit.

I would welcome more information about the device shown and how it works.

Thank you!

Wesley Paulson
National Capital Trolley Museum

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JimBoylan · **Posted:** Tue Feb 08, 2022 4:16 pm

Does it just count, or does it also punch a ticket and even retain the clipping?

wesp · **Posted:** Tue Feb 08, 2022 5:45 pm

JimBoylan wrote:

Does it just count, or does it also punch a ticket and even retain the clipping?

Jim,

I do not know. The item is not in my possession.

Wesley

70000 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2022 3:29 am

Looks as though there is a slot (to the left of the screw head) for a ticket to be inserted for punching, the punchings then collecting in the cylindrical part, at a guess.
The register would advance each time a ticket was punched.

If they were anything like the UK versions, the punchings would be checked at the end of the day to see if the revenue tallied with the tickets punched.....

I have got a similar hand-held device (though a totally different design) in my collection which we believe was used on the Ipswich Tramway Company horse cars which ran until the local Council took them over in 1902 and electrified the system. Will try and find it later and post a photo....

70000 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 09, 2022 7:00 am

This is the one that I have, and seems a similar principle to the Washington one.
Measures roughly 5" x 3"......

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Register is on the rear with rotating brass dials.
Hand grip operated punch, which sounds a bell when activated. It won't work without a ticket inserted in the slot either.
The punched parts of the tickets are collected in the raised area at the right hand end of the upper view and this is (nominally) secured by the lifting area encosing the bell, which was released by a key, presumably held back at the depot.
I found a metal box containing the remains of a number of these punches in the loft at work getting on for 40 years ago and I think, from memory, we were able to assemble 4 or 5 working examples from these parts, which explains why there are different serial numbers stamped into the punch itself and the removable punched-ticket collector lid!