The Wasp — 1894 — page 64: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

The main cartoon depicts a crowded streetcar with passengers squeezed together uncomfortably. The caption references "McGinnis (in the rear)" observing that passengers are "packed like sardines" and questioning why Oakland's cable cars are so overcrowded. A woman complains the cars are unbearably full, while a man notes he's "left shy him be the say-ing, but that's the point I ache I ever saw / on the cars. But those Oakland carrots do be the devil to us ack." This satirizes Oakland's public transportation problems—specifically overcrowding on cable cars. The complaint about inadequate capacity reflects contemporary frustrations with the city's transit system during this period. The cartoon mocks both the packed conditions and passengers' resigned acceptance of poor service.