The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-10-25

,
TO become an expert telegraph op-
orator." said m OLD telegraphcr to n re.
porter, cit is absolutely necessary that
person should enter the business at an
| early age. Most of the first class opera
tors went into the business at about the
age of fourteen. l have never known q
man to become even n fair tclcgraphel
who attempted to learn after twenty
| years of age. Operators generally start
III as Office boys, and gradually master
every detail of tho business. A good
common school education is IL necessary
qualification. Boys mostly learn in
small towns and become fair operators
in two or three years, although some OF
them never master tho mysteries of the
dots and dashcs.
HARD WORK.
Gas salaries arc low in small towns. "
continued the reporters informant, "the
newly fled8cd operator hies himself to
somc large city, where there is always n
demand for good operators. Instead of
the $50 or $50 per month which he
could earn at home he probably receives
| $50 or $50, and is clatcd accordingly.
But working in city like New York is
no play. The best operators are put
| upon the quadruplcx circuits which arc
worked to all the large cities and in the
slang of the profession, are q STEADY
roast. From three to four hundred
messages day is considered good work.
10 send these almost half million dis
tlnct motions of the hand and wrist arc
necessary. This causes great strain
on the nerves and in many cases leads TO
telegraphcr's paralysis I have known
men to lose their grip through this
cause and become unable to send n
word. They generally manage, now
over, to learn to work with their left
hand and overcome the difficulty. Nu-
merous physicians have studied this DC
culiar ellectupon the nerves of operators
but so fnr none of them have found q
remedy"
STRANGE FASCINATION
"Why are there SO few gray haired
men in the business % asked tho ro.
porter.
That IS because few operators adopt
the business rs Il life occupation. Most
OF them intend to use it rs n means Of
getting something better Very few re-
main IN it after reaching tllirty-five years.
Many leave it, but gradually drift back
again to the familiar click, click There
is fascination about it which is hard
to resist. TO be able to sit down and
converse with friends thousands of miles
away Is very captivating. Operators
know each. others touch upon the kew
MS accuratcly'.s person can distinguish
different handwriting Although all
send by the same alphabet yet each has
a way of making it which is distinctively
his own. The female operators are
mostly we'll educated, intcIl gent. women,
who honor the profession. They cannot
do the heavy work which men perform
bnt are very capable on wires where
business is somewhat lighter"
A CONTRAST
'"There is world of difference be-
tween the young man who works quad
ruplex instrument in n large city and
railroad telegraph operator. The
former is we'll dressed person, who sits
in his chair and rattles off messages
without APPARENT effort. But the railroad
operators life is not happy one. In
addition to his duties rs operator ho acts
as ticket agent, handles freight and
sometimes turns thc switch. His salnrv
is also less than that of his city brother.
'he wonder is that more accidents do
nuI occur on roads where one man has
all these duties to attend to. Thousands
of lives are daily entrusted to his care.
and the omission of few clicks from
his brass soundcr might send scores of
travellers to horrible death. In small
towns the manager of the telegraph of
flee is an important parsonage. He
ranks with the lawyer and the doctor in
the esteem of his townsfolks. The ar
rival OF n green operator is source of
great amusement in some Offices. The
fastest sender i'll the vicinity gots a
newspaper and sends the new arrival
columns of imaginary Specials Ficti-
tious Chinese cables resembling wash
checks are given to the novice, with
orders to rush it.
THE TRAMP OPERATOR.
"a few years ago there were many
tramp operators, but owing to the in.
crease of business they have almost dis.
appeared. Perhaps the best -cprcscn.
tative Of that class is Hank Bogardus
whose name is known in tclcgraphic
circles from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Never working more than a month in
one place he is constantly on the move,
Ind to-day may be in Portland, Me. L,
and next week in Utah. Hank took
night report i'll Omaha few years ago,
and one night was overcome by sleep
and missed the whole matter, Heawoke
about daylight and realizing the situa
ton left the celebrated message for the
manager which has made him famous
among the boys. 1t as-'Cap.: | works
no more. I resigns. Hank He was
next heard of in Canada But that style
Of operator has gradually died out, and
tramp telegrapher is a rarity.
YOUTHFUL PRODIGY.
Lcvi Juakins, son of George Jud-
| klns, operator ut the Western Union
office in Claremont, N. H., began to
send and receive dispatches when he
was seven years old, operating en-
tirely by sound with the Morse
system. In 1877, when Levi was
eight years old, he was referred to in the
journal Of the Telegraph, of May l, as
probably the youngest telegraph OPP
orator i'll the country, being good
sender and able to receive readily bV
sound and writing good hand for a boy
of his ago."
Mr.. Huntoon, tho manager at White
River ,Innniipn cant for owl ,,roUinnQ