Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-18
AN ELECTRIC TABLE.
A Continuance Which Threatens the R1i
istence of Waiterdom.

"A OOulTlSkAIAcc vVAAlCu 4hEOdtcuS JIG ~
istence of Waiterdom.
The vocation of the waiter is imper-
lied, that which threatens his livelihood
in the lower ranks of waiterdom being,
an invention styled the electric dining
table. The inventor of this machine,
for it is as much a machine as a table,,
is a German, and, having put up one Of
his c%ontrivances, he has invited all those
who are interested in such matters to
come and see it. On entering the room
in which the electric dining-table has
been erected there is seen a double row
of small, flat desk-like tables, set back
to back. and divided one from another
by a brass railing. The tables, or COM
partments, do not touch each other at
the back, being separated by a raised
| shelf about three feet wide. On sitting
down each diner finds himself given a
space of about three feet square, with a
portion of the raised shelf on which to
place his empty dishes, bottles, etc. On
sitting down, too, the customer will no.
tice a bill Of fare and a punch like those
used by railroad conductors. The bill
of fare is divided into three columns
the first containing the dish, the second
the price, and the third a series of blank
spaces. across which are printed the d.
rections to ''please punch in this space
whatever you want to order" Giving:
punches for a plate of soup, a steak and
a glass of wine, the customer next
''turns over'' the bill of fare, according
to a foot-note, and finds further direc-
tions to put it, when punched, in front
OF him and push the button to his right.
He does so, an electric ben is heard
tinking in the kitchen, and then, as if
by magic, the table in front of him
slips noiselessly away, glides under the
raised shelf, and runs kitchenward. The
time for filling the order elapses, and
then slipping out from under the shelf,
comes the table once more, laden now
with the soup, steak and wine, and set
ties itself in front of the customer. The
bill of fare is there also, and as the GUS
toner knows exactly what he punched
and what he has eaten, he takes the
and pays the amount due.
If the customer were allowed into the
kitchen he would find a boy seated on a
bench having in front of him a spoked
wheel like that of a rudder. Over the
wheel is placed a series of sixteen NUM-
bers covered with black shades, while
beside it are two handles like levers.
Another customer is heard entering the
restaurant; he seats himself at a table,
punches out what he wants, and presses
the electric button at his side. Down
falls the shade from over No. 2 of the
wheel. The boy pulls out a connecting
switch marked No. 2, gives a haul at
one OF the levers, and turns the wheel.
The haul at the lever pulls thesNo. 2 Ia
BILE under the shelf and places it on a
well-oiled tramway, and the turns of the
wheel bring the table along the tram
way until it reaches the kitchen. On
the table the cook places the order, the
boy reverses the wheel, this time keep
ing his eye on a pliable Hat wire which
uns around the hub of the wheel and
which is marked with numbers up to
sixteen. As soon as No. 2, marked on
this band, reaches an index, the wheel
is stopped, the lever reversed, and the
customer is served. All the tables can
be moved at once by the transfer of the
switches, or as many as orders come
from. What is claimed by the inventor
is economy of time to the customer, ex-
pense to the proprietor, the avoidance
Of complaints, the absence of noise, and
a strict check on the kitchen. Several
observation-disclosures have been to see the
machine, but all hesitate to use it for
fear it might prove a failure and OF the
%boycotting by the discharged walters:
A physician of the French hospital,
however, who has no such fear before
his eyes, has given his approval to the
contrivance and will recommend its
adoption at that institution.-Sam Fran
CISCO Chronicle.