Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-03-08
THE SANTA FEE.

The veteran editor of the Kansas Chief,
the Hon. Sol. Miller, in the last issue Of his
paper describes visit to the new Office
| building of the Santa Fc road, which con-
tains SO much valuable information and so
| many pleasant suggestions that we quote in
| full:
We took an hour, Thursday afternoon,
| while the prohibitionists We're striving with
one another in the senate to add outrageous
provisions to the temperance bill, L. 90
| through the general offices of the Atchi,"n,
| Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, just ncro>s
| the street from the state house. This is an
immense building, that almost over.hadows
| the capitol building Itself. Col. VI. QIigg.
| superintendent OF the coal department.
piloted us \ man needs pilot. going
through that building. 1t embraces base
mcnt, three stories and an attic. The df-
terent stories are reached by means both OF
elevators and stairways. Few people have
any conception of what busy hive til,
building Is. There are something near five
hundred persons. men, wome:. and boys EN-
ploycd ia 1t every day, from 5 o'clock in the
morning until . III the evening, and many
persons all night. The basement i occupied
with the engines and heating apparatus, and
stationery department. This resembles II
paper warehouse. They have IA small Job
printing Office in this room, where they DO
their own smaller class II work, such as en-
yelopes letter heads, etc. But the amount
Of printing of this road, embracing innumer-
able blanks of every description, together
with blank books, etc, Is immense. Ii done
BY one Office. it would make larger bust
ness than that done By the state printing
office, which Is very big
thing. All the business at every station on
the road is reported to this office every DAY,
and the bills are set grinding through the
auditing department, where every item i
examined. rates compared, and colums ad-
Ell up. Ii there is a mistake IN any Of the
papers 10 the amount Of one cent, il Is detect
ed. Ii is impossible that any cro,kcdues,
should be INDUCED IN 10y any employee Of
the company. without IL being detected be-
fore II gets through this department. lfany
agent has charged customer on freight any
too much, from Il nickle mp, i : discovered,
and the over charge Is refunded. But If the
agent has made AN error by charging too
little, or in adding i; up. by which the CON-
panv looses any amount. the agent i re
quired to make up the dciicncy. either by
collecting il from the customer OF having II
deducted from his salary. The car depart
ment keeps record Of every car On the
road. whether il belongs - this road or an
other. In momen; they can tell where
any car was on the previous cAy, what con
duc,or had it IN charge, and there Is & rec
ord shown. every package %: good, that It
contained. II - wreck occurs anywhere on
the road, this office knows exactly " hat was
in each wrecked car. The claim depart
ment adjusts al claims for freigh, lost or
y r.,,.l ssla,L Ertf.f ~
this department models Of freight cars with
automatic coGplers. The models work per
fecily. and il the coupler works - we'll on
the road, Il viii not only result IN Il saving
OF limbs of braksmen. but alii bring for
ture - the inventor. - on with every de-
partment- Each has IT. separate dctie. =
perform, and would be a hard matter for any
employee Of the company - indulge in
crookeine>s for more than q day 90 txo
without beng detected There are safes
and vaults in all parts Of the building. But
the safe in the ire-asureTs department ! the
boss Of all. The treasurer cannot rob HIM
self. The safe no, Only hss time lock.
but i opens and closes Itself, and no man
can open and close !; TIL i j. ready. Il opens
4; an hour when ali EMPLOYEES of that
room are present, and closes before they
leave. There : no getting in al odd hours.
II the treasury i robbed, al the persons n
the department must be in the Conspiracy.
The pos;ofhce department receives and d.
tributes the NAL matter coming u all the
EMPLOYEES q the company. and does as
much bushes, q the p,>totice Of a city q
the second class y the ernployees of the
and their families, living =; Top,.-
Ia number about $3.50 persons. Z sgili -ex3- .
ily De sen 5oS >gch sn Institution helps s
town The -sr,ltIia-fsr hold here hy 49,.