The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-03-19
NIGHT wATcHMEN.


An Invs.tioa which Accurately Tslls
whether They Do Their Duty.
There has been q great demand Of
late years for clock that would record
the going and coming of night watch
men in factories, hotels and other largo
buildings" said a manufacturer to .
reporter recently. "You may provide
. building literally with fire-escapes.
but they are of little use If the watch
man, being asleep, neglects to give tho
alarm when the fire breaks out. Thus
the best of all precautions is the cleo
trio watchman's clock and register
Watchmen are no better than other
mortals; they will grow weary and
sleepy. and some Of them would rather
dOze all night in an armchair in some
snug corner than march their appointed
rounds. But the electric clock and
register is an invention that serves as
the most potent stimulus to the watch
man to make him 60 his rounds. It is
SO arranged as to serve for any desired
number of stations, and controlling
from one to ten watchmen if necessary.
At each station the Waterman inserts .
key and gives one full turn. This
makes its unfailing record on a blank
which is locked inside the clock in the
Office, and which is so placed that no
Waterman, however ingenious or sly,
can tamper with it. The record when
taken out in the morning shows exactly
what stations the Waterman visited in
the night and the time of his visits"
care there no other contrivances,
portable and more simple, ths. answer
the purpose?"
There are other contrivances. GER
tainly, but none so reliable as the elec-
trio clock. For instance, there is q con-
trivance which Waterman carries
about with him. This contains paper
dial on which record is to be made dur
ing the night by the use of key fas-
tened at each station to be visited. This
is delivered to the Waterman when he
goes on duty. The blank paper dial is
locked inside of it. But supplying him.
self with lot of false station keys the
Waterman can punch all the holes he
pleases and deliver the detectOr to the
proper official in the morning correctly
marked. tell You it is good deal of
trouble for a Waterman to walk about
all night. There are some people, even
night watchmen, who think tho night
was made for sleep and rest. One such
who had been employed in large hotel
where the portable detector had been in
use, astonished his employers by resign
ing shortly after they procured an cleo
trical. He admitted that the new clock
kept him going all night and disturbed
his rest. Under the old arrangement
he had slumbered and lounged to
his hearts content. The superintendent
of large factory recently rugged pc
dOmeter to night Waterman. The man
faithfully went his rounds, and in ths
morning the machine registered
nearly fifteen miles. In large factory
in Connecticut where the portable detec-
notion one night to walk quietly through
and see what was going on. To his
surprise he found the watchman lying
in a half-drunken condition in the en-
gine-roOm. He thought, of course. that
in the morning the dial would be pre-
scented in a very imperfect condition.
But he was very much astOnished to find
it brought to the Office with all the
markings duly made. He said nothing.
but took observations the next night.
and noted similar state of affairs. the
markings being apparently correct in
the morning. The Waterman was sum-
moned to the office and ordered to give an
account of himself and his detectOr. The
explanation was 80 rambling and incO-
herent that the man was at once dis
missed. The factory folks were mysti-
fed and racked their brains to discover
how a drunken man, who spent most of
his nights in an engine-room, could pro-
duce such records in the morning. After
many days they learned that the deceit
full fellow had procured number Of
blank paper dials and also key to the
lock which shut them in. He would
pick them in the evening before going
on duty, then open the concern. take
out the blank which had been supplied
him and slip the fraudulent one in its
place.-N. Y Mail and Express.