The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-11-17

dences, hotels and Police Head
quarters. In private houses it VIII
be used as burglars welcome.
In hotels it will take the mental
strain off the bellboy, relieving him
of a portion of his burdensome
salary at the same time. In the
Police Department it will do al
most everything but eat peanuts
from the corner stands
The system is on exhibition in
large room down town, with the
signals or boxes on one side and
the annuciator or central station
on the other. BY walking from
one to the other, a distance in all
of thirty or forty miles, / was en-
abled to get a slight idea of the
principle.
1t is certainly a very intelligent
system. never felt my own in
feriority any more than l did in
the presence of this wonderful in
vention. 1t will do almost any
thing, it seemed TO me, and the
main drawback seems to be It's
great versatility, for it thereby be-
comes so complex that in order to
become at all intimate with it, a
policeman ought to put in two
years at Yale and at leaste a year
at Leipsic. An extended course OF
study would thus perfect him in
this line, but he will not then he
content to act as policeman. He
would want to be scientist, with
dandruff on his coat collar and a
far-away look.
Then, again, take the hotel
scheme, for instance. We go to
dial which is marked Room No. 32.
There we find by treating it in a
certain way it will announce to the
clerk that Room 80 wants a fire,
ice-water, pens, ink, paper, lemons,
towels, fire-escape, Milwaukee Sec.
pillow-shams, n. Y. World, menu,
Croton frappe, carriage, laundry,
physician, sleeping-car ticket berth
mark for same, Halford sauce, hot
fiat iron for ironing trousers, bag
gage, blotter, tidy for chair, or any
of those things. In fact have not
given half the list on this baromet-
or because | could not remember
them, though l may have added
others which are not on the in
dicator. TIE message arrives at
the office, but the clerk is engaged
i'm conversation with a lady. He
does not jump when the alarm
sounds, but continues the dialogue.
Another guuest wires the Office
that he would like Il copy OF the
Congressional Record. The mes
sage is filed away automatically,
and the thrilling conversation goes
on. Then No. 5-6 asks to have
his mail sent up. No. 25 wants to
know what time the bus leaves
the house for the train going east,
and whether that train will con-
meet at Alliance, o., with tide
water train for Cleveland in time
to catch the Lake Shore train which
will bring him into New York at
1880, and whether all those trains
were reported on time or not, and
if not will the office please state
why? Other guests also manifest
a morbid curiosity through theil
transmitters, but the clerk does not
get excited, for he knows that al
those remarks are filed away in
the large black-walnut box at the
back of the office. When he gets
ready, provided he has beer
through IL course of study in this
brand of business, he takes one
room at time, and addressing I
pale young "Banister Polisher" by
the name of "front," he begins tt
scatter information, baggage, tow
els, morning papers, timetables
&c., all over the house. 1t is ais,
supposed to be a great time saver
For instance, No Is wants to know
the correct time. He moves thu
Indicator around like the combina
tion of a safe, reads Il few pages o
instructions, and then pushes 6
button, perhaps. Instead of ring
ing for boy and waiting for hin
some time, then asking him to OBJ
tain the correct time at the Office
and come back with the informa
ton, conversing with various peo
pie on the way back, and expect
ing compensation for it, the guest
can ask the Office and receive the
answer without getting out of bed
You leave call for a certain houl
and at that time your own private
gong will make it so unpleasant
for you that you will be glad IL