The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-11-07
CITY NIGHT TOILERS.


Who ard hos many are there Of
those Who ssrn night into dsy-xho
labor froEn sunset to sanriss, and
deep while the great masses are tod
| ings Quite respectable IL numbers
when al are taken into account, and
their ranks are daily Increasing ~
new industries spring up or certain
lines Of business prosper ard dem and
more help for their Development
| In the lead in numbers are the news
paper workers printers. editors. press
men. reporters. mailing clerks stereo-
Itypers, p-cof-readers and other
branches al the occupation. The tive
morning newspapers Of Chicago en-
p,oy well up IN the neighborhocd Of
80 persons each Ia their various de-
| paFtments. 30 that here Is IN round
numbers q thousand men and boys
| for the softer sex has fortunately kept
| com parafiyeiy clear Of night work,
and though plenty OF women ind en-
piovEHent in various WAYS 81
printing. il IS rare indeed
1 that one can be found con-
necfea with the morning newspaper--
at least IN such way that the burn
ing of the midnight oil Is demanded
| Ia many cases, too; there i net de-
naanded Of the man who earns his lly-
ing on any OF the papers strict night
| work The afternoons and evenings
are taken up BY editors and reporters.
| but long before midnight the majority
have completed their iabors. Still
there is renaaing BIZ far the greater
proportion OF the employees who are
on duty into the early morning hours.
The most numerous OF these, OF
course. are the printers.
THE PRINTERS WAYS.
Odd people are some Of these print
ers. and fun of fancies, but as rule
sober, quiet. decent members of So
eiety. The time has gone by when to
he a priuter il was also necessary to be
Thoroughly familiar with the various
brands OF liquor at the all-night sa-
looms or 10 put in the day at the poker
table after a night at the ease" The
bum printer has no place in Chicago
Offices Today. There has been a
revolution, and without any cru
SADIE temperance reform has swept
away such OF the old timbers as had
not succumbed tn ear lier excuses, and
| il is so well recognized that sobriety Is
essential to securing and holding situa-
| tons that few nowadays venture 10
| overstep the bonds. But, as stated,
there are odd characters here and
there among them. Snperstitious in
a degree are some. Their dreams are
| fun OF meaning, and they pin their
faith so firmly To these visions OF
sleep that many dollar has gone
| to the policy or lottery shop on the
strength of certain numbers that had
passed through their minds in the
midst of their slumbers. To "specu-
| late" is a ruling passion with some.
and, while there i little fascination in
cards or dice, the printers own game,
known as '.jefiing,n and which is
simply not to be explained to the out
side world, has in times past had its
adherents by hundreds, and though
now tabooed in all well regulated
offices il still talked of lineeringiy and
low civ by its former devotecs.
Next 10 the printers the bakers form
perhaps the most numerous class of
all night workers. There are in Chi
eago about 200 Of those who are en-
ployed in the night time. Picturesque
figures they make, too, covered with
-four ,white-aproned and white-capped,
and with look about them--despite
their late hours of labor-which
speaks well for the healfhful nature of
their calling and their regular habits
out OF service. Ii i strongly marked
fact that there has been a revolution
In the ways of the bakers
as well as the followers of
other occupations. and that the
moral standani has been elevated in
recent years. The men are sober, in
duss ri0us an., as n rule, saving; they
look after the welfare OF one another
in sickness. and have an insurance
system and burial fund. which furnish
relief for widows and orphans Their
hours are somewhat lengthy, but are
in reality much shorter than demanded
of dav workers, while the pay is better
In fact. It might be stated here that
the average day" OF ail-night workers
does not exceed eight hours, and that
the compensation is more than pro-
, portionately increased.
THE TELEGRAPH OPERATOR.
At the Western Union and Postal
telegraph offices there are large forces
employed st night in both instances
Taking advantage of the half-rate
thousands of dollars worth Of BUSINESS
pours over the counters after 6 O'Clock
in the evening. The great volume of
dispatches handled for the morning
new Spapers, too. require many intelli-
gent and fast operators. There are
about 80 night operators in Chi
csgo. The majority are young men,
but some are gray-haired veterans
whose years of service at the KEY
ought e demand their retirement on
pension roll--something not vet es-
tablished, by the way. There is a fas-
nation IN pounding the key or tran
serih.t-..e la c..~aangs 20 paper when
! the world is sleeping that exerts 80
potent an influence that these veterans,
cannot break away from il. II have
tried day jobs half dozen times, said
one. bat ! couldn't aceustom myself
10 the increased whiT and rattle
and activity, so ! always drifted back
TO the old way | have grown up in
that wav. ! was night messenger
how in New York years ago. and have
held down night sits almost cor thu
ouSly since that time. so that it isn't
20 be wondered at that love the dark
ness. and not because my deeds are
evil. either.
The hours of the night telegrapher
are short, Seven and a half hours
labor winds him up, and all work after
/ that j. paid for az an extra rate.
The "cabhies" are also a numerous
class. There are hundred or more
who have stands scattered around
I 49, Al