The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-15

II Besxs she Pen ssr ks<eivinx ISL
exrn7h nsaa n LAw Cases.
SCR xok sun.
A very Eis1esrTead and increasing
use Of the tyr.ewriting machine IL for
The reception Of t<iexrzphic de-
syatches. This method Is peculiarly
adapted 70 the reception of dispatches
for The press. Formerly the dnpsics-
tson wss dome BY the siew process OF
the styizs, worked by the hard and
the Tee o. tfle carbon papey. II was
disHcxsit for the receiving operator TO
keep up with the rapid sender OF q
message Bat nov al expert type
writer takes messages as fast ~ they
can he sent. and duplicates them at
the same Time making - or more
Irxibse copies fassex than rapid long
hand writer coald make one 0niy .
very expert typewriter and telegraph
~. combined. ean do this work. and
ii commands the highest salary paid
10 operatives
Typewriften work has become al
meet the rule for legal documents, aud
i row universally adopted where long
reports are necessary in big trials
tisa; 20 on frona day 10 car. Ii OBJ
fection i made that the carbon copy
is only a pencil copy, which, IN fact, il
is. there can be copies made BY the use
of an ink ribbon in the machine. The
old-fasIsioned way of getting out
copies was a segere strain on court
reporters, who were compelled fo re-
wise and correct q vast amount Of
writing in voinminous case. Now
there are court stenograrhers who
merely sit down and read oTer their
notes 20 rapid typewriters. There are
several ssessographers who dictate 70
two typewriters st once II Is done in
This way. Each typewriter is writing
from one book The gten0grapher
reads one sentence, and while the
writer IS engaged in writing that
sentence out on the typewriter the
sseraographer reads another sentence
from the other book to the other type
writer. Df course, this can only be
done when the stenographer is very
quick In reading his notes. and when
the typewriters. who take the dicta-
Ton. are clear headed enough TO carry
q number Of words In their memories
and not be disturbed by the talk and
chatter. Operators who can do this
command pay far above the pay OF a
public school teacher or seamstress
OF the highest grade. When a heavy
law case or an investigation is in
progress six or eight hours a dag,
there is a good chance for typewriters
TO earn $40 or $i2 day.
There is a still better class Of type
writers. who are able 10 read steno-
graphic notes taken By court reporters.
There are very fex stenographers who
can take notes xith sufficient accuracy
and Iegibiiity to be thus read Yet
there are few. While the case is pro-
ceesiing their notes are taken and
written out, so that il il possible that
by the time the dav's work is done in
court copies of the proceedings may
be ready up 70 within a short time of
the hour OF adjournment There are
several young women in New York
and Brooklyn who are very skilsfui at
this sort OF work. One of them is
Miss Coffin. daughter of the late
Capt Roland F. Coffin. Miss Coffin
reads the minutes taken by Official
stenographers M. Even. 0rmsby and
others, and has for many years sup
ported herself by so doing, She reads
several systems besides Munson's sys-
TEN, which she writes. There are sew
erai ladies whe work with her, and
when they get together they turn out
copy at an amazing rate.
The educated, cleaz-headed girl with
good physique and industry is sure of
better pay al typewriting than in
almost any field heretofore open to
women. The better educated she is
the more likely she is TO get good pay.
But. woe 10 the thoughtless girl who
undertakes typewriting. She has mis-
taken her vocation.
Ii is now well settled that writing
can be done very much quicker by the
typewriting machine than by the hand.
The secret OF it Is that the typewriter
uses both hands instead of one, and
does not tire nearly SO quick. The
demand for typewriting is so great
that there il an obvious tendency of
investors to come in with new mach
ines and get some ofthe golden harvest
that has come out Of this new business.
The competition is much the same as
that among the sewing machine men,
and il has given employment TO many
mechanics.