St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-09-06
THE TRAMP TElEGRAPHER.
His Wander, ngs all ov

&AiS Wv 2A1SA AAE &Aa SFSs VIZ &,ShAIA
One of the most striking features cor
nected with the telegraph business is tn
extraordinary propensity of the averag
operator for changing about from office t
Office, and roaming from town to Town al
over the country A few years ago tn
Geographic profession was almost entirel
composed of persons 'having no fxe'
abode" and who came, quite properly
under the classified ion of tramps, although
perhaps only in the sense of being nonadi
in their habits. But now. as rule, in tn
East, operators have settled down t.
become solid citizens.
In the West, however, the operator ha
altered but very little in character ant
habits, and is still q tramp, ever on tn,
move from place to place, with valyine
fortunes and more varied experiences
He usually samples all localities, and will
on short notice, and often with no notice
at all, pack his grip, should he be so for.
tunate as to possess one, or have any
and depart for parts unknown auo
uncared. 1t is not an uncommon thing fol
the personnel of the staff of such offices as
Omaha. Ogden, Galveston, Deming and
other large telegraphic points in the South
and West to be completely changed in the
course of few weeks. St. Louis Chica
20, New Orleans and other large offices
have a dozen changes every month OF so,
while on the Western railroads it would
be almost impossible to keep a complete
record of the changes that occur in year.
To be a successful tramp, man must
combine experience in the two entirely
different departments of the business,
railroad and commercial telegraphy, and
be equal to any emergency, and the aver
age Western tourist usually does possess
sufficient general knowledge to enable
him to hold down anything that comes
along, at least temporarily and until he
can get out of town creditablY. The
tramp's experiences cover the entire
fields, and one week he will be filing q
place as FOWL" (niglt operator) at some
prairie side-track, and the next copying
Geographic reports for a city paper. At
the smaller railroad stations his skill in
handling the harnessed thunderbolts of
Jove is usually a secondary consideration
to his ability as express agent, ticket
seller, station agent, and baggage smash
or. and he occasionally has to perform
such mental duties as cleaning switch
lamps, handling miscellaneous freight,
and acting as general utility man. But
plates of this kind. though q1i,e numer
GUS, are not often accepted by the average
tourist.
At this time of the ear there is always
large number of operators ION the road"
travelling from point to point, "subbing"
here for u man on leave for a month, and
there for one sick for day or two, and
accepting any number of permanent places
To-day he will probably make the fos ty-
first operator who in the course of the year
has been appointed permanently" at
water tank or side track in Western Texas
or Arizona next week be will be holding
down place as night report man In Colo
RADIO or California or Louisiana. Summer
Is the great season for tourist telegraphers, |
but they always deem it advisable to have |
some kind of steady place to tie to for |
the winter. There is an annual migration |
northward in the spring aud southwark at |
the approach of winter, and work is cor.
plentiful or scarce in those
sections in proportion to the exodus. Of |
course the various summer resorts in the
North and winter resorts in the South give
employ mensto number of operators DUR
ing their seasons, and this is another cause
for the migrations. There is usually
great rush for the South in the fall as the
genial climate there helps the needy opera
tor to cut down expenses In the way of
but some few are bound to get
eft in the scramble for places, and there
ire always men hanging around the big
,fices in gauzy suits and linen busters
ooking for chance.
Why operators are given to roaming
srourd the country is mystery. 1t is
not remunerative in financial
IL, II |
If experience 1t may accumulate to man.
There are few operators, even of the stead
est kind, who aI1ass colossal fortunes In
he business, and the tramp Is more often
han not in state of hopeless impecunios-
aging about the rolling stone and the
moss. But the operators are, as rule, the
fellows in the world, and are
lwsys ready to help one another cut In
ny possible way, giving and receiving
UGH assistance as matter of course. A
trictly first class operator can usually get
good place in any part of the country,
ut occasionally the most capable men will
meet with force of circumstances that
Vill give them hard work to keep afoat.
In the course of the year the tramp oper-
tor travels over great deal of territory,
nd travels In q great variety of stylrs
lutte often he travels on pass and owns
he train and the road for the time being,
ut more frequently he beats his way.
'erhaps that is harsh way of putting It,
ecause usually it is done in quite gem
Eel and even stylish way, and the ingen.
rus schemes devised to secure transporta-
on in desirable manner over several
undred miles of country are often worthy
be brain Of most astute diplomat, but {
ill the result is q beat Operators and
,nductors come into contact with each
her great deal in the West and have 1
.terests In common. Usually an operator &
allowed to ride free on the strength of
bod feeling and his letters of record from ]
lilroad or telegraph companies. Ii ride
the parlor car of the limited is not OBJ
Unable the caboose of way freight will
, equally well, and 1t is not often he has
adopt the extreme measure of slowing I
way in box car, or resort to any of the
,pedients in favor with the common SPEC t
. Of tramps. He usually tries the limited t
st, gets aboard and trusts to luck. In
The average operator, tramp or other 7
ise, is at times the most independent of Q
en-. He seems to imbibe in his travels il
uch of the lordly freedom of spirit char g
teristic of the cowboy, and this agrees q
ve Independence often leads to trouble o
ID Is one of tie causes of frequent g
anges In staff of an office. The black n
It was once Q favorite weapon among f
Rnagers with which to punish offenders, a
il that does not bother the victim at all G
W. He simply changes his name and 8.
mes out after while at some distant q
int as o new star. f,
There are, OF course, all sorts and con- n
ions Of telegraph operators, just as Q.
people of other professions, and every II