Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-24
LISTS OF FOLKS NAMES
How the Directory Of Washington is
Got Together.
FACTS THAT ARE REFUSED.
Some Very Funny Things+The Canvassers on
Their Walks ADMINISTRATIONS They Ask
What They Do in Recalcitrant Cases-Fight-
ing an Opposition Directory.

EEw PEOPLE HAVE ANY NOTION OF
Il the complicated system by which direc-
tory is made" said Mr.. Boyd, publisher of the
Washington Directory, to writer for The STAR.
1--WE publish forty-two out of the 800 directo-
ries printed in the United States. Among them
are the Jersey City Directory, the Paterson
On. j. Directory. the New York State Business
Directory. the Syracuse Directory, the Oswego
Directory. the Binghamton Directory. the Har-
risburg Directory, the Reading pa. Directory,
the williamsport Directory, the Philadelphia
Business Directory. the Philadelphia Elite Di-
rectory and the Washington Elite Directory.
will simply attempt to give you a notion of
the manner in which a Washington Directory
is compiled.
ITO begin with, the city of Washington is
laid out upon map into districts, each Of
which is to be covered by canvasser. For
canvassers we advertise when we are ready TO
begin annual work. Out of the applicants,
about twenty of whom are usually old hands,
we select eighty, and these we form into two
classes of forty each, for instruction in the
business of procuring i'll proper shape the in
formation required. They are told, in the first
place. that they must exercise the wisest
courtesy in dealing with the people, and they
are taught the best way to put the questions
necessary. who lives in this house, the can
vasser must ask. What is his full name?
What his business" business address, if you
pieaseg Name of the firm he is with if member
of the frm?' Has he any sons| What are
their names, their business and their business
address? DO any widow ladies reside here?
What were the names of their husbands
1.-The canvassers carefully taught with
the aid of a blackboard, all these points to be
elected, and after six days instruction each
man who shows himself capable is ready to
tackle the section allotted to him and cover it.
He Is not recognized by name, but Is given a
number. Suppose that his number Is 20. He
starts out to do section % with pen and ink
and little block of long slips fastened together
at one end. In the first house he comes to he
learns that John W. Smith resides; also that
Mr.. Smith is a coal dealer at 100 b street. So
his first slip when made out reads:
"'John W. Smith, No. 1888 Z street NV. Coal
No. 100 street.
1.-The same process is repeated with every
house he comes to. If there is vacant lot
note is made of the interval of numbers which
it represents. Surprising that a house liz va
cant it is noted as empty. The slips for vacant
houses are sent around to the real estate agents
having the houses in charge and they are asked
for information as to whether any tenants are
about to occupy the dwellings. If nothing
definite be learned i'll this way wait
until the last possible moment to give the
houses every chance to be TAKEN 80 that we
can record the occupants.
COVERING THE CITY.
''SiXty canvassers, each covering his own as
signed district, can cover the city pretty rap
idly, you see. They bring in their books of
Slips representing their days work, at about 5
o clock each afternoon. The batch brought in
one afternoon is always examined in the Office
during the following day. Necessarily, it will
not be complete in all respects as to the ground
it covers Some of the houses visited will have
been found vacant. while i'll some the people
will not be found at home. In the former case
the real estate agents are applied to at once,
while in the latter the canvasser is obliged to
go the very first thing the next morning and
try to find the occupants in. On the third
day-that Is, the day after examination has
been made-the slips are assorted in pigeon
holed boxes, the AS being placed by them
selves, the BIS by themselves and SO Each
afternoon, you understand, the batch of slips
for the day is handed in, examination coming
the next day and sorting the third day.
"After being sorted, according to the man.
ner l have described, for the first letter in the
alphabet, the slips are again taken in hand and
sorted in pigeon holes for the first two letters
that is, the ABS, the Ac's, and SO on. Next,
they are sorted for three letters-the Abc's. the
Adds, &c.-and again and again to the fifth
letter and beyond. After this the slips are done
up in packages for each letter. One. for ex-
ample, will be marked N and will contain all
the names under that letter SO far started in
alphabetical order. OF course, more Ms from
all parts of the city are continually coming in,
and as they do so they are inserted in their
proper places, after sorting in the N package.
When the package becomes too bulky, a second
package lis begun, and SO on, labeled N L. N
q &c.
FINAL SORTING.
Snow at last the slips are ready for what is
called the final sorting which must be done
by men of the utmost skill in the business.
They 60 over the packages and their work.
though SO difficult, Is simply to arrange all the
slips with unerring alphabetical accuracy, for
the alphabetical arrangement of q directory
must be absolutely perfect, else it is no good.
Finally, the strips thus arranged are pasted in
order upon long strips OF paper and are given
to the printer in proper lengths for compost
tors takes We keep all the takes made up
in this way one year for reference. That pile over
there on these shelves represents the canvass
for the Washington Directory of 1891. 1t is in
sured for "a 900. If ten of these takes should
be burned before the publication Of our direc-
tory we should be obliged to make entirely
new canvass of the city. because. You see the
names on each take, being merely arranged
alphabetically, come from all parts of the
town. With thirty-fve slips in a take there
might be names from every district into which
we have divided the capital. BY the way, let
me say that special type is used for directory
work. We employ printer to make directory,
but we have to furnish our own type.
BUSINESS AND WIDOWS.
I'VE canvass the business offices as we'll as
the dwellings, and in this way, getting two
shops for each man, we establish a connection
and make sure of more accurate and COM
\ plete result. About widows we are more care
| full here in Washington than in directory max
| ing anywhere else. There is more than one
reason for this. More widows with business
| occupations arc to be found in Washington
than anywhere else in the world. They are
| largely to be found in the departments. and it
: Is of use to the government to know where the
reliets of old soldiers and other persons who
have served the state are located. CUES tons of
pensions may be concerned. or what not. 1t
| would astonish you to know how many people
lost to the view of their relatives or of lawyers
! anxious to tell them of something to their adj
! vantage are traced through the agency of the
directory men. We were called upon only the
| other day TO find ont what had become of u
| woman to whom some property belonged in a
western city. Though she had moved several
times and married since We traced her to a
little store. over which she dwelt in Southeast
Washington. Her inquiring relative came in
here one day last week and said: What can
do for you? You have found our cousin and
she will secure the property which is hers
One dollar. please. replied. That is our
charge for the service
We are continually being called upon to
| trace people for some useful purpose. Here
| ar ii the directories in the United States on
| oV shelves, and We are often able to accom-
pliSh much. Lawyers come to us constantly
for information which will enable them TO fol-
low up lost individuals, fortunes being not in
| frequently at stake. People ask of us where