Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-01-08
STORIES OF THE Town
SOME PHASES OF LIFE IN A BUSTLING MOD
ERN CITY.
Interesting Stories, Expressions Of Opinion, Crit
cisms and Variations Of Experience
Caught by "Rsgistsr" Reporters.

"a good many people imagine
banker or bank cashier lives life OF
leisure and luxurious ease" said a gen.
tleman in charge OF very prominent
city bank, "but the reverse is the case.
l can scarcely imagine a position In
volvlng more of worry, responsibility
and hard work than being q bank
cashier. Strange as it may seem,
good portion Of the community, taking
their cue from the fact that bank
don't open it's doors until nine o'clock
and closes them at three, imagines that
six hours a day constitutes all the
work devolving upon bankers and
clerks, and that they have a remark
ably easy time OF it, with short
hours and fat salaries. The re-
verse IS true. Many an employe
OF a bank will average his ten hours
day right along, and very laoorious
work 10 is. Salaries are not large, ex-
cept, once In while to cashier who
is a man of large experience and largely
interested in the bank, and the respon-
sibilities upon all-even the oookkeepers
are great. They are particularly
ouerous in the case of the cashier, who
often has million or more or money
under his general charge and supervls-
ion, who has to meet intricate financial
questions, involving large sums, almost
daily, and who never goes 10 sleep
at night absolutely Sure-mind,
/ say absolutely sure - that
things are as they ought
to be at the bank. Time and again /
have gone home, after a hard days
work, and gone to bed, only to be
haunted by some ill-defned fear that
there was something wrong, and upon
dozens OF occasions l have tossed about
until, at two or three o'clock in the
morning, l have gotten up, dressed, and
gone to the bank to assure myself that
everything was safe. 1t looks all right
to stand out in the street and see
bank employe handling large sums OF
cash in seemingly careless manner,
but don't be cashier If you can get
another job-unless you want your hair
to turn gray prematurely."
"Talk about queer stories and strange
experiences, l can tell you one OF
well-known Wheeling man." said a gen
tleman. Its absolutely true, too. Or
course, It won't do to mention names,
but I'll vouch for the facts. A gentle
man whom know well, and whom you
know, too, for that matter, was some
what addicted to intemperance, years
ago, and he spent great deal OF money
in that and kindred ways, and finally
his business began to feel the drain.
He was in the habit OF putting
large sums of cash in his pocket
when he started out on a tear,
and have known him to be as full as
A tick with two thousand dollars in
bills in his pocket Well, he once went
on one OF these periodicals with big roll
and sometime during his drunk he de-
posted quite a large sum in bank 9TH
err than where he kept his business ac-
count. He continued his drunk for sew
eral days, sobered up, and went BACK
to business without remembering any
thing about the deposit. He knew he
had placed large amount OF cash In MS
clothes week or so before, and as
he could not account for it, he sup
posed he had been robbed. 1t was
about all his available assets, and ruin
stared him In the face. He tried to
tide over his business embarrassments,
but could not, and went to the wall. In
a short time, having no means what
euer, he and his family were in want,
and still there was no knowledge or re-
collection OF the deposit. Finally a
friend said to him, -, did You ever
deposit any money in bank| No, he
never had. well, let's see;' and the
Two proceeded to make enquiries, the
business man protesting that he hadn't
a cent in the world. The friend made
the rounds, and finally the deposit was
unearthed. The result was that that
man was set on his feet again, and is
now doing well, in small way"
"With all the building in progress or
projected in Wheeling, one great big
want remains unified" said gentle
man. what is that?' asked reporter.
AN apartment house, in the business
portion OF the city, or close TO it, capa-
bic of affording small suites Of rooms for
both families and single gentlemen.
Such building would pay, and pay
well. Every few days some one Is
making enquiries for two or three
rooms, or single room, in the centre
of the city, and can't get them. Many
a married couple would jump at a
chance to rent from two to four
rooms say between Tenth street and
the creek, and Eoff and Water
streets, at a modest rent, but they can't
get the quarters, and they are forced to
90 to the Island or some other quarter
of the city, remote from the one they
desire and re ut q house. a building al
vided into single rooms and suites OF
from two to four, with elevator, baths,
etc, and large enough to admit OF con-
siderable number Of tenants at a moder-
ate rent, would pay in this town. III
portion OF II, above the first floor, was
arranked for the serving of meals to the
occu pants-a sort of combination of
boarding house, hotel and apartment
house-it would pay better, and supply
a long felt want. That the sort of build
ing Wheeling wants, and wants 1t bad"
'The sooner the city throws away the
present ladder truck and gets an aeriel
truck the BETTER" said fireman yester-
day. Every time there is big fire
the utter uselessness of the present
truck is illustrated, and it's only Ques-
ton Of time until serious loss OF life re-
suits from it. As first purchased, the
ladders were too big for the house, and
too heavy to be lifted into place. They
were cut down and changed until they
are too short for the tall buildings rap
= ho,-