Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-17

Some Central Girls i,ave BuzzIugs In the
Ear, and Some Are Made Deaf.

Several girls employed In tho central
telephone Office In San Francisco were
stricken down n few yenrs ago with a dis
ease Of the car, which, for want OF bet
ter name, was called telephone ear by
a prominent aurist who studied their trou-
bic. The allment was tho result OF the
constant strain on the car caused by keep
ing n receiver fastened 10 1t for eight or
nine hours n day. Buzzlng In the ear and
severe headaches were tho first symptoms,
and in soma cases severe assesses formed
on the drum of tho car, and operations
were necessary, Tho disease became so
prevalent that girls who had not been
afflicted quit work rather than run tho
risk OF contracting the disorder, and it
was not stamped out until the telephone
company let Inc girls tako AN hours rec
reation after every two or three hours OF
work.
A business man who has seven tele-
phones in his office In this city told re-
porter that no has considerable trouble in
getting prompt answers from the central
girls when he rings them up during the
day.
az don't quite understand 1t, he said,
because L have made complaints about
II and have been informed that the girls
on my wires nro among tho oldest and
most faithful employees OF tho telephone
company When have been ringing tho
bell for several minutes without receiving
any reply, and tho girl suddenly answers
me, and nsk her why she didn't answer
before, she invariably replies that didn't
ring before.
But have been ringing for five min
utes, said to a Girl ono day.
oh, that's impossible, she said, be-
cause | haven't had the receiver away
from my ear onco In an hour and half
II nm inclined TO believe that the girl
had been telling me tho TRUTH for tho
thing has happened dozen times with
this same girl, and she certainly would
not flb to mo with such frequency. She
must DO suffering with some car trouble,
else she Is really deaf, although that seems
impossible, because she hears me all right
after we once get started.
The reporter spoke to one Of the head
mon OF the Metropolitan Telephone com
pany nbout tho matter. Tho manager said
1t was truo that many OF tho central girls
suffered from ear troubles as result Of
the constant strain on that organ caused
by keeping a receiver fastened to it hours
at time
81 have heard of this disease which
they call telephone car " he said, "and,
while 1t has boon very prevalent In tho
west and girls hayo absolutely lost their
hearing from IT, am told, we hnvo not
had much of it here, because we have
taken every precnutlon against It. The
girls sometimes become III from tho strain
and are obliged TO 60 home, but in almost
all cases they have recovered in day or
so and come back to work. Some find
that they cannot do the work, and SO we
have to dispense with their services But,
as l said, we take every precaution to
prevent tho trouble becoming prevalent.
Tho girls have tino to rest their cars, and
every Improvement that has been invented
has been put in uso Immediately to lessen
the strain ON tho girls. Many suffer from
buzzing sounds In thoir ears, aud some
times girls faint at their tables but, us /
said, we do all VIC can to prevent 1t. d"
A telephone girl said to tho reporter:
- have known half dozen girls to bo
stricken deaf from working at the tee.
phone table, whilo | have known dozens
who have dOno the work for years and
never suffered anything from 1t. Most Of
us have awful huZzing sounds in tho ears
for hours after We leave work, while we
also snher from severe headaches, l have
been stricken temporarily deaf while the
receiver was at my car time ind again and
have had numerous complaints made
against me by subscribers, who accused
me OF inattention 1t is unjust to com
plain, but thcn suppose they do it be-
cause they don't know tho facts The
girls arc always anxious to be prompt,
nnd subscriber can rest assured that
when no does not get an Immediate reply
TO his ringing IL is because the central girl
Is temporarily deaf New York Sun.