Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-26

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ly results in many
injuries and consequent claims for q flnan-
cial healing balm. But with this one ex-
ception the telegraph companies pay out
as much money for damages any other
corporation in existence. The unique fea-
ture of the payment of damages by the
telegraph companies lies in the fact that
while they allow damages, when the
amount is not too large, they very seldom
pay them out of their own treasures. The
employees that are responsible for the mis-
takes that lead up to the claims for DAM
ages pay the amount out Of their salaries,
and in this respect the telegraph corpora
tons possess an envious monopoly, from
stockholders point Of view.
Other corporations are prevented from
following the example of the telegraph
companies because of the difference in the
salaries paid, the difficulty of placing the
responsibility, and the larger damages al
lowed in lump sums. While the aggregate
amount paid out by the telegraph COM
panies is very large, the majority of claims
will average from one to five hundred dol
lars. After the telegraph companies have
located the authors of the mistakes they
are given the opportunity Of paying the
claims off in inStallmentS, say, at the rate
of ten dollars per month, or of quitting the
company's employ. If the employees con-
sent to the first proposition the companies
pay the bill, and keep tab on the ten-dollar
allotmentS until the accounts have been
wiped out In the case of railroad en-
ploye the damages may be up in the thous-
ands and sooner than be under this heavy
load of Indebtedness he quits the company
nd n har
operator cannot very well do this on &C
count Of only two companies being in the
field, and consequently stands the squeeze.
An Operators Mistake.
To cite case in PORT. A firm dealing in
Christmas novelties was approached for q
bid on 900 candy boxes of peculiar make.
This was month before the holidays. and
the boxes were to be used at Sunday
school celebration. The firms bid was sat-
isfactory and it telegraphed to the manu-
facturers in Boston. the only firm in the
trade that made this peculiar box. The
telegram read:
ship one thousand brick candy boxes at
once"
Tho firms manager took q letter press
copy of the telegram Time went on and
nothing was heard Of the order. The Sun
day school people became nervous at the
delay, and the firm, thinking its Boston
friends were out OF the boxes finally gave
mas an Adams Express messenger brought
to the firm a package containing 100 brick
boxes. When the firms manager saw what
the package was made up of he refused to
receive it, Then the express company tele-
graphed particulars to Boston. and the
firm in that city wrote a scorching letter,
denouncing the local firm and threatening
da IMAGES.
A hasty trip was made to the telegraph
office and the original message scanned. 1t
was all right. A copy of the telegram as
received in Boston was forwarded. and it
was found to read:
Send one hundred brick candy boxes by
express"
The Boston firm was also sent a copy of
looked to the telegraph company for re-
dress, as did also the local firm for the loss
of the sale. How such mistake could
have occurred Is mystery to a telegraph
the business will understand that the pro-
Ito copy behind no doubt was the
cause. The damages in the case in question
amounted to something like $500, and an
operator in New York city was held re-
sponsible. An assessment OF $40 a month
was levied, and 1t goes without saying that
that operator will do no more copying be-
hind.
At Least Once Anyway.
The writer recalls similar case, In
which he figured as the victim. A young
operator considers 1t a great feat to copy
behind" and being new in the business,
speaking, had worked him
self down to such a fine point that as high
as twenty words. and sometimes whole
message, would be of the wires before he
would begin to put it on paper. Then came
the fatal "once too often" A broker or
dered five thousand bags OF coffee sold at
q certain figure. When the message
stead Of SELL" and the responsibility was
finally placed, after much "ducking." upon
the writer, the damage resulting from the
mistake being placed at $3.50, the broker
losing on each bag of coffee a fraction
Of cent. Had the message been sent at
a time when the market was active the
loss could just as easily have been away
up In the thousands. When an operator is
mess for him to try and place the blame
on the operator at the other end of the
line. This Is called ducking.
It is q well-known fact that hardly one
age. but has gone through the experience
Of making a mistake. Some are lucky, and
get off with a reprimand, while others will
run into financial loss. The earlier this
better 1t will be for him, as it reduces to a
normal state a popular disease known as
the "swelled head" Cases are cited to Illus
trate that the making Of mistakes has re-
suited in real benefits to the apparently |
operator, inasmuch as after |
the damages have been decided upon the |
salary OF the sponsor for the mistake has
been raised sufficiently for him to meet
he obligation without any considerable |
Little acts like these in |
stead of taking the heart out OF man of |
lender years, will nerve him for better /
work in the future.
One Of DE-. Green's Ideas.
In conversation with an official connected |
With one Of the local telegraph offices the /
natter OF damages and mistakes was
preached. The official saidi
1.-The unique way the telegraph compa-
lies have Of settling the claims for dam
lges resulting from mistakes OF employees,
believe, originated in the fertile brain of
he late DE-. Norvin Green, who was pres
dent OF the Western Union Company at |
he time OF his death. He believed in CIV
ng an employee a chance to redeem him.
elf. and in this way the plan of the en-
,loyes footing the bills for their own mis-
axes came about. was q younsster in