The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-04-05
A COURT sTENoGRAPuER.
Ho Tells orthe Duties Of His Office. DAM
uped Suit rs II Basis.

attention OF the court longer than has
any case during the past tour years. Ihe
case although not equalling some IN point
OF the number OF Witnesses examined ex
ceeded any in the volume OF testimony
heard. This work covered l2OG pages OF
legal cap paper. and the fact OF Court
Stenographer Hcrdesty. having this mass
OF testimony In printed form, and in the
hands OF the Interested attorneys on Tie
day OF the argument. led iEruBIcAN
reporter few days ago to approach the
efficient stenographer ou the subjoot
Said |, during the trial Of the case OF
Huber Va. the Jackson X sharp Company,
which lasted two weoke, it was matter
of curiosity in the minds OF many as to
how it was possible to furnish daily
COPY of every word OF that great mass OF
testimony. Will you be kind enough to
toll me how this task WAS Accomplished
"Uertainl., will be glad to do 30. The
record for several days averaged torty
pages per hour. len roains or i've thous'
and sheets Of testimony paper. and three
hundred carbon sheets were used in max
Ing transcripts.
But to answer your question
more directly. the task OF furnishing
daily transcripts OF all the evidence taken
was accom- plisned by employing an eK-
pert stenographer to assist In taking notes
ia the court room. Durlnk the day also
had two amanuensis to whom l would
dictate notes while my assistant was TAX.
Ing testimony. and would also employ
tue noon recess In the same manner. At
the afternoon session l would go In i'm
medlately for the first take oil about two
hours; In the meantime my expert assis.
taut was debating 10 rapid typewriter
operator, and the two aInanuensis were
transcIibing thu notes which had given
them during the morning.
about four O'Clock | would be relieved
by my assistaht and would again dictate
to the amanusnsls until five o'clock, whom
"a third stsno1rap phsr and typewriter oper-
ator came into the Office and took an hours
dictation. So that while | was at supper
three typewriters were grinding out the
work Of the day at very rapid rate. In
the evening at seven O'Clock still another
stenographer appeared upon the scene,
aud to him gave II half hour or an hours
dictation. By this time some OF the other
three would have all OF their notes tran.
scribsd and would take another turn.
Thus IL went on until ali OF my notes had
been dedicated. which would generally be
Accomplished by about eleven O'CLOCK at
night.
finished. rapid reader then began read.
Ing COPY back to me. for comparison with
my notes. In order to guard againet any
errors that may have been made In the
necessarily hasty manner in which this
work must be done. My assistant pur-
suei the same plan with the notes which
he had taken. The work was PACED as 1t
was com jared, the witnesses carefully in
dexed, which index was placed after the
last page of the days record, when the
record was ready for delivery"
6'I noticed that you handled tie work
alone for several days. How was that
done?
Yes; was without assistance In tho
court room OIL Thursday and Friday OF
the first week anu the same two days or
the second week but MS the court ad iUurn-
ed over from Friday until Monday on
both oecusiona. | had the advantage Of
Saturday to work oil the accumulation OF
notes. This was accomplished by the aid
OF four amanuensls, all heing good type
writer operators. On the last two days
referred to- there was such a mass Of
testimony that we were obliged to work
ali of one night and until eight O'Clock In
the morning to catch up with It,.
rs not tho strain oil such work some.
thing tsrrilicy'
'lt Is: you could not well imagine a
greater strain that could 10 put upon a
man. Every faculty 10 kept AZ O tanslon-
the ear and the oye must bo on tho alert.
the nervous system wrought up to n high
pitch ami the fingers swift and nlmblo to
convoy tho pattering words to the page.
But greater strain II possible than this
Is the anxiety felt by one who i5 RESPONSE.
bic for the correctness oil the work turned
out. hence the caro- exercised to guafd
against error. For even II In record of
25O. 600 words-allhought taken ns 1t is at
the rate frequently OF two hundred words
Der minuts--ihere should be Uncovered
ono mistake OF Importance. the fact that
the other 2I9. 9D9 words were correctly 70.
ported would not weigh as against that
one error
WHAT class OF reporting do you find
the most diillcultr
'"Ihe most difficult piece OF reporting,
/ think Is to make an lnteligible record
whera blue print OF plan Ia being used
In n atKtit1 1aVi .,,tA
nes7. or where a model or II machine Is be.
ing explained mi its various parts poin t..
cd out. Instead CJgiving the name OF the
part refelied TO- the witness. unless con-
stantly prom pted by counsel, Will most
likely speak OF II as this" and that" or
II indicating the location OF certain artl.
Giles iu O room or plan, will say the
maGhine stool here" or 'Tbe man was
there"
while those answers arc perfectly In.
telligibe with the object before ono. yet
when reduced to cold type ana standing
alone, they mean absolutely nothing. It
therefore becomes necessary In such cases
for he Eteuogrnphei 10 watch the witness
at the Same time lie is taking notes, and
net only TO write down the questions anu
answers. but also to represent by a series
OF word pictures and positions or objects
To which the witness refers. Reference
to the record In the Huber case will show
how frequently 1t became necessary to do
This in that chse; as the universal wood.
working machine. The blus print of the
premises and the ramp upon which Huber
was wording al the time OF the accident,
were constantly referred to, throughout
the trial"
(which OF the attorneys engaged In
the trial OF that case did you lind the
II ost rapid In their examination OF wit.
nesBesY
"Alr Gray think, was the most rapid
In ross.oXumlnation out he had good
second In Mr. Bates, Although Mr.. Gray |
piled tho witnesses examined by him with |
questions so rapidly that they frequently |
oyerlapped the answers. yet rs has ques. |
ttons we're short and clear. 1t was not
qiilicult to report him. Mr. IIiggns.
While not quite so rapid aa Mr.. Giay wac
more difficult to report, because hls ques- |
tions were longer and more complicated.
Mir. Birti. with his very emphatic and
clear style. is one OF tho easiest men to |
report now prHGtcing at the bar of this |
State. !
''Ihen it is not nlways the rapid takers
that are the hardest to report" |
BY 10 meaus. 1t Is AS much matter |
OF style as 1t ID question Of rapidity.
For as every thought expressed by the
speaker should be Gomptaheudeu by tho |
sl orLhand reporter as II Is placed upon
paper, II lle fails to catch the sense of tho /
thought, from its involved style, no be- /
comes more Or less confused; lts speed 10
retarded. becausa there Is un.
causing him to heSltnle before |
TO paper that which appears
to be without sense ar connection II hs
docs write II blndiy without rega rd of /
sense he then ls hampered bJ the im.
preston hat he has written something
which may give him trouble To trans.
cribe
How many systems Of shorthand are
thrre9'
''Something over one hundIed.r
Are those tHat employ tho shortest out.
lines the best or most rrpiuF
Not necessarily. hupl1lty OF exeeu.
lion depends rs much upon Hu equul d.
vision of tins work between the brain and
he hand as IL does upon the hreyiLy OF