The Portland daily press., 1896-05-05

man at the point where he left on, walks
down to the desk and Immediately dlsap-
pears from the hall. He has written a
column of the Congressional Record.
The time occupied in doing 1t Is OF
course dependent upon the rapidlty
with which a member or mempers,
speak. 1t varies from about four TO
twelve minutes 1t averages about SIX
| or seven minutes.
| When he leaves the hall he goes down
| stairs to the reporters room ana talks
| off his column of notes to a phonograpn.
Immediately after his typewriter has the
| phonograph talk off the column to him
| so that within twenty minutes after the
| words are spoken in the House they have
been preserved In print, and copies OF
them are furnished to such members OF
| the House as desire.
| Before the first reporter takes another
| column of notes, the other four take each
a column, which occupies period OF
from 25 minutes upward to possibly 40
or 90. So that each reporter is engaged
in actural reporting work but an average
| of between one and two hours of time
| a day, except when there is an evening
session; for the business of the House be-
gins at ~ m and closes between 5 and
up; N.
certainly not Eworth the compensation
of $4,000 per session, which would be at
the rate of about $14 an hour for the &C.
| t1al work of reporting; allowing seven
months for session. 26 days for month,
and two hours of work day.
| Sometimes it is easy enough. 1t was
as easy as rolling off log on Thursday
afternoon of this week. Judge Burton,
of Missouri. spoke for along time on the
bankruptcy bill, with only occasional
brief interruption. He is one OF the
| slowest, most deliberate, most forclble
and distinct speakers in this, or any other
country. There were very few members
in the House, so that there was plenty
of opportunity for the reporter to sit
down in an empty chair near by and take
1t easy. 1t must have been mers ch1ld's
play for those skilled men.
At the beginning of the speech the first
reporter was occupied for 12 minutes In
1 taking enough notes to make column
of the Congressional Record; the next
reporter was occupied for 10 minutes;
the next, 10; and the next ~. The
| Judge gradually got warmed up, you see,
and was more rapid in utterance. There
fore from the time the first reporter
stopped work till he began again Was
about 40 minutes OF course only about
10 minutes of this was occupied in talk
ing OFT the column to the monograph.
| This is very easy, but 1t is excep-
tional. Any stenographer could do that
But contrast it with time of heated
debate and flashes of colloquy and repair
tee, when members are jumping up and
shouting all over the House, and all the
mem bers, or most of them, are present
| and are walking around and talking and
| laughing and making perfect Bedlam
of uproar. At such times there are very
few in this country who can report the
| proceedings of the House. Not only is
the utmost skill and rapidity IN the use
OF short hand demanded. but the report
er must know the name and face and
State of every member of the House and
he must also know the voice, in many
| instances, so that when man jumps up
and shouts something in distant cor
ner of the hall he must not escape the
ear, if he does the eye.
AT such times the spectator who is OBJ
serving the reporters wonders how 1T is
possible for any man to secure accurately
every word that is uttered. Yet they do
it, as the Congressional Record shows.
Some idea of the great strain of the work
at such times may be gained from an in
cldent Of the 51st Congress, when Speaker
Heed was enforcing his quorum rules.
and the sound of angry uproar and vocif-
erous debate was heard around the whole
civilized world. At that time John II.
| White had to give up work for a while
| because the strain LEAD induced danger
Gus attack of nervous prostration. He
engaged to take his place the most skill
Jul court stenographer that no knew OF
in the country and paid him 500 q
week. When finally relieved by Mr..
White, after a few weeks, this man made
the following statement: 81 wouldn't
\ report the proceedings of the House OF
Representatives again il they'd give me
the United States Treasury"
Three of the reporters, Brown, Welch
and irland, use u pen and ink. They
have curious little ink-well, curiously
carved. 1t is shaped like an earthern
water jar, and is nearly three inches
long, aud about an inch and half in
diameter. 1t is provided with funnel
inside, go that by no possibility can the
ink be spilled out. A little loop is at
taohed to the neck. Through this LOOP
the left forefnger is thrust and thus the
little bottle is held very firmly between
that finger and the thumb and close to
the palm. In the ends of the finger and
thum b the note book is held AS the
writing progresses it is necessary to con-
stantly push the page up. for in this con-
strained position it is possible to make
good notes in space only about three
lines wide. When the bottom Of the
page has been pushed up to that point
the page is turned over with lightning
rapidity by tho left forefnger. An ordi-
nary court reporter would have TO prac-
tice for months before he could make in
: telligible notes under such circum
stances.
Mr.. Devine uses, a pencil. and Mr..
White photographic pen. The trouble
; with these pens for stenographers is that
| they are liable to give out at any time,
although Mr.. White has used his for ter
} years and it has never failed him. Never
theless he always has sharpened pencil
in his pocket in case of emergency.
: A court stenographer, of course. car
l stop the proceedings of the court for {
minute or two, if anything happens tt
!; his pan. But the House Of Representa-
tives is very different place. Some
? times not even the Speaker can stop pro
oeedings there even for second.
Dat of their $4,000, the reporters hnv,
to pay for the services of their typewrit
ing clerk. They pay him dollar a col
umn of the Record. 1t averages S.
day, though sometimes it has gone up t,
$14. 1t may amount in the neighborhoo,
of $1,000 for long session; but usually
the House votes the reporters anothe
thousand apiece if the session is unusual
ly long. E. Fl. Il.
The Alaska Gold Fields.
Seattle, Wash, May 4.-The steame