Evening journal., 1896-08-06
THE SLIP READERS.
ALERT MEN WHO LIVE BY THE, MIS-
FORTUNES OF OTHERS.

Constantly over the Wires.
The policemen of this city hold con-
spicuous place among tho working forces |
of undertakers, insurance, companies, doc
tors and half a dozen other professions
Not day passes but that many policemen |
assist certain professions in business |
way, although they do the work involun-
tarily and In the direct line of their duty |
At the central Office Of police In Alulber-
ry street down in the basement, in that |
part Of the building where the click of tel |
egraph instruments is the only sound to
be heard day and night, there is a curious |
little cul de sac hallway. 1t is such an out |
of the way place that a person might 20 |
through the big building any number OF |
times without coming upon It, There is |
not much to sec, even when you do find it,
but there Is no department in the building |
which forms the starting place for more
activity than this little spot 1t is scarcely
moro than 2 feet wide, inclosed on two
sides by dirty walls and on the third
by partition, half of which is Of glass.
Beyond this partition there arc two wires,
strung close TO the glass, and on these
wires, so that they can be seen from the
hallway, are always pinned a number Of
slips of paper. 1t is these slips OF papor
tint bring people TO the dingy hallway and
Eiat have made the place familiar 70 thou
sllnds these many years.
When sghtseer goes through polioe
headquarters, if he Is taken into the tele-
graph room, his guide may casually point
To these bits of paper. II he does he will
merely say:
"And those are the slips. 4"
"Slips? the visitor repeats. And the
u, -b,.t
happens throughout the city and a police
man makes report to his station it IS
| telegraphod at once TO headquarters, and
slip of the occurrence is posted there in
| the window Ten chances TO one the
visitor never asks anything moro about
| the slips. He listens while his guide tells
| him that there are seven telegraph oper-
| ators constantly on duty, that at least
| 1000 messages day are received and sent
| to and from the various precinct stations,
but the slip box doesn't seem TO him to
| play an important part in these matters
| And yet it does for there are half q hun
dred people who make living by merely
reading these slips and telling other peo-
pie what are on them.
When the visitor enters the headquarters
| building, he will notice a number OF
young men standing near at hand. They
are always about somewhere and never APP
pear to have much to do. They aro the
| slip readers First are those who look out
only for slips having reference TO fires
Every time an alarm is sent IN from any
part of the city slip is hung on one OF
the slip box wires, telling the number Of
the box from which the alarm has been
sent. Shortly after that another slip tells
the location OF the fire and the amount Of
damage done The slip readers employed
by various FIRE insurance companies Of the
smaller sort, by fire adjusters and by compa-
nies that insure furniture arc on the alert
In moment They take a copy OF the
| slips and in a few minutes are out OF the
lfetle hallway telephoning the matter 20
their employers The information they
convey Immediately starts q dozen men on
a run for the scene of the fire. They ~
to look after damaged property or secure d
right 10 adjust the losses II the place
which has been burned was not insured,
there are other men who are soliciting IN.
surance, while the bouse is yet burning,
against It's ever burning again.
There are other slip readers who pay no
attention TO Gre reports; but let the slip
OF an Incident bo posted. and they are
right on hand When man falls and
breaks his leg or is struck by a cable car
or o wagon and injured slightly, some
people might be foolish enoggh TO think
that was the end Of him for some time.
Not bit Of il The slip readers are after
injured men in n minute There are GER
tains lawyers whose agents are always
near the slip box waiting to notify the
lawyer the moment there is an accident
case, so that some one may be sent forth
with TO tho injured man to tell him he is
entitled to heavy damages FOR the injury
done TO him. Even II he only falls on the
sidewalk he is told that some ono should
pay him damages Then there are the
small accident insurance firms whose
agent at once notifies them from the slips
that another man has fallen and should B,
seen so as to offer him the opportunity o
receiving insurance money in case he
should fall again
Tho time was, and not very long ago
when the slip readers took copies Of th'
slips and reported them once or twice
week. But that time Is gone; the age II
entirely too progressive for such methods
and now the contents Of the slips must b.
tclcphoncd within few minutes of being
posted in order that business may b
transacted without delay.
There is another class Of slip readers fo
all sudden deaths. People who die il
their offices, or In the street people who ar
! killed or die in any manner that makes !
the duty of the police 70 report, are al
4 looked after. Ia such casosit Is the dut.
! 4 of the readers FOR undcrtakers TO watcl
: the slips and notify their employers.
People who sell household goods on tn
\ installment plan have the slips watched fo
= them carefully. This is whore the fire sli
/ readers come in again. People who ar
burned out must buy more furniture, ant
the installment man, notified by the sli
: reader. is on hand with his pictured cata
q logue, and any family can be burned on
1 in the morning and have an entirely ne'
outfit In the afternoon without the slight
est trouhle.
Besides these there are a dozen othc
i businesses that employ the readers and th
q market OF readers is beginning 20 be over
e crowded Some of the headers make
+ good living, working for a Dozen or NOR
: people at the same time and getting on a
d average Of s. "A week from each. They ar
s energetic workers. and are always on Oh
S lookout for now customers for their slip.
= New York Recorder.