The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-03-18
Men Who Go from Office to Office
Repairing the Machines.
Through the Whimsicalities of Feminine
Generators and the Carelessness of Of
fee Boys, the Mechanical 'Physi-
clans Are Kept Busy.

The busiest professional men nova
days are the doctors of typewriters
These go about from Office to Office
putting machines in repair, and the
reason for their great activity this
month is on account Of the return of
the regular operator from the, summer
vacation. All this sounds enigmatical.
But it is true, says the New York Sun.
When a typewriter goes away upon
her vacation she gets a substitute to
sit in her place and do her work. The
substitute appears promptly the first
day, takes off the tin Enclosure from
the celluloid keys, gives gentle "tap!
tap!" and throws up her hands in hor-
rOr She cannot use machine that
works so hard. Where is the man who
regulates typewriters, and will he not
come to make the machine work easier?
This he does, and for two weeks all
goes well. Then the regular operator
! comes home.
The regular operator is proud, nay,
naughty. She feels that the machine
must of necessity have been spoiled by
the substitute, and her senses are keen
| ly alert for faults in the machine. The
| first tap tells her that it works too
easily. and the second convinces her
that the action is so light that she will
make mistakes every minute. So the
typewriter doctor is called to put the
machine back precisely as it was.
There is a large life insurance build
| ing up town where regular call is left
for the typewriter repairer. He ap-
pears usually at one o'clock and puts
in the rest of his day regulating the
machines. Sometimes he does not get
around until the middle of the after
| for him. Some one of the one hundred
and fifty machines in the building is
sure to be out of order, and the oper-
ator must sit idle until the repairs are
made. The repairer must carry ink
ribbons and all the smaller parts OF
| type machines, for there is no telling
what part may have yielded to the
strain of vigorous hands. There are
over one hundred men employed in this
way in New York city. For the most
part they are in the pay of the type
writing establishments, and are sent
out by them. A few work independent
ly, but the work does not pay them
then very well, and they finally give ii
up and go in the employ of the large
concerns.
| lie Never Came Back.
A London lawyer, now prominent in
his profession, in his yauth was mid
shipman. In this capacity he was left
in charge Of the ship, as she lay off &
Spanish port, all his superiors being OF
shore. Some of the sailors begged to
so ashore, and he let them, on the
promise that they would bring him
back some oranges. One of them dis
appeared, and the midshipman suffered
consequently for it. More than twenty
years afterward the eX-midshipman
was looking in shop window in the
Strand, when he seemed to know the
lace Of weather-beaten man, who
was doing the same thing Suddenly
he remembered, and put his hand on
the others shoulder. ''Mv man." he
said, you have been a long time after
those oranges!' The sailor recognized
him, in turn, grew white and took to
his heels.