The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-12
RUNNING A "WAKE-UP" ROUTE.
Vicissitudes of the Business and Why
the Protector Gave il Up.


I'm the course of my hustling," said
a man who has done many things for a
living, Il got up once in a western town
a wake-up route-waking up people that
wanted TO get UP at some flxed hour in
the morning. 1t was a lively town, with
a lot OF people in 1t that made practice
Of sitting up nights and who found II
hard work to get up in the morning, and
/ had no trouble In getting up sub
scrbers. / had hard work In serving
EN- all. My man had 10 move sharp to
get around to 'em all in time. He
couldn't stay and argue with a man
that was stupid and sleepy. IL he
wouldn't get up after fair warning he
had to let him go. and ii was this that
finally made trouble. because these men
wanted to be walked up with a club, so
TO speak, If necessary, and while my
man was punctuality itself and never
failed to be there at the appointed hour
and to wake the man up. yet he was
slight and rather delicate man, and he
couldn't enforce his demands quite aside
from the question Of having time 10 stay.
Some big, bury chap would say TO him:
" You go away, or I'll break you In
two and what could my man do?
"But in the morning these folks would
always be sorry they hadn't got up,
and / suppose that was natural enough,
but they used to come TO the office an
but they used 10 come to the Office
kick because ! hadn't got 'em up. They
said they'd contracted TO be got up, and
they wanted TO be got up.
"Wel. I stood this sort or nonsense
for a while. and then imported walker
up from the East-a powerful, up-to-date
slugger who could wake up anybody at
any hour of the night no matter how
sound asleep he might he. and keep him
awake ] sent this man out one night
with my little man for a pilot. II was
like this:
They'd go into the mans room, and
the little fellow'd do the talking.
Come now he'd say, It's time TO
get up
" You 70 way says the sleeper.
NO. says the little man, you want
TO get up right now and IL you don't I'm
going to get you up
And in minute or less the big fellow
would tackle him. He'd wake him up
all right, and the sleeper realized in
minute every time what had happened.
Then they'd go at 1t. right there; but my
man was a hummer with a loud hum,
and he cleaned out his man every time
In short order He licked fifteen sub
scribers that morning in an hour and
forty minutes.
But knew that while we could lick
'em easy in detail, we couldn't begin TO
touch 'em I'm a bunch, and they were sure
70 come, and so along in the nsorning, be-
fore they'd got around. we moved out.
1--WE started a wake-up route in another
town. and, profiting by our experience, we
started in with the big man at the begin
ming. We had every subscriber take a
look at him and have a little talk with
him and agree TO be walked up sure. Each
man knew he was running up against and
we had very little trouble there. We
never had to lick morn one or two. and
everything was going along slick and
smooth as could be, and we were just
coming money, when there was n man
come along and started an electrical wake
up exchange I'm the town
BY that system they put gong on
the head of mans bed with a wire
connection to a central office, where the
subscribers name and the hour he want
ed to get up at were entered. When the
time came the man on duty there would
just simply press a button and start
the gong over the mans head. The gong
was so adjusted that 1t would keep
on ringing till the man got up. His
getting up. taking that weight Off the
bed. operated 4 cutoff that stopped It,
There were some men that could
sleep right through the gong. but not
many and, as a general proposition, the
system was a great success. our method
was effective enough in its way. but
we couldn't begin TO compete with 1t,
and in the course Of time we went out
Of business altogether" -Chicago Inter-
Ocean.