Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-07-28
IYPENR|TERS 70 BE- USED
For Billing Purposes By the Local
Railroads.
THE ADVANTAGES AND DlSAD-
VANTAGES OF THE MACHINES
SET FORTH - BIG EXCURSlON
BUSINESS - MISCELLANEOUS
RAILROAD NEWS.

1t will only be question OF a snort
time until all the leading railroad Oh
fees in the United States Will be using
nothing but typewriters for clerical
work. BY this assertion is meant tnat
every branch of office work Will be done
on the machine They have been tried
and found to be satisfactory in every re-
spect. another thing about the type
writer being that in making out way
bills. manifests and expense bills 1t Will
not only save a great deal OF time, put
will be a great help to an agent VINO
can't make figures good with pen.
Offices in Chicago of the c., b. d O.
road have been making way bills on the
typewriter and now are using ten ma
chimes. For way billing the wide car
riage machine is used, the bills being
the standard form reduced a little
in size. The width of the typewriter
bill is 1912 inches, the full-sixed Or
blanket bill is 10 inches long. TWO
shorter sizes. one-half and one-thlrd
the blanket size, are also used. The
typewriter companies can furn;Sn any
width carriage but the II inch carriage
is about the best suited for way bill
ing. 1t is wide enough to take in the
way bill and still not so heavy as TO
make it hard to handle. At first 1t is
hard for the men to make much head
way or gain speed, but with the prac-
tice all this will be overcome. The
companies are also anxious to introduce
their machines and with this purpose
in view they are doing some tall nus
ting to get their share of the business.
Many have their machines on exhibl-
ton for experimenting free of charge.
This, of course, is big help and one
can pick from the many makes a ma
chine that will suit him. Most of the
companies are disposed to make any
Improvement in the machine that will
enable the operator to save time IN
turning out billing. The average num-
Der turned out in a day of eight and
one-half hours is 1926 and the best rec
ord is $40 shipments billed in nine and
one-half hours. The speed of the men
using typewriters is fully equal to, if
not greater, than that of the men bill
ing with the pen.
1t cannot be denied that a typewrit-
ten way bill is far preferable to one
made with the pen. 1t makes it easier
for conductors to unload freight from
car, easier for clerks who make out
auditing departments, who have the
bills to revise. The only drawback that
we have met with in billing by type
writer's is in not being able to get suf-
ficient number of tissue copies. Up TO
the present time we have not succeeded
in getting a ribbon that would produce
more than two or three legible copies
of way bills; on this account we have
been obliged to confine our typewriter
billing to our local business, where only
one or two copies are required The
typewriter companies have spent a
great deal of time in experimenting
with ribbons, trying to get one that
would produce eight, ten or more tissue
copies; but so far they have not been
successful.
AS far as Wheeling is concerned, the
machines will soon be IN operation
here. The Pan Handle Company,
through their agent, J. V. Braden, has
ordered several for this Office. Quite
a large amount of clerical work is done
here and typewriters would be big
help. Mr.. Braden has seen the ma
chimes used for way billing and thinks
very favorable of them. The B. & o.
will also have them in the office in
this city, and also at other points along
the line. The National Freight Associ-
alton has recommended them for way
billing purposes and it is now business
for all railroad companies to purchase