The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-09
TELEGRAPH OFFICES BUSY
Large Extra Forces Engaged Dur
ing the Inauguration Rush.
Thousands Of Messages Sent and Re
ceiyed During the Past Ten Days.
hany Told of Pickpockets and
Sought Financial Ala From Home.

The telegraph companies see the last Of
the Inauguration crowds The final act
Of visitor before he boards his train
for home Is to send ahead telegram an
nOuncing his return The fssyJ IiGztt ~
rush Is not over at the Offices of either OF
the companies shows that all who came
for the Inauguration have not left yet.
But business is slowly resuming its nor
mai proportions and by tonight. il Is said
there viii he hardly q reminder in the
kilograms that an Inauguration was held
this week
The rush this year IS reported by Mana
gers RibbIe and Narean, of the Postal and
Western Union Companies respectively,
to have been the largest since the Inau-
guration of President Harrison, twelve
years ago They declare the crowd here
was larger than when Mr.. Mckinley first
took his Office and somewhat larger than
during the Cleveland ceremonies
It is estimated that the dispatches re
Iating directly to the Inauguration since
March 1 have been about 10000. or some
what more than I0.GJG q day Both the
Western Union and the Postal Offices have
had every instrument and every wire,
north and south. crowded with work day
and night, including last Sunday. for Il
week and Z half The operators have
worked double time and large extra forces
have been employed, but even with these
auxiIia ries. and with the excellent facili-
ties of the Washington offices, there have
been times when II was impossible 10 keep
up with the business.
The telegraph people state that there
are three messag es sent by the ordinary
up-tO-date 'jeune ciecIe visitor 70 Wash
ington The first and the last announce
his arrival and departure. An intermedi-
ate message chronicles the fact that he
has had his pockets picked. and appeals
for funds with which to Iiquidate his no
tel bill and get home again No message
ever intimates that conVivialties incident
10 the Inaugural festivities are the cause
Of these temporary financial difficulties.
Washington, according to the records Of
the telegraph companies, must nave har-
bored q big and a wonderfulIy-talented
force of pickpockets during the past TWO
weeks
me press dispatches Incident to the
Inauguration have been heavy, but per
haps not SO numerous or SO extended
those OF four and eight years ago. The
suggestion IS made thai this is due 70
the lack Of actual news connected with
President MckI8IeyS second Iuaugura-
met thiz time, and new Cabinets fur
niSh the newspaper men with excellent
matter both before ana after LHElE s.
lection = he army OF OtECeSeekerS this
wear while it is large. Is insignificant
compared with the crowds that come ID
the ofiiceSeekerS' Mecca at the beginning
OF a new Administration
The telegraph companies began prepar-
ing for the Inauguration rush two or
three months ago. Every operator that
has reached the city for several weeks
past has been given a position. Office
seekers III this line have not been COM
peIled to grow respondent. The Office
has sought the man notwithstanding
panieS in this way. II WAS necessary 70
send to Baltimore and Philadelphia for
extra forces during the heaviest OF the
rush
tors IN the department forces and in the
brokers Offices were also pressed into
service. The maximum forces Of the
rush were nearly three times as large
as the regular corps
The messenger boys. too, have had the
busiest weeks in many years. Extra
boys have been employed, and al have
worked overtime The delivery of mes
sages at such d time is one Of the most
difficult parts of the entire service Of
friends. There IS much INSTRUMENTATION
as TO the whereabouts of visitors Be
fore they leave home they state that
the will stay at the Arlington or the
Shoreham. When they arrive here the
exigencies of their pOcketbOOkS, as the
result OF pickpociSetS or other enemies OF
purses, force them 10 make arrange
rnents At bOardiu2-houseS OF lower
priced hotels
The companies state that they have
had very successful TWO weeks IN this
regard, with few messages UndeHyered
and few DELAYED. The messenger boys
with the aid az the deIi-ery clerks, have
risen UbiquitousIy 70 the occasion