Evening star., 1902-02-21
USE OF DESK TELEPHONES
Has Changed Character Of Department
Messengers Duties.

One Of the old messengers in the Post
Office Department appeared sad as he trot-
ted around the marble corridors encircling
the Italian court Of the big granite build
ing opposite The Star Office a day or two
ago. and he was asked the cause Of his
melancholy.
well. it's this way" he answered, shift
Ing his pile Of official letters from one hand
to the other. "Of the many changes in the
departments in Washington which have
taken place within recent years one Is the
dinerence In the messenger Of today and
ten years ago. "
"They still call us boys though I am
past sixty. 1t is the desk telephone that
has put us out Of business, but happily not
out of Jobs. While We have plenty to do it
Is different kind Of work than that which
we performed up In the old building on E
street. y -
THAT was before the, advent Of the desk
telephone. Messengers, clerks, minor off,
Gals. chiefs of divisions and the assista mt
postmasters general were all more or less
running up and down the halls from one
room. division or bureau to another. The
halls were always filled with clerks bob
bing first into one room and out of the next.
1t was steady procession going in all d.
rections. This was because If a man was
wanted to appear In another place he had
to be summoned by messenger or a clerk.
II the chief Of my bureau wished to see
go to his room, for, being Of equal rank, he
could not summon the other chief to appear
before him. II he wished to see the chief
Of one of the divisions in his own bureau,
or clerk therein he tapped his bell. called
his messenger, and directed that Mr. Money
Order come up at once and down trotted
the messenger to Mr.. Money Orders room,
and up trotted Mr.. Money Order to the
ch1efs room. sometimes dozen times q
day. II the Postmaster General wished to
speak with one OF his assistants he sent
his messenger to request the attendance of
the assistant. II the chief engineer was
wanted the messenger tripped down to the
basement in the engine room and the chief
engineer tripped upstairs. In fact. the mes
sengers stretched their legs In those old
days good and well earned their money,
covering over dozen miles day UP and
down the halls.
But 1t Is all changed now," and tears
stood In the boys" eyes as he thought Of
the days that were past While the mes
senger of today is not precisely like our old
shakespearian friend Othello, his occupa-
telephone system in the new building has
put new aspect upon things all around.
but It makes me sad We old fellows are
like old fire horses gone to seed and turned
out to grass. When they by chance hear
q gong. they raise their heads, snort and
get their stiff, spawned legs into motion.
So 1t Is with the old department messenger
boys. Whenever they hear the bell tap.
tney think the chief Is going to say, Go
down and have Mr. Postage Stamp come up
at once while all they really want Is to
have paper or document carried some
where. Mr.. Postage Stamp Is now sum-
moned by his little desk telephone.
Another class Of department old timers
telephone Is the professional hall runner.
All clerks are more or less obliged to leave
their rooms and go to other rooms on off,
cial business. and must necessarily make
their transit through the halls. But In all
departments there Is a class Of clerks OF
both sexes who are generically classed as
ball runners and they are curious indi-
viduals. these hall runners. Many of them
are old clerks to whom the monotony of
clerical life becomes at times unbearable
and they establish the hail running habit,
though some Of the frisky young ones do
the act very WELL"