The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-10-27

G w 9 city was supplied by two
q j plants, tie south and west
1CN stations, ours at the south
being the larger, and employing force
of 200 men.
I had much to learn when I entered
the employment Of the gas company as
bookkeeper. and l enjoyed my dlscov-
cries immensely, among them the fact
that water-gas was not made from
water; that the huge round gas holders
that were placed in the various city
wards were not meters, neither We're
they filled to the windows and doors
with a great bulk of loose, floating gas
which might rush out at any moment;
that a gas plant must have engineers.
craftsmen, surveyors, masons and
builders. besides the host of stokers,
boiler tenders, bumpers and yardmen,
and that tar and ammonia and coke, as
by-products, were turned out from the
huge plant. as we'll as it's legitimate
products of coal and watergas that
kept our city warm and bright Of win
ter nights.
The consulting and contracting engi-
neer for the whole company was also
local superintendent at these works,
and a man so enthusiastic in his pro-
fession it has never since been my for
tune to meet. He had huge technical
library of some 6000 volumes-every-
thing that bore even remotely on gas
making-and pamphlets and magazines
f-om all over the civilized world. His
only holidays were trips to attend con-
ferences of gas men, and his social dl-
versions were occasional evenings
spent with his confreres. For all this
he was the most genial and the most
versatile man ever knew.
Kate Lloyd and I had very good
times at the south station. Kate was
later conner than I. She came in with
Mr.. Stcrer's need for private secre-
tary. when his mass of correspondence
grew so bulky.
IfIhad been as ambitious and enter
prising before kate's coming as grew
afterward she would never have come.
for when Mr.. Storer one day remarked
that he wished I knew shorthand.
Only replied with genuine regret that
I was very sorry did not. And as it
was five months between that remark
and the stenographer's coming, l
might have given my employer an
agreeable surprise by making myself
more valuable to him in the meantime.
However, that never entered my head
in those days. BE fit for more than
the thing you are doing" 1 had not
then made my motto.
Kate Lloyd was 4 new sort of girl to
me. She was not willing to be idle two
minutes. When she was not catalog-
ing books or writing her letters or
translatins French documents she was
practicing touch typewriting. or getting
me to dictate to her in our leisure. for
Mr.. Storer was often away for days at
time and we both had time on our
hands.
There was no escaping the contagion
of Hates energy. 1t seems to have put
something into me permanently that
never was there before-or perhaps 1t
only awoke something that had been
asleep.
We worked steadfastly and did our
work the best we knew how, and then
we did other things. Kate told me
what I had already discovered, that l
was a little Ounce rot to learn short
hand, and she proceeded to teach me
with energy ard despatch. Then While
I practiced she wanted to know If
there was not anything I could teach
her, but I could rot think OF a thing
except instrumental music. and we felt
that we really must draw the line at a
piano at tie south station.
One day Mr.. Storer brought the car
penters up stairs and set them at some
mysterious labor on the roof. We
guessed at a flagstaff and tower and
a cupola. but Mr.. Storer laughed and
would not tell.
But finally, when the workmen had
gone. leaving q rope which passed into
our Office through 4 hole in the ceiling,
he bade NE pull it. AS I obeyed the
shrek Of siren whistle answered. l
let 20 with fainter echo Of my own.
(Which was you:' laughed Mr.. Sto-
rer. 1T works all right, doesn't it?
Now we won't have to fall back on the
speaking tube. and get Michael to trav-
ell all over the works. hunting in a
hurry for man he CANT fiud. Miss
Nelson, you think UP { dozen Of the
men we send for o1tcnest aud write
them down, and we'll see if we can't
get some sounds that they can each
answer to. Yes, and we must have 4
general call to the office for pay night"
And here it was that I really had a
bright idea myself - quite worthy Of
Kate.
20 Mr.. Store:.' I said. eagerly, "let
me call them by their initials in the
Morse alphabet! The master mason,
Mr.. Arnold. III call A. and then the
chief chemist You are always wanting,