The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-08-19
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.TELEGRAPHERS
James Il. Hogan Tells His Elk.
perience at Acropolis on ..
$50 g. Month.

In order to give the public an idea
OF the suffering undergone and the
work done by telcgraphers, I beg to
print the following experience:
worked at place called Acropolis,
on the Great Northern railway on the
Nne from Swan River to Hibbing. The
depot Cf such may call it,, was
Use elsewhere, 10 1t was utilized for
the operator and placed at the top of
"a hill three miles from the nearest
house and three miles from the near
est we'll
For the first two days I boarded at
this house, which was the section
house at Gardner, Mimi, and walked
night and morning to and from work.
Before ! went there, a woman oper-
boarding at the same place. She like
wise was compelled to walk to and
from work each day, Sundays included,
and remained there for four months.
The last month she begged to be re-
l1eved but the company, knowing that
1t was next to impossible to get any
one to stay there, declined. Finally
they found in myself, a person who
was chump enough to stay 30 they sent
me to fill The place. I was young and
unacQuainted with the world and look
god whom must fear and obey, con-
sequently, when they told me to go, I
went.
To express the discomforts that
experienced at this place would be next
| to impossible. No one who had not
undergone the trials could understand
and appreciate them.
The boarding house was literally
alive with cockroaches. They were in
M IN,
everywhere in the house. At meal time
it was necessary to fight them away
from ones plate or become cannibal.
l was given a wooden bunk with stats
to sleep in, tick of hay to lie on, and
was put in l. room with 10 other men.
! was given single blanket with the
privilege to use 1t over or under my
self as l saw fit, and awoke innumer-
able times during the night with the
cold After the second night l secured
some blankets from home also a cof-
and spoon. A water pail and wash
basin were furnished by the railroad
company.
then began to batch. This was ex-
tremely disagreeable but 1t was much
better than walking three miles each
way every day and eating the food we
were given at the section house. 1t also
suited the company much better, as
they were thus enaked to call me to
the key at any time they saw fit.
was supposed to be on duty from seven,
but whenever train arrived in that
vicinity between a. m. and a. M,
was called and would be kept on hand
until the passenger went by at night.
The trains We're due at 1880 a. m., but
no record has ever been found Of when
they were on time. It was nothing un-
usual for them to be three hours late,
thus keeping me on duty from IL to 18
hours day with from one to five calls
during the night.
remained at this point for three
weeks, cooking, eating, sleeping and
tslegraphing In little hand car house
and working, as /, say, from, IL to Is
hours day. Friendly conductors
brought me drinking water from the
@neighboring town, six miles away.
underwent enough in those three
weeks to turn a mans hair gray.
For all this suffering and labor re-
ceived the magnificent sum Of $50 per
month. II this is just, then don't
known the meaning of justice.
Yours respectfully,
JAMES H. HOGAN,
Superior, Aug. Is.