The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-18
THIRTY YEARS A TYPEWRITER
FIRST GIRL OPERATOR KEEPS
A NOTABLE ANNIVERSARY.

hrated Yesterday the thirteth anniversary
Of her start IN the business. She is Mrs.
VI. A, Saunders now stenograp her for the
National Audubon Societies. IL ever you
get letter from the Audubon societies,
keep It. 1t is the autograph of n pioneer
| Of the woman 5 department in modern bust,
ness.
Mrs. Saunders celebrated the red letter
/ day by writing dozens OF letters and by an
anniversary dinner in the evening. In
| the afternoon, there came a fine gold watch
/ from the Remington Typewriter Company,
| Inscribed:
ls75-l0O5 To the pioneer typewriter
operator From the pioneer manufacturer.
All day the elevator man at Mrs. Saun-
ders'5 apartments was busy carrying up
! little remembrances from old friends and
] business associates. For Mrs. Saunders
was not only the pioneer operator here,
/ but was also the first typewriter agent
! and the inventor OF the standard keyboard.
Il was a young widow with baby TO
! support, said she TO sun reporter. I'D
been making living in Nova Scotia teach
ing music. | came to New York hoping 10
/ get position "a church organist. didn't
have much luck.
One day-,lan. 10, 1878, to be eNact-a
| friend called my attention to a newspaper
| advertisement for woman TO take an
| easy and remunerative position. musician
| preferred | answered it. From 800 APP
/ plcants was picked and asked next day
J To come to 707 Broadway
They showed me the machine.
| Whats that? | asked. 1t looks Ike
sewing machine
/ I'm show you. said tho clerk. He put
| piece of paper in the thing and began to
I tap with his fore6nger- After a while he
/ pulled out the paper II was a note TO me,
all printed out.
II was fascnate d. He showed me how
to put in the paper and how to start
new line by pressing pedal with my foot
that was how tho old thing worked-and
then | sat do8a and began to write
It was IA fateful moment. yet Mrs. Saun-
ders cannot remember just what were the
first words She wrote.
some nonsense" she said Anyway,
the first thing knew, they had come around
10 close up the place had been at it for
hours
Being an expert pianist, Mrs. Saunders
reached in two weeks the phenomenal
/ speed Of seventy words minute and there
was JOY in the heart Of @ W. y. Yost, the
| inventor and promoter Of the machine.
| From that time on she used to demon
strate it, Wien they roped IN customer
she used to invite him to write with pen
! agains, her machine just 10 show how
much faster il was. That convinced many
| "A hesitating purchaser.
'.But 1t was an awful old trap said Mrs.
/ Saunders. The connections between the
! KEYS and tho type bars were wires and they
] overwhelmingly lTglltlnu Apu the
/ types were Just driven INTO pegholes with
/ it lick of a hammer and Z ey had way OF
flying ou,. Often when you had written
! page you found the machine mad Slapped
| every i or e. Then you'd have to fish
around in it and find the missing type.
We had to give n guarantee with every
! machine that II would last ak months. and
/ they We're always coming back on US, ihey
( used to send me with nearly every machine
/ 20 get il working right
Once / set up machine In law office,
| and on the second line | wrote three wires
broke and type llew out: wasn't fea1cd.
! Just made big bluff. | wrote telegram
I there were no telephones them: You sent
up the wrong machine. Send No. II
/ That saved that sale.
Then a lawyer who had machine on
trial sent word that he didn't want it. They
sent ne mp 70 talk to him.
~'All right said !. But you are wasting
two-thirds of your time
Don't believe it, said he
VERY we'll said |. II cnn write your
name three times while you're writing it
once with "a pen will you keep it,
well he agreed and a clerk gave the
Done" said he pulled out the paper.
/ | had written his name three and half
times. He simply reached for his check
book
demonstrate the machine and teach oper-
ators SIZE went to all the cities # the Fast