The Washington herald., 1907-01-06
PRINTERS PARADISE
John Ross TellSOf Days When
Jim FiSke Ran Office.
ALL WORE HIGH, SILK HATS
short Hours and Big salary Were
the Rule, and Men Were Expected
to Dress in StyIe-Extra Jobs Meant
Special Pay-Passes Handed Out
GaIore-Fenst at Tommy Lyneh's.


tors OF the Government Printing Office
employed in the Second division. told Il
story of flush times in printerdom dur
ing the lunch hour, the other day, which
is interesting as an illustration OF the
generous side Of Jim Fiske.
During the early EOS Of the last
century" said Mr. Ross, the Erie Rail
road. which was then tine frenzied fnan-
cial plaything OF Fiske and Gould. had
well-equipped printing Office, in which
were employed between twenty and thir-
" men. Fiske paid considerable atten-
ton to the printing department and pre-
sented a striking figure when he appear
ed among the imposing stones and
cases and printing presses in his high
silk tile and big waxed mustache, 70
bust aud overlooking with hearty good
nature and a desire that everybody
around him should at least enjoy A
small portion of the good living which he
SO well appreciated himself.
Printers Paradise.
we were paid by the month, and drew
down $40 during that period Of time. and
extras which just about converted Erie's
little old print shop into a printers para
disc In the first place, eight hours eOn-
stituted a days work. From Y 10
O'Clock was the dinner hour. and grub
was furnished free. and OF the finest quail
ity. in the restaurant attached 10 Fiske's
opera house. Tickets for the opera
house We're distributed weekly-two for
the married men-and If any Of Fiske's
printers wanted 20 take a trip to Niagara
free passes over the Erie Railroad were
forthcoming. No apprentices were en-
pl0yed. all the work being done by
journeymen AT jOurneymen's wages. The
foreman was an old friend OF Fiske' 5
named Henley. He VAS something like
eighty years old and didn't have any
thing much TO DO but watch the clock
and look cheerful. Fske called him
Pap He-that is, Fiske-would enter
the office after we had hustled through
some special piece Of work, and slapping
the old man on the back, remark.
" Wen Pap. how have the boys been
making out?
All right, colonel. all right. Fore
man Henley would reply
Feast az Tommy Lynch's.
Then Fiske would go down into his
pocket and dig up a So or maybe a sl0J
bin, and. handing il 10 the foreman. tell
him 10 take Us over 10 Tommy Lynch s
and fill Us up. Lynch was one Of Flske's
heelers. who ran drinking saloon. with
an oyster house attachment and on some
Of these occasions / think we must have
feasted as printers have seldom feasted
before or since. II occurred quite fire.
quently that messengers would round us
up on Sunday 10 set up some job that
was specially urgent. Il was as likely
as not TO be a brief for use in court on
Monday-for Erie was I'm the thick Of
litigation those days-and about one stick
for each OF us would finish Il. The pay
for this strenuous stunt was SO spot
cash.
"Fiske insisted that We should keep up
with the fashions iH the matter Of clothes
and i: was according 10 his special wish
that every mothers son Of us wore q
St0vepipe hat as regularly, II not as con-
scientiously as he did himself Are those
your men. Pap2' ne inquired one day as
a couple OF printers were entering the
composing room Yes. colonel replied
Foreman Henley Well. tell them they
are not wei enough dressed, was Fiske's g
ultimatum. I pay my men good wages.
They can afford good clothes. and
want them 10 wear them
Most Of us were young and sappy and
imagined that this state Of affairs would
last forever. But after Fiske's death by
the hand of Stokes, the firm of Little &
Co. secured the contract for the Erie's
printing. and as a result our sleek and
pampered band Of gentlemen comps was
reduced 10 eight or zen, at so per week,
with a ten-hOur work-day'