Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-10
IN THE LOWEST GRADE
Railway TeIegraphers Not
Classed at the Top Notch.
VIEWS OF AN OLD-TIMER
Railway Companies Pay Low Salaries
to Key Founders.
MANY YOUNG MEN EMPLOYED
Multitude of Duties Imposed Upon
Station Neutrality-suspicious. and
Reform Probable.
MANY YOUNG MEN EMPLOYED

brought out in connection with the railroad
wreck at Terra Gotta said an old telegra-
pher discussing the matter with Star re-
porter, land that is that railroad telegra-
ply. instead of being, as an outsider might
suppose, the top notch of the calling. is in
the lowest grade and most poorly paid in
the business
"Of course railroad men. telegraphers and
newspaper people all recognize this. Per-
haps one reason 1t has been passed over in
all comments on the wreck is the fact that
1t is so we'll understood in newspaper cir
cles that most editors and reporters have
taken it for granted that every one knew
it as well as they did But, as a matter OF
fact | do not suppose the outsider realizes
it.
'One might think that being work of
such responsibility and Importance railroad
operating would rank first among the sew
eral classes of teiegraphy. But 1t does not
%. Sing for the railroads is term not eX-
actly of reproach. but of contempt among
telegraphers. and desisnates kids tyros
and apprentices There may be an exam
nation for telegraphers on some railroads.
but if there is | never heard of it. | know
of many instances when an operator has
been taken on from among the boys of the
local population in the town. some young
stcr who had been hanging around the
telegraph office and picked up the code and
OF course such boy will work for next to
nothing and his work is usually worth
about what he is Lsid for it.
Not Meant as a Knock.
Now. this is not knock at the railroad
operator as class. There are plenty of
conscientious. responsible men in the bust
ness, but the wages the lowest and the
responsible men are in the minority. Even
the best railroad operator will tell you that
the railroad wire is the lowest round OF the
ladder. the place to graduate from to some
thing better
There are three distinct classes of teleg-
raphers-the railroad operators, the COM
mercial men in the cities and the press op-
orators. employed by the big press associa-
lions and the individual newspapers. These
men are the king pins of the business.
Take the average press operator. who can
send from 1900 words an hour upon a good
wire. He gets wages, not perhaps in pro-
portion to his ability, but in all proba blity
as high as the man who writes the stuff he
is sending
"A newspaper. taking all things. into con-
sideration-for the length OF the circuit and
weather conditions cut a great fgure-doeS
not depend on telegraph wire to carry
more than 1.SOO words of matter an hour.
But I know a fair number of operators in
the business who can hit gait of 2. $40 to
1900 words an hour and keep it up. The
best piece Of work I ever saw done on a
wire was one night when operator In
Washington cleared 1920 words in an hour.
He called my attention to the copy at the
time. and told me casually that he thought
he had broken a record. but was not sure.
"a good man can hold a job n one of the
ern Union. The best men are In the big
cities. They are drafted in from among
the best men in the country Offices. and
these in turn are filled up from the ranks
have reached the point where they are too
good to stay with the railroads and want
better work with more money.
Has Multitude Of Duties.
There is reason in this. The railroad OPP
orator does not devote even "a majority Of !
his time to telesraphy. In most of the little |
offices he Is just like the Operator Phillips
of Takoma, who testified during the recent |
hearing. He has to be the station agent. |
the ticket seller. the baggage master, the |
express agent, the office boy. and anything |
else there is to be, and finally he has to be |
block signal operator. If he can send some |
sort of a message any old sort of fashion |
he is good enough. The most of the men on |
the block line are not much better than he |
is and if he sends message wrong or !
takes one wrong. there Is usually time to |
question and correct it, and possibly it will |
not cause a wreck anyhow. Then again 1t |
does. |
Operator Phillips testified that he was !
paid $3.50 a month for his mutifarious du- |
ties outside the express business. In that |
he Sol d SoihHHSSioH but the wages rail- |
road operators such will run from $40 to |
$40 month. The wages of press operators |
will run at about the same figures per !
week That is fair estimate of the differ |
ence in ability between the two classes of |
men.
This matter will be brought to the atten- |
ton of the interstate commerce commission |
before the inquiry into the block signal sys-
tenn is over. and the chances are that along |
with other reforms. there will be instituted |
a strict examination for railroad operators |
and possibly a provision for a little higher |
pay. which will get better men into. the |
business