Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-07-04
The Telegraph Operator a Wanderer.

nj s. and hires the operators. The
pay L. better and the hours easier
There Is more opportunity to get int
ether lines OF work,
SO far these remarks have applied
more particularly to what are known
as commercial telesraphers. The op'
orators who work for the railroads
are classed separately. They have
.tAeir own union. the Order OF Rail.
Way Photographers. a much more pew
erful body than the Commercial lie
.nSanAefs' Union. which failed in its
econt strike.
A far Us the actual operation OF
4 vife8 h concerned the work al
~" ylzaeFcial and railroad operator
:" Anex bat there Is a great dit.
=" 10 The matter that gSss. over
,h' ~ M. Train dispaiching ID 8 huss
mess In i,.s
There Is mel aueh seittipS tra
lranch Of telssPss 10 the oasr a
man gets startsf b sae line
other and sticks 10 u,
The railroad telagsapNsr Is 49,
wanderer. but uFtaffy In the rs
duty. The RAILROADS keep shifeina
their llspatchers "A new branches 81
opened and sstensleps made. rness
is a better ch11ce f4r promotions
railroad telexrapay tiAeu in c"mm ns
The chances ef scttilkg on ihnef
world In telegraphy.are aN0at agodzl
as In other lines OF wofsA Thsn,eni
who should win do via. hit I'M us |
TALLY win by getting out on tny AT
ness. 4 II
II Is not a very lucrative Gsx.I
ment for the rank and fiies
are more men who make less tfK 81
n week than make more than 49,
Very few maxi. $50 week or Id
This nomadic spirit Is largely
spOnsible for the failure OF the
WOfker to get along. In Park row
&d-time operators. some OF thu
among the best In their day. tn
tramp operator is usually a largS
c0nSnIaer of intoxicants and is an in!
vetSrAte follower of the races. This
cc1biaatfen breaks many a man in
tiue
FIR those who do succeed there Is
only limited opportunity in the bus.
iness Itself. Most OF the higher
places In the Western Union and Pos.
tai companies are filed by men whn
were operators but there are not
many Of tbeses hixher up jobs as com.
pared with kho$x98f ermy OF workers..
1t Is better M the Fsilruad field. tut
even in that when q man passes 9
certain stage nj ptnction he would
be ciassed not as Seleenppher. but as
a railroad man number OF
railroad Ofi1cials "a Asntry start
ed as operators. -
In other lines OF g : telegra,
pher has succeed Rcceeded
well. There is alwa3 for an
example, but he was WIN = kenfus.
But for years befor& &3n kntlye
mind produced the stD6 he
was telegrapher and 3 l&1j6 yer.
too. - q
TIE operator naturally N1ft into
lines Of endeavor which hatS - 10
directly with the messages n Se4ds
and receives. An operator Id q 1lectI
brokers' Office easily picks mp 4 NdfE.
ing knowledge OF the street. al N
anenily graduates into p stock he111sf
himself.
He has been n q sense gambsee,
and the same appeals to him. ~
quently. too, he goes the wrong way
in the business and becomes bucket:
shop man.
Hundreds Of men have got into
Newspaper work by way OF the tele-
graph wire. Continual plugging away
at press dispatches gives an operator
a news sense and ability to write the
English language. This IS particular.
ly true OF the press associations. A
knowledge Of telegraphy-:S Invaluable
when il comes TO disseminafing the
worlds news almost as soon "a Il
happens.
There Is a certain lure about this
trade which keeps many in II who
have the opportunity but not the VIII
or inclination to break away fr1m n.
the steady clicking Of the key makes
music which casts spell. So the
thousands keep on. while the hundreds
gull. working and wandering with No
fixed habita.iOn or purDoso IN life