The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-11-24

XXI Brill anu
thority without having had
even the slightest preparation prior
TO getting his start. II IL one OF the
numerous lines OF employment that
are offered by street railway com.
panies throughout the land, and 10
open TO any boy that wishes to begin
at the bottom at a fairly good wage
and have a certain and direct avenue
OF advancement straight up to a high
position.
Maybe your boy has not cared to
take up Job as motorman or street
car conductor, which was elaborated
upon in this series a few weeks ago.
but still would like to get In some
phase Of railway work as represented
by the street car interests Well, II
that Is the case. and you have been
unable TO furnish him with n good
education, and he has a mechanical
turn OF mind, he probably could not
do better than to get into touch with
one Of the superintendents or fore
men Of power houses.
The job at their disposal, which is
the subject Of this article, leads to a
line OF practical electrical engineering.
the basal power that enables street
cars OF the present day to be operated
Uhe requirements are slight. OF
course, the applicant must have had
sufficient education to be able to read
and write, as he must in practically
Nil occupations: but further than this
virtually nothing more is required
than that he must be eighteen or
twenty years old and of fairly good
physique. UnusuCl shortness OF stature
IS a handicap, as workmen have to
do considerable reaching for levers.
The first pay your boy gets will be
about $3.50 n day. He probably will
not be very enthusiastic over his work,
as there will seem to be nothing tech
meal in wiping of machinery, clean
ing up things generally, and running
errands for the foreman: but he must
remember that he has to become ac-
quainted with tools and equipment
before he can understand them, and
this win come sooner than he expects
II he is attentive and ambitious. In
deed, II will probably be only few
months before he Will be given an ad-
vance to si75 day and sent out
from the main power house to one OF
the substations in similar work.
The advantage of this move is that.
on account Of there being compare
lively few employees. he will have a
greater range Of duties and respon-
sibilltles and thus advance more rap
idly. He will have to clean the big
generators, switchboards, and wiring
apparatus, and thus the complex ma
chinery will gradually become familiar
10 him.
Within a few month"; more he may
be sent back to the power house as
boss OF the cleaners there, Mt about
81 q day. or be set to operating a
small auxiliary switchboard under
close supervision. and after he has
advanced sufficiently, go back to n
substation az dynamo tender. II will
require probably year and half
more before he reaches this position;
but then he will be paid from $3.50
TO s2.75 day, while he is getting
there.
Then, In all likelihood, he will go
back to the power house as dynamo
tender, to prepare him more thorough
ly for the important advance to switch
board operator at a substation, which
Is one OF the most important lesser
places In the business. These opera.
tors must stand their watch of third