The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-11-11

but your DOy, we'll say, mas greater
ambition and wishes to work up d.
rectly. So, he makes a more careful
study OF the routing of messages, with
the aim Of becoming traffic chief.
Suppose, for instance, that one Of
the Offices on main line is disabled
we'll, it is the duty of the traffic chief
to know that messages can be sent
there through roundabout way. The
writer can recall once when the wires
between Vancouver, B. c., and Seattle
were down. and, though these places
were less than 100 miles apart, an i'm
portant item of news from Vancouver
was sent clear to st. Paul, 1000 miles
east, and back to Seattle. 1t was the
traffic chiefs business to know and
arrange this. The usual pay of traffic
chiefs in ordinary offices is $25 to $50
week.
Then, there IL the wire chief, who
keeps the Office and line wires in Or
der, locating and arranging for the re-
pair Of breaks and other accidents
and keeping the service on an orderly
basis. From these chiefs the ONCE
managers are usually chosen. They
are the head Of the particular Office
they may be employed in, the boss Of
all the operators, and they get $50 to
$50 week.
From here your boy goes to the Of
flee of one Of the superintendent,
probably as assistant, and, finally, be-
comes superintendent himself, at a
salary Of $4,000 to $4,000 a year. The
country is divided by the two CON-
pan1es into about sixty districts, each
of which has its superintendent and
assistant, all Of which positions are
filled from the ranks Of those below.
Many Of the superintendent are only
forty to fifty years old. OF course,
there are grades Of responsibility
among these, as we'll as of rates of
pay, as, obviously, the district of New
York state Is Of more Importance than
one in less populated part Of the
country. The general superintendent,
the next higher grade, Of which there
are eight, the country being divided
into four divisions by each COM
pany, were formerly district superin-
tendents, who first became assistants
in the general offices. General super
intendents are paid something like
$4,000 annually. From this position
the next step is to a vice-presidency,
and then to the presidency.
The Western Union, under the ad-
ministration Of Mr.. Clowry, has made
it the custom to pension its employees
who have grown old in the service,
giving retired operators from $25 to
$50 a month, and superintendent up
to $780,
This, in brief, is the line of ad-
vancement that Is possible to every
one Of the 100000 telegraph operators
in commercial work in the United
States. It should be borne in mind,
however, that the earlier in life one
starts, the better; for it is said to be
practically impossible to become
proficient as an operator after he is
twenty-five
Railroad telegraphy is the same in
a general way, station and other
operators working up, perhaps,
through train dispatching at 1925 to
5000 a month, to chief dispatcher at
as high as $4,000 a year, and to super
intendent. Of telegraph at little more,
and thence into higher official posi-.
lions. For example, President A. ].
Earling Of the Chicago, Milwaukee &
st. Paul, IS former train dispatcher,
and Sir William Van Horne, one OF
the builders Of the Canadian Pacific,
also operated trains at the telegraph
key. There are but two examples of
railroad men of prominence who start
er in as small station telegraphers.
There are about 10000 operators. in
railroading today
Copyright, 1910, by the Associated Lit
erary Press)