Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1912-08-15

great trans-continental railroad sat
the lonely night operator, his ears
strained to catch every dot and dash
and his eyes glued to the spot, now
nothing bua blot of murky darkness,
where he knew the flashing headlight
of the Overland Limited would first
meet his gaze. Around about, through
the partly opened window, the onlt
sounds were the dismal hoWlings OF
the coyotes and the sWishing OF the
wind through the ravines. The in
terror OF the station was poorly illum-
mated by the fitful glare of smoky
kerosene lamp. 1t was no easy mat.
ter to keep ones senses alert under
such conditions Suddenly the sta
ton call came in on the sounder - :
SX.SX it clicked. The drowsy oper,
ator sat up with start"
No more will the romantic writer
picture such scenes, for, with the
continued and steady introduction Of
the telephone on railroad systems for
handling and controlling the move.
ments Of trains, such conditions will
| be things OF the past within a very
short time. So does the halo of 70.
nance, with which the night telegraph
operator of the plains and the wilder
ness has been surrounded, fade be-
| ha o1y- Of ha
bright and more efficient light of
modernism.
The new order of things makes it
Perfectly feasible to do away with the
night operator at the isolated way
stations. A Western Electric Com
pany railway specialist recently men
toned the fact that one railway sys-
TEN, to which he had sold telephone
train dispatching equipment, had done
just this thing and that each passen-
ger and freight conductor has been
furnished with so-called master
key" for the stations along the line
to enable him to enter, lift the tele.
phone receiver from the hook, put
himself in instant communication with
the train dispatcher at headquarters,
receive his orders verbally and go on
r!a way. ae&E,. 81
hot very r'mantic bu surely eco
ntlaieal and hishly efficient
The agreement by the Senate to the
Bourne plan Of parcels post Is an ad-S
mission that it might net be safe toS
inaugurate, without al little expert
mentation, a system that would ope-S
rate satisfactorily in the limited area
Of one Of the European countries win
prove impossible and costly In % g 4
pansiYe a territory as that of the Unit
ed States, says the st. Paul Dispatch
The Bourne zone system provides for
graduated rates based upon distances.
Every postma ster must become an
expert geographer, in handling cost
proposition SO intricate, but with a
complement OF maps, charts and I'M,
dexes perhaps the average officiaI
might be able to- figure out the tar
IFS with a little experience.
Only the continental United States
is included IN the division into eight
postal zones. as provided "a the meas
ure. The country win be mapped ont
into regular quadrangles Of fixed dis
mensions, according to the latitude
and longitude and the plan win opsi
crate as follows:
The first zone will include all terri.
tory within one quadrangle, and every
adjoining quadrangle covering an area
with radius Of about fifty miles
from given center. Within this dis
lance a package may be cent for s;
cents for the first pound and 8 cents
Tor each additional pound.
The second zone wound include an
area with a radius Of about / 50 miles
from a given center. the third zone
an area with d radius Of about 300
miles from 8 given center, and SO on
up. following fixed scale, to the sevs
enth zone, including an area with a.
radius Of about ! 500 miles.
The parcels post rates would range
from 6 cents for the first pound and a
cents for each additional pound. Or 4sss
cents Tor eleven pounds. Tor the sec.
ond zone, to "A cents for the first
pound and 10 cents for each additional
pound, or 81 Al for eleven pounds
for the seventh zone. The eighth IONS;
would cover ali greater distances, and
the rate would be IL cents Il pound.
There is 4 great deal Of theory ana
very little knowledge and experience
fn tliis plan 1t has the xalue Of piacs,
sing AM business Oh 4 distance basis
and not recurring the short mileage
traffic To pay Tor The longer carriage,
as is THE case with am general postal
systerlss II looks CON licated, but "a
|rniliarlfy with The plan Nigh readily
dill YSfisA Of f'ilnfs fSkS {an4 ion Az hest Yt