Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-23
VETS" UNDAUNTED
BY FOOL QUERIES
information Men and Train
Callers Handle Flood OF
Questions
PUBLIC A QUEER BIRD

why are railroad information clerks
and train callers, and whence ana
whittier bound?
One employed in this city has been
ten and one half years in the service
and he has rented Il house three blocks
from the insane asylum at Norristown'
A second, who has been thirty seven
years on the job. keeps his mental bal
ance by calling trains most of the time,
exploding internationally At the public
the information they used 10 squeeze
out Of him at the rate of 700 inquiries n
day
A third. who ia but forty seven years
old. has been in the railroad service
with hs fellow Reading employees for
some thirty three years, md he, also
prefers to call trains rather than hav"
10 face the daily round Of inquiries at
the Reading Terminal,
The man first mentioned is Waiter
Amolc. who answers most OF the queries
at the new inquiry booth. second floor.
Reading Terminal. He figures he an.
swers at least 700 questions day, and
in rush periods as high as 5000 one
way or the other, according as verbal
reply or time table Is wanted. lie
has TO consult about 200 different pigeon
holes for schedules of different kiuds.
roads just as freely as about his own
company.
Has Long Record
Frank Althouse. Of 227 West Tucker
street, the man who calls trains on the
trainshed floor. is just sixty years old.
When he began as information man Mt
the Terminal in 1893 the main waiting
room was not finished. Where the new
information booth is and has been for
lust four weeks. there used to be
combined ticket office. information room
and parcel checking establishment. In
September Of that year the main waiting
room was opened.
Althouse Is the real veteran Of the
place, and he says he Is young yet.
Some Of the things that keep him young
he admits. are the cverchanging styles.
"Why, you ought to have seen last
Sunday" And Mr.. Althouse went
on to describe thc costume Of fair
passenger from New York. she ap-
poared to be. or. strictly lady like, SO
far as I could judge, he said. but she
had very little TO conceal. Times sure
have changed
Then there is John Wambold, forty
seven years old. who began as mes.
scnger boy at fourteen. lie lives at 1Ol:
Fanshawe street He has worked as
a clerk in a dispatCher'S office, and al
other odd jobs connected with railroad
ing. For twenty years he has played
second trombone for Mr.. AlthOuse.
All three of these information anc
annunrintion experts agree that the r"a
pest Of their lives il the man who travels
about once in seven years.
Few Are Regulars
"You pretty nearly have to help then
bodily onto their trains. said Mr.
Althousc. You do that. said MIR
Wambod. Regular passengers Enow
about where they'r going and go there.
said Mr.. Amolc, but some travellers
live down in the old burg they were
born in until they save 81 900, 900 ant
then thcv ncgotiat" Tor fifty cents wortl
Of train ride. say TO Manayunk. Ther
they go back home and think they VI
seen America.
Observations Of Mr. AmolP in actor
indicate that he is patient with all kind
of injuries. however. from the bes
train TO Wilkes Barre 10 the time sucf
and such express will get in. Daylight
saving Is an added woe which will JAZZ;
Nd the complex schedule of Jersey train:
next Sunday. Nor he nor Mr.. VAN
bold nor Mr. AlthOuse will have tewe
gray hairs In September than are visible
now II is the way Of the travelin!
world