The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-07-14
BY MARTIN MoRIARTY

IN the time CLOCK the Shutfllne
old man with the stolid expires.
sion of the oldtimer who has served
his twenty-one years in the army
was Watkins, No. 939. In the pa
per cable department of Jolson and
Killicks, Electrical ENGINEERS, Inc.
he was old Sam. When a rush made
him excited he shouted too many
orders. Then he became bloody old
Sam.
But labels, whether from fellow
worker or time clock, did not worry
Sam. He plodded round the shop,
chewed richly colored plugs of to-
bacco contentedly, frightened bolts on
the cable drums, taking a just pride
in the record of Watkins No. 939.
who had punched the time clock ten
minutes late only once in fifteen
years.
Sam was good worker. So ruth
lessly had army discipline been
ironed into him that he had learned
to do what he was told without
question. He had learned to move
with the mass without concerning
himself over the wisdom of the
movement. His life as a soldier had
been planned with the precision of
time-sheet, from "reveille" to
lights out" So, if he was asked
TO get through with a job by 1890
ne would report ready for the next
one at 1925. He would never sneak
out two minutes before quitting time
TO wash his hands. He would wait
FOR the siren. True, like the others
ne went outside for smoke in the
morning. But the toilet attendant
was never obliged to call 1889" to
remind Sam that his eight minutes
we're up. Sam was a goo d
worker.
Sam always swung a wrench in
his hand in his wanderings round
he shop. His job was to supervise
gangs of five or six men as they
1nwomd psper-lapped cable into
he picking tank. At stated peri
DDS of the day, in accordance with
an instruction slip given him by the
shop foreman, Sam would let out the
Ill in the tanks and adjust the heat
ng apparatus. Then the foreman
would give him a gang.
A drum of paper-lapped cable
would be pushed into position, and
loisted on a pair of lifting jacks
One man would turn the drum.
Another would pull up slack cable
Two others would flake it in the bot
;om of the tank. Theirs was the
worst job. The edge of the tank
was hot and sticky with resin and
Ill. The heat would rise up from
The bottom of the tank, making the
throat dry and waiting smell of
stale smoked fish in the nose.
SAM would stand by, giving hand
where necessary. He had a
;hick, believing voice and was not
,low to shout when the foreman was
around. The gang would either
augh loudly as if they knew how
20 take a joke, or mutter something
about bloody old Sam and what he
could do with his cable drums. For
,ven though he had the patience OF
,tolidity, he could become irritated
~ trifles. If a new man wanted to
lie tag on a cable end, Sam would
ell him to get out of the way. He
liked to tie the tag himself.
Newcomers to the factory would
ind Sam interesting and amusing
They would wonder sometimes at his
absorption in a world of wrenches
md cable drums. If they wanted
% razz him, they would quote the
.emark of an office clerk who once
laid that Sans coming was herald
ID half an hour in advance. He did
possess rather a full nose. It-was
broad and pugnacious. 1t was the
lose of a private who had drunk
,eer in the army canteen for TWEEN
y-one years.
His eyes were pale blue and wat
,ry--the eyes of the city, dull, life
ess, seeing nothing but cable drums,
vrenches and time sheets. His mis-
ihapen teeth were stained dull
,rown from chewing many plugs of
.obacco. Two front teeth were
missing, which accounted for
slight lisp in his believing voice.
The few strands of colorless hair on
his head were brushed into a mill
AIRY quiff. The "quiff" would show
beneath the peak of the old cap
thrown on the back of his head.
For fifteen years Sam had obeyed
orders, frightened bolts and organ
zed vacuum tank gangs till he per-
formed his job as naturally and
mechanically as he shined officers
shoes and cleaned latrines in the
army.
THEN the job changed.
Jolson and Killicks had made
handsome profits for several years.
Engineers were recognizing the
shop machinery. New equipment
lid better work with less men. On
The latest model paper cable lap
ping machines electric clocks we've
Installed. They stopped when the
rachine stopped. On slip of pa
per attached to the clock the driver
wrote down the reason for the stop
page. Four speed men were fired
:hev were no longer necessary.