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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 4, 1907)
n TTTK OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: AUGUST 4, 1007. Telegraphy a Slep by Which Aen Rise in the World of Business ' J $;J . ... I ( r f A EUGENTD tUVAl A. B. SMITH. E. H. WOOD. x a PHILIPPL HOBERT W, BATES. JOHTf TETAEJX nr a vtr - vi . . t Hvvr. wisxii i hit-ii, uigii in m com" I merclal affairs of this busy Ufa Dient In handling the telegrapher's kry? The number Is legl n. and Tight her In Omaha may b found many urcesful biulnesa men who ma. Jo their beginning by earning wages In sending tnrai;s when mare boys. Many farm lad has hung around th railroad station during the long winter nights and listened to the dots and daihes as they come over the wires, and under the tutelage of tha patient night operator who. In the olden times waa not overburdened with business, has learned a trails which was sufficient to am him a good living and throw him among associates who would boost him on ward and upward until he enters the com mercial world and soon occupies an enviable position with a sufficient Income: to provide for all wants. The click of the sounder baa a fascination for the youth and he la soon eager to learn what all those sounds mean. 'With a little help It Is but a short time before he Is able to serd a few words snd then the rest conies. Telegraphy offers higher wages at the start than many other kinds ef work which the youth might engage in and to the ambitious It is a great stepping stone to something better in the future. Many men will tell you that telegraphy Is a great training for the boys as It make them alert and attentive to the call of duty, as when the Instrument clicks, there must ba no delay, but the business at hand must be attended to Immediately. Men holding some of the highest salaried positions In Omaha made their start at telegraphy and orae of the most successful buslnesa men oi the city were at one tune telegraph operators. Ij. M. Talmage, assistant cashier ef tha United States National bank, has been con nected with that bank for Just twenty years, but he got his start in a business way from telegraphy. .He learned dots and dashes In a school during vacation time In Brooklyn, and then secured a Job as an perator. working with the Western Union tn.TSSl. 1S3 and 1SS3, when he went Into the Kkv Tork Office of the Union Pacific. In be moved to Omaha to enter ths audi tor's department. ' where he worked until 1887 when he entered the United States Katlonal bank. He is a member of the Old tima Telegraphers and Historical associa tion. . 'While clerking In a dry goods stora J. Ok Phillippt, assistant general freight agent of the Missouri Pacific, spent his spare momenta In learning the use of the teleg rapher's key. or, rsther. to read the tape, for it was not until sfterward that Mr. Phlillppl could read by sund. He tells an Interesting story of the way he was com pelled to learn to red by sound. He says the boss simply took tt; tn;e out of the machine and told him to lenrn the sound or lose bis Job, so there was nothing left for him to do but to learn to read. He worked at Stayestown. on the old Pennsyl vania line, between Pittsburg and Philadel phia, in the Allegheny mountains. After he had become a full-fledcred operator he hranchd out as operator, dispatcher, local agent snd on and up until he Is nw ssflKt ant general freight agent of the Missouri Paclne In Omaha. P. C. Holllnger Is Indebted for his start In the telegraph business to the wife of a former manager of the Western Union In Omaha, who taught him the code during vacation time. After he had learned to manipulate a key he worked in the lecal of fices of the Western Unlen for five years and was then chief aperator of the Postal Telegraph corrtpany for one year, after which he went into the brokerage business. He la now general manager for Logan A Bryan, grain and stock brokers. Tom Collins Havens learned to telegraph at Elyrla. O.. in the office of the Lake Shore road. His first move was to Omaha, where he landed In 1877. He went to work for the Union Pacific and was with that road for thirteen years "until he went into the coal business for himself. He worked both at the headquarters and as telegraph operator and ticket agent at the Union station. Three small boys thought they would like to be telegraphers, so they Installed a wire between their homes and, buying some instruments, learned the business. One of these was Elmer H. Weed, general freight agent of the Union Pacific. That was In 1X75, and as soon as he had learned the code Mr. Wood secured a position in a rail road office, where he worked for eight years. He then went into the office of the general agent of the Union Pacific at Chi cago, where there was a direct line with the Union Pacific offices in Omaha, and on this line Mr. Wood worked until he started on his upward career, which has landed him at tha head of the freight department of one of the greatest freight-carrying reads in the country. Eugene Duval,. assistant general western agent of the Milwaukee at Omaha, never did lenrn the telegraph business he wss like Topsy and "Just growed" Into tha business. "I don't remember ever trying to learn telegraphy," said Duval. "My father was a station agent and I was born in a railroad station. I guess I must have Just picked up the code like other children learn to talk." Mr. Duval took his first Job when he was 15 years of age as night telegraph operator on the Grand Trunk. While working nights he learned short hand, and was soon able to take the posi tion as stenographer to the superintendent of the Wabash at Peru. Ind. He then moved to Omaha to work in the office of the general superintendent of the Union Pacific In 1W5. Mr. Duval went with tha Milwaukee In 1892 as stenographer and op erator, after which he was contracting agent until he was promoted to his present position as assistant general western agent. Frank Walters, general manager of tha Chicago & Northwestern lines west of the Missouri river, is a splendid example of a man who has risen fast from the ranks of telegraphers. He entered the afflce of a railroad company as a car checker, one of the easiest of clerical positions, and has risen step by step until he now holds one of the highest offices of a great railroad system. While checking cars he learned the code and was soon made an, operator. He was then made an operator and train dispatcher of the Illinois Central, working up until ho was chief train dispatcher and then chief clerk to the general manager of the Burlington. Cedar Rapids and North era: superintendent of the same road; di vision superintendent of the Rock Island; assistant division superintendent on tha Northwestern; superintendent of the Sioux City division of the Northwestern: assist ant superintendent of the Nebraska v and Wyoming division, and then general man ager. Edgar Allen of the wholesale grocery firm of Allen Brothers company started in life as a telegrapher and he thinks his early training in that line had a great deal to do In fitting him for the business of after life. "There is something about the busi ness which makea. a man alert." said Mr, Allen. "Something which keepa htm on tha lookout for what tha next move will be and I think a short course In telegraphy would be good training for any youth." When but 18 years of age, Mr. Allen waa dispatcher between Cincinnati and Lafay ette, a distance of 110 miles. Mr. Allen learned the business in 1872 and In 1880 was vl&'K yniiK 3lv -''-Mv NSS NX XIfK xn FRANK WALTERS. with tha Union Pacific. The last worle Mr. Allen did was at the time of the as sassination of Garfield. Mr. Allen and his) brother were Just organizing their busl ness, which has now grown to such mam moth proportions, and he had - quit tha Western Union office when the news cam of the assassination of President Garfield. The manager of the Omaha office sent fof Mr. Allen and prevailed upon htm to re turn and help out In the rush of buslnesa which was going over the wires incident ta the assassination of the president. He (I'd tha work and that Is the last telegraphing Mr. Allen has ever done. He still' delights to hear the messages as they fly across the country and relates several Interesting incidents of hearing peculiar messages aa they were sent from hotel corridors. Luther Drake, president of the Merchant National bank, did his first work for wage s a telegraph operator, working at the kef from the age of IS to 17 years. Mr. Drake) la a firm believer in every boy having some thing to do so, "when a boy has to da something he has to do the best that ta presented for him to do," it became the lot of Mr. Drake to work at telegraphy for tha (Continued on Page Five.) GEORGE WEST. LUTHEH BPkAKB. FT? A NTT 7. UlTHRLrTT. .;n.-V 7 EDGAR ALLEN. FRANK C. HOLLINGER. T. C. HAVEHSl Magic of Electric Current Adapted to Restoration of Old Silverware o NB of tha great uses to whteh be plated, that item alone constituted no the solution. When watching the gradual electricity la put is in electric small matter, and formed the nucleus and mysterious process for tha first time, plating in gold, silver, copper, around which has been built up the Omaha and aeclng an old and worn article turn brass, nickel, etc Electric plat- Silver company. There Is no class of into a new and bright one as If by magic, ing la the art of coating metals work in silver, geld, nickel, copper or one may, especially If he happens to be with metals by means of electrolysis. Al- brass plating that canol be done by the of a poetical turn of mind, think of Paul's though the term is only generally applied Omaha concern. words, "when this mortality shall take on to the coating of articles with silver it ta one of the most Interesting features of Immortality and thla corruption shall take nevertheless quite applicable to the coat- the Industry is the way an article to be on lncorruptlon," For if spirituality could be Ing of metals with gold, copper, nickel or plated la handled from tha time It la taken attributed to things inanimate, this would other metala. Electric, plating la appll- into the factory until it Is turned out aa certainly be considered a spiritual operation, cable to all kinds of metallic articles from gooi M new. First, It Is put Into a strip- After the article receives a certain a needle to a statue, either to protect tha ping solution. In which tha electrical cur- amount of plate It is taken out and passed real surface from decay, or to beautify rent Is reversed to negative. This process through cold water solutions. If a bright nd ornament. The art la practiced to a strips the article of all tha old silver. Then silver finish Is desired it Is taken to tha very considerable extent In all civilised it is sent to the buffing department, where burnishing department, where the sliver Is countries, and had Its origin in England, it is handled on felt and walrus-hide hardened and brightened by hand. Tha It may not be generally known, but one of wheels and buffed down perfectly smooth, article Is entirely gone over with a small tha largest industries In that line In tha it is then returned to tha solution room, steel and bloodstone burnishing instrument, middle west Is located In Omaha. where It la dipped In a hot solution of which hardens tha silver on tha metal, la Tha Omaha Silver company, which waa cyanide of potassium, which removes all addition to giving It a bright finish. It started something over a year ago, has foreign substancea from the metal. After Is then taken to tha buffing department 'l How It Came In. How It Went Out. EXAMPLE OF REPAIR WORK DONE BT OMAHA SILVER COMPANT. la no other factory this side of New Tork pleta brass repair and finishing depart- that does this kind of work, and henca it menu in tha west. la not surprising that much of their work When tha art of electro plating In this line comes from localities far In Its Infancy many people seemed ta distant. Thla concern prides Itself on entertain a sort af horror or at least being able ta take any metal article, re- prejudice against having tha old family gardless of what is destroyed, replaoa tha silver ware electro plated. Perhaps It destroyed part and build tha article up had been handed down from generation to aa good aa new. Tea and coffee pots generation and tha thought of having It that have been partly destreyed by having plated seemed sacrilegleus. That feeling been set on a hot stove, often having has eventually passed away and tha holes burned In them, always come out average, woman now feels that silverware, of the factory In good shape to with- that perhaps came aver In tha Mayflower . stand for another period the abuses af tha and which la battered and tarnished with servant girl. They also make a specialty long years at use or misuse, may be taken of repairing articles of brass, such as to tha factory and electro plated and made automobile lamps, which, after having as good as the day It waa used on PrlsclUa'a been badly smashed or tarnished, can be table, without any disrespect to departed made to look like new; and, by tha way, ancesters. And that this la being done is some very hopelesa looking cases In tha perfectly apparent from an inspection of way of disfigured automobile lamps and the shelves at the Omaha Silver company, fixtures have found their way Into tha The utmost cara must always be taken grown to be one of the Important Indus- this it is put through two or three washes again, where, by the use of very soft . k,.i, ahh .m ran h dirkened Watrous Manufacturing company of Dea Omaha Silver company's establishment at to protect tha men In tha plating depart- trlea In Omaha. It was originally started of hot and cold water and Is then placed In cotton wheels, It receives its luster. (n the ama w only u u neceasary to Moines, which manufactures an extensive South Thirteenth street, which would ment frem tha poisonous fumea which tha by the Omaha Hotel Supply company Sim- the silver solution. In this solution are Sliver work, when newly whitened and neat the metal until it Is too hot to handle, line of stamped steel hardware. The entire cause the unsophisticated, casual observer process ef electro plating causes, aa tha ply to supply the needs of that concern, hung sliver anodes 9 per cent pure. Tha polished, always looks unpleasantly white Qold 0( j an(j karat can be darkened output of this factory waa formerly electro- to mentally consign It to the Junk pile, breathing ef tha fumea ta (labia to poison but It has now grown to proportions never positlvo electrical current la then turned and glaring. Time will remedy this, but by neat ',ione ana 0ften takes a most plated in Chicago and now all comes to but which the company's facilities for the blood aa It passes through tha lungs, dreamed of at Its conception, and tha on and the article is plated with tha allver. the process can be hastened by oxidising beautiful shade' of purple if the heating la Omaha. handling repair work of this kind have Henoa ventilation Is an Important problem work for which It was exclusively Inaugur- which tha electricity takes from the anodes the surface with any of the compounda rn-ted at the right time. A velvet finish An Interesting and Important depart- enabled them to repair, electro plate, re- In the plating department. The work- ated constitutes but a small part of the and deposits upon the article. Thla aolu- of oulphur. Tha work may be exposed, ln ulalinK may b. had by the same process ment of the Omaha Silver company la finish and return to the owner aa good aa men's bands are protected by rubbet buslnesa now done by the Omaha Silver Uon. being perfectly transparent. It is po- to the fumes of sulphur or washed with used ror ft ,mooln amah, the only one dsvoted to the repairing and refinlsh- new. As ths use of automobiles In gloves, otherwise the cyanide of potassium company. Before the Omaha Hotel Supply slble to see the deposit leaving the anodes the solution of any of the chemical com- difference In treatment being that a steel ing of bronie statues of every d .scrip- Omaha and vicinity has Increased the would be absorbed by the skin and cause company conceived the idea of establishing and depositing Itself on the metai The pounds of sulphur, the depth of color de- wlr, brujlh revolvln, goo tlmta per mlnut. tlon A t miny bronxe flBUre, ar, compy hM foand corresponding In- painful eoree. At present the factory t S'T1 7 , 41? " 5 T , LVlZ J,r 1- Pd1.BJ,K ?.,'tr.nr ! , , " U ,1plled 10 tb "tlcIe be,or the pUtln ol-carded because they become broken crease In the work of this character which employ- tonrt-n men. ail of whom It had all that wc.rk don. In Chicago, and drupl. etc are aecured entirely from length of time the metal 1. exposed proce gun. A special-quality of sand ind ar0 t nought to be beyond repair, th.y are called on to do. and from Urn. flrJt cUm ehemtata. and thay .nttf as that concern furnishes cabinets to ho- the length of time tha article Is left ln the to Its action. In this way colors varying , ,h. Drnr-. which la not . . . , ... . . ' . - ' . w. " tel. throughout the United States. Canada, aolutlon. and also the amount of electrical from a pal. golden straw through deep obt.lntbT. m thU ? Tof he country deprtment ' f os",on t,m8 hm7T s tu Mch J- Mexico and Australia, ail of which had to currot which is ailowed to pes. through crimson to purple and blul.h black may Jto "wprrt hJran barrel, from thoT.rt' "y br0"en 0r ! ' " WOr? 'cUltlM br,u, work- not l ut7' " " nlPF'i n-re in oarrcis rrom ino easi. flx tne ,tlU(, up M gooli new There until now they have one of the moat com- to New Zealand end Australia. t 4. - N : . . r 1 . - 1, 1 ... I TO'P'-'K I jj li I : x it j,te'HJ j ; - ) li- 1 ' .1 -rr-t 1 ' F ' ' .IB i r- .1 , . mm ' r U''V''' ' ' ' J. . . . . '..v..r "' rA&T or ths pRfsixa room, ouaba erL,vca comfakx Many people do not know that their tableware is made from Britannia metal and can be repaired and replated, even when in the worst stages of decrepitude.' so that It will be as good as new. All of the big railroads have taken hold of their own dining car system in recent years and since doing so they all have their silverware replated and repaired every year or two, which not only preserves the goods, but withi the heavy plate makes them positively better and more durable than the original article. Many of the large hotels have adopted the same policy. The Omaha Silver company takes care of the silverware of the whole Union Pacific dining car system, which Is quite an Item in itself. The sobering of allver demands the utmost care and scrupulous cleanliness of all ma terials. The parts to be Joined together must be absolutely clean that Is, scraped bright. Automatic blow pipes are uaed in soldering and the utmost care must be used not to allow a portion of the metal to grow colder than the surrounding parte, as it will cause imperfect Joints. Oxydlaed plating is something that is used in nearly every line of business today and its use is fait increasing. Many manu facturers place their article on the market la the oxydized copper finish, aa it la much more durable than the unfinished metaL All of the bank and office fixture today are treated to an electro plating of exydlsed copper or brass and then lac quered, which gives there a finish that will last for years. Lacquer la a transparent aubetance which "Is used as a finish on metal, the same as varnish Is used aa a finish on wood. Omaha la very fortunate ln having an electro plating factory that can successfully compete with the biggest Chicago con cerns and thus draw business from the entire middle west. The Omaha factory Is now doing the plating of the entire out. put of a large number of manufacturers, among the largest of which la tha E. L. " - X W'. . . 'it"' I-:. . , :t -;c" -j-1 3 -t 1', , ' 1 ' A I. ' . 4.. J 1al". ' . ' ? v-v ;'.'.. .- - t 51 si:! k i : 1 'en -.,:: M " If I - 1 j I f jr-jr u V It ! MM ' F i n I h I f I vJj r: " I t i m W M . I ID I a I k i t q - X I ' II H it n 1 r .- li i -.1 1 IS CORNER Or BATH. ROOK. OMAHA EILVKR COMPAKT.