THE OPERATOR.
Where the work of the Dispatcher is considerable, he will require the aid
of one or more operators in the work connected with the transmission of
orders. In view of the importance of his duties and of the fact that he
may in turn become Dispatcher, the operator should be selected with care.
He too should have a clear head and correct habits, be a good pen-man, an
expert telegrapher and a sound-reader. It will be his duty to transmit
the orders, or write them down as transmitted by the Dispatcher, and
to follow them through the subsequent steps until the process, up to
delivery, is complete. He should not be charged with message or clerical
work where it may interfere with his principal duty.
The station operator who receives the orders must also have part in the
subsequent steps, and on him is placed the duty of delivery. Besides
the personal and professional qualifications required for the other, he
should, with him, be thoroughly conversant with the rules and methods
prescribed for this service, as well as with the time-tables and general
train rules and the character and designations of the trains. A station
operator may do much to keep business moving by advising the Dispatcher
of arrivals, delays, and other things occurring near him, which have a
bearing on train movements, but which the letter of his instructions may
not require him to report. One who does this intelligently prepares and
recommends himself for advancement.
It is quite important that operators be impressed with the gravity of
the work in hand. Their apprenticeship and training should be such as
to assure this as far as possible, and before appointment they should
be thoroughly examined as to their qualifications in all respects, and
afterward constantly supervised by competent officials. Young persons
readily learn to telegraph, and the lowest compensation paid is something
considerable to the youth just leaving home, while the salaries usually
paid to railroad operators are not such as to offer fair inducement to
men of years and experience to accept or retain these positions. Hence
many of our operators are comparatively young. It is no disparagement to
them to say that they have not ordinarily the steadiness of character and
sense of responsibility which we expect in maturer years. Without these
it is difficult for them to have a proper conception of the magnitude
of the interests dependent on their attention to their duties, and of
the importance of exactly carrying out details which to them may seem
almost trivial. We have here a cogent reason for so systematizing this
business as to render the working of it as nearly automatic or mechanical
as possible, and thus eliminate as far as practicable the risk arising
from the deficiencies of the human agency. In all systems worked by man
this risk will be found. Better pay will procure better men, greater care
and greater conscientiousness. Men laboring for a bare pittance and with
little hope of advancement in the future do not usually cultivate these
qualities to the highest point. Thus we are brought to one of the many
points where the balance must be constantly sought between economy of
expenditure and security of management. Each railroad officer must work
it out for himself.
Operators should aim at a high standard of qualification and attention
to duty. If the result is not greater remuneration in this service,
their efforts may be rewarded by promotion in other directions. Reliable
men are always wanted, and the consciousness of doing one's best is a
source of satisfaction of more value than money. A careful study of their
special work will develop a sense of its importance, leading to better
attention to duties and preparation for advancement. Operators will
therefore do well to make themselves masters of their business, rather
than rest satisfied with a merely mechanical attention to prescribed
methods, without an intelligent apprehension of their significance.
Telegraph offices should be carefully guarded against the intrusion of
outsiders or employés off duty. Conversation or other interruptions may
distract the attention at a critical moment and cause an operator to
write an order incorrectly or allow a train to pass which he should stop.