The manufacture of cigars in the United States began in a small way in 1801; the first factory was built nine years later. Before the civil war this country produced less than 200,000,000 cigars; in 1875, 2,000,000,000; in 1892, 4,500,000,000. In America machinery is used for manufacturing cigars wherever possible, and the molds for shaping them are made of hard wood, sometimes partially lined with tin, and of every conceivable size and form. Cigars are composed of three parts, the cone, or filler, the binder and the wrapper. All of the very best cigars are probably made by hand. The maker rolls together, somewhat loosely, pieces of leaf placed longitudinally, and on this he places the binder, around which he carefully winds the wrapper. The only tools used by the cigarmaker are a short-bladed sharp knife, a vessel containing an emulsion of gum, and a square wooden disk, or cutting board. The maker, after molding his bunch of fillers inside the binder, shapes a portion of perfect leaf to form the wrapper. When he has rolled this around the binder he deftly trims the thick end with his knife, secures the taper end by gumming and the cigar is ready for sorting and packing.
 A DAY WITH THE CHAUFFEUR Good chauffeurs are at a premium. They can name their own salaries and almost regulate the hours they desire to work. The salaries of good chauffeurs run from $40 to $150 a month, which includes "find." The position of the chauffeur is a pleasant one. He is so many degrees above the average coachman in the social scale that he is not to be considered in the same category. The coachman may become a chauffeur, but it is not likely that the chauffeur ever will take the coachman's place. The position of chauffeur is one voting men will find worth having. Their salaries depend upon their abilities. It does not require a machinist to operate an automobile, but the man who undertakes it must be practical. He must understand every piece of machinery connected with it, so that when anything goes wrong, he can determine, by a quick examination, where the break has occurred. Then be can apply the necessary remedies and proceed as if nothing had happened. The position of chauffeur at present is largely that of an "extra engineer," when his employer is along. He sits beside the driver and watches him operate the brake, and when anything happens, leaves his place to make the required examination. There are scores of positions awaiting the bright, active young man in the agencies of the automobile factories, where by close application to work he can push himself into a foremost place. In one of the agencies in Chicago is a young colored man, a graduate of an eastern college and of a pharmaceutical institute, who concluded he wanted to try something more enticing than mixing drugs. He entered the local agency at $12 per week, studied the machines for six months with an energy that soon made him their master, and was advanced steadily until he is now getting $80 per month, in a position where work is a pleasure. The chauffeur, to be successful, must be a young man; not too young, or he will lack discretion, but young enough to guarantee that every effort he makes will be felt, and that his employer will know he intends to make the business his for life. In the agencies he is employed to watch over the machines, much as a mechanic goes over the parts of an engine. Whenever a purchaser calls, he may be sent out to "show off" the machine. This occurs occasionally, but may happen a dozen times a day. Then, when a machine is sold, the purchaser, if he intends to employ a chauffeur, usually requests the agent to direct him to a competent man to act in that capacity. Frequently it happens that the purchaser makes the offer directly to the young man handling the machine at the time, and he can name the terms or refuse, just as he pleases. This course is declared by agents to be the best for a young man to pursue if he can get into an agency, because it affords him the opportunity to study his machine. The agents prefer it themselves, because it insures a measure of protection to them, as they have the satisfaction of knowing a man is going out with the machine who understands and has faith in it. Hardly a day passes that does not bring an application or two to each agency for an experienced chauffeur. Many of these are left unfilled, because the agent will not recommend men who are not in touch with the business and have some ambition to succeed in it. Still another course is offered, however, although not conceded to be satisfactory. Young men enter the employ of firms operating automobiles for purposes of transportation. In working for such firms, however, it is held he does not learn the machine as he should, and when it breaks down, is more likely to call for help than he is to get down and find out the trouble for himself. In connection with these firms, the union with which the drivers are affiliated has established a wage scale ranging from $12 to $15 per week. In addition to considering the material phase of the chauffeur's situation, the life itself is not to be overlooked. It is largely outdoors in the open air that be spends his time. He sees the best parts of the city, the brightest side of life, as it were, as he speeds along the boulevards. In the country he enjoys the best roads, although he may occasionally get stuck in a mudhole, and feel like saying what the golfer does when he finds his ball "bunkered." He dresses for business, not like the dandified coachman, who gets his horses in readiness and then dons his best livery to make a good appearance. His livery is a good working suit and a serviceable cap, with heavy visor, and a pair of goggles to shield his eyes from the wind and dust. His face is flushed with the roses of health and his life, if he takes interest in his work, is one to be envied. With all these inducements to the young American in this new occupation, automobile managers cannot understand why it is that first-class young men are so hard to get. They observe with considerable regret that Frenchmen are coming into the country and securing the best positions, in which they are paid salaries that the average business man would consider ample remuneration for one of his head clerks. These salaries await the young man who is toiling his life away indoors, over a desk, and for a paltry sum. Then, the field is broadening each year. The majority of the factories have ceased taking orders for this year, because they cannot fill them. Next year there will be hundreds of machines put on the streets and a larger number of chauffeurs will be required. The number in the city of Chicago alone has increased 1,100 per cent in three years, and the popularity of the machines has become so great that it is believed to be only a question of a short time when the number will be reckoned by thousands instead of hundreds. A DAY IN THE TELEGRAPH OFFICE WITH THE OPERATOR |
