Copyright © 1998, Neal McEwen
This
card was issued to John F. Bell, a station agent and telegrapher for the
Frisco railroad. Often times Western Union would have a small telegraph
office inside a train depot. The railroad's telegraph operator would handle
Western Union telegrams in addition to his regular duties as a telegraph
operator. Western Union gave the railroad telegraph operator 10% of the
cost of the telegram in exchange for his services.
Also in return for the service, Western Union issued credit cards to the operators. It is not really a credit card, but a frank. The holder could use telegram services as well as any of the services so stated on the back of the card without the need for payment. The numbers in the upper right corner suggest that the card was valid from 1969 through 1971.
The front side of the card states, "This Credit Card authorizes the
acceptance without prepayment at Western Union offices of Telegrams, Cablegrams
and Radiograms."
Cablegrams
are telegrams transmitted via under sea cable, usually between contintnents.
Radiograms are telegrams transmitted via radiotelegraph, usually by a coastal
station to ships at sea. The back side of the card states, "This credit
card is good for all Western Union transmission services including: CANDYGRAMS,
DOLLYGRAMS, FLOWERS-BY-WESTERN UNION, MELODYGRAMS, PERFUME-BY-WIRE, TELEGRAPHIC
MONEY ORDERS. Good also for Messenger Errand Service."
Mr. Bell was the agent / operator for the Frisco in Sherman, Texas for many years. He went to work for the railroad at an early age as a telegrapher, was called to service in WWII as a radio operator and returned to work for the Frisco. Mr Bell recently visited me and saw my collection of telegraph instruments and related paper items. He suggested that I should have his Western Union credit card for my collection and a few days later, he mailed it to me.