The series is a true trip back in time which describes the life and times of the Morse telegrapher- an occupation which was vitally important in the first phase of electrical communication technology. I wish to thank the author for his permission to publish the series in web format. This is by far the most historically significant addition to Telegraph Lore, and I hope that the interested reader will appreciate the author's intent to document the history of the Morse telegraph and its importance to society during its heyday in the 19th and 20th centuries. The original three-part format was retained.
Some images are clickable for a closer look.
The instrument in the triangular shaped box is a Morse sounder, or receiving instrument, with its traditional tobacco can behind it to change its tone from adjacent instruments. A conventional sending key is directly below it at the right. Operators averaged sixty messages an hour on heavy load wires.