The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-11-29

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IL Jumps Of On these sharp points and passes TO the
ground, iateruptions most frequently oo'ur nom
breaks IN the wires, caused by hail storms, or the
prssraticn Of poles, wires and ALL by the falling OF
Is l do NOT understand, from this question,
whether You wish to know how many times communi.
cations are repeated between distant points, or how
many times lines are interrupted. The latter /
could not answer; and the former l am unable to
state positively, but believe that dispatches are re-
peated some four or Eve times between here and
New Orleans; there four repettions between this
city and Halifax, and four between here and St.
Louis.
Your sixteenth and last question answer, by say
ing that it is practicable for correspondents to keep
the subject Of their dispatches from the operators
and clerks-this is attained by the use of cyphers,
which are quite extensively used between brokers
and the like, both for the purpose of concealment,
and to save expense, as they substitute word for
sentence believe this is principally done for the
latter, as persons using the telegraph must care
less about having their business exposed to opera
tors and clerks, rather better satisfied Of the
fact that graph operators and clerks, from their
constant handling and reading of messages, become
as it were dormant to the subject mentioned in the
cannot illustrate this fact; but know it to be one
from experience. During the past four years have
had charge of one or more lines, and never Us yet
heard Of the contents Of despatch being divulged
In great haste. j. Nc KINNEY.
ANSWERS FROM HOUSES PRINTING TELEGRAPH, 81
WALL STREET, NEW YORK.
l. The longest line we have is & 70 hundred miles.
Messages are transmitted that distance daily, and
might be two or three hundred more.
2. Twenty cents for ten words, and one for
each added, any distance under $50 miles, thirty
cents and two, $50 to 300; forty cents and three,
300 to 500.
8. LIST, government, (free); I'd, police; Sd, death;
18th, press all others in order received.
4, Thirty words when written in full. system
OF authorizations used in news messages say fifty
words per minute.
5. Not applicable to this line the slips being de-
livered as recorded by telegraph. specimen is
enclosed.
I. On arrival of steamers any sxdden rise or fall
in any leading article of merchandise.
8. Having no Office at the seat of government,
TO- The receipts from twenty leading commercial
houses doing business through US, average $500
each per anDum.
II. It is to quite an extent
II. There is competition on nearly all the routes
Its tendency to reduce rates has been equalized by
al increase of business. Between New York and
Philadelphia, for instance, where there are now
three lines. Probably either OF the three lines DO
more business than when one only was in operation.
Rates are unchanged.
10. A heavy thunder storm in the immediate vi
cinity of line interruption, by charging the
wires with electricity, destroying the effect produced
by that from our batteries. Other interruptions
occur from falling trees, moving buildings, and
careessness the pvrt of the people in the country
towns through which our lines pass.
IA. Our sy stem requires complete circuit, way
stations forming o part Of, not breaking the main
circuit.
I5 1t is practicable, though not of frequent oc.
currence. Correspondents often receive their own
dispatches, the contents being known only to the
operator writing them at a distant station Half
an hours practice would enable person to write
their own dispatches.
ANSWERS TO TELEGRAPH QUESTIONS NASE BY MoRs-
E's NEW YORK AND BUFFALO LINE, 10 WALL ST.,
NEW YORK.
L. al haan llv
transmitted over one continued circuit through
500 miles of wire. They sent daily, and in the
ordinary business of this line, $40 miles in single
circuit, without any re writing.
2 Tariffs OF transmission nave no certain stand
ard for computation. Competition reduces them
materially. The average estimate may be as one
cent (halfpenny) for ten miles en- local business and
seventenths of cent for ten miles for through bus
ness. The tariffs annexed to the list answer the
inquiries.
8. Reports for the press, communications relative
to sickness and DEATH and police messages, are en-
titled to pre- :edence.
sent at the rate of 1900 words per hour; when not
abbreviated, about ten words per minute. have
sent forty messages in forty consecutive minutes.
A. Noises or Bsin's telegraph CIPHER can be and
are reduced to ordinary writing at the instant they
are e:eived-s copyist writing down words dictated
to him from the slip Of paper by the operator; and
it requires skilful and rapid penman to keep pace
with the telegraphic trans mission and reading OIL by
tie receiving operator
q. Three thousand words OF public business mat
ter, and three thousand OF reported and about one
thous an words relative to line business in the daily
adjustment Of accounts, may be considered a TAR
days work.
T. During the sittirg Of conventions or elections,
or the arrival Of steamers, often from two thsusand
to eight thousand words are reported. On some
occasions Of market excitemen Mt, the private mes
ssges are nearly doubled.
8. Debates Of Congress are received at an average
Of about 800 word, per day, and transmitted at
the rate of 600 words per hour.
g. Two conventions exist between the leading
New York press (seven morning papers a9wiormins
one, and two or three evening papers the o.her),
who employ correspondents at important distant
points to collect and forward the news, and other
local agents to receive and re write on manifold
paper copy for each paper in the association, dis
tribute the same, and re send the same news to the
press at other points.
To- The telegraph correspondence oftwo or three
private houfes we could mention, amounts to about
II, 200 per annum.
IL. Between New York and Boston, and New
York and Buffalo, and south to Philadelphia, there
are three competing companies, and six wires for
each route. The tariff from New York to Boston
has been reduced 80 to 20 cents per ten words
for private messages. This is the greatest reduc'
ton made by competition
l3 During the summer, interruptions occur about
twice . week by atmospheric electricity. Some
times the irregularty OF current thus caused en-
tirey overcome by the adjusting skill Of the ope-
rator. Sometimes, during thunder storms, 1t Il
dangerous to attend to the instrument. Interrupt
tons from the falling of trees, wearing out of poles
or the effect Of violent storms, occasionally occur:
II. Light or nine breaks occur between New
Orleans and Quebec, when messages are rewritten
In good weather, only four or i've Interruption
occur between the same places.
Is. The concealment of the subject Of dispatches
is practicable, and although (unless sent in the
cyIher Of q correspondent they are necessarily
known to the operators and copyis. Of the companies
yet instances have been rare in which publicity
have been given to them.
RATES OF CHARGES on MESSAGES ny THE rELE
GRAPHS FOR THE USE or THE PUBLIC PRESS.
On reports Of Congressional proceedings and othe
news from Warrington to New York, i've cent
per word, up to the first 500 words, aud one thrt
less for all words over COO and under 1000, anC
two-thrds reduction for ali words ever 900 and NJ
to any quantity above that number. Between Phi
ladelphia and New York the House line CHARGE
one cent word fer the press. The Balm an(
Morse lines charge something higher.
telegraph lines, whose PRINCIPAL Office is at IL