, 1860-08-06

lowing:
uREyIIf IN DISPATCHES.
The dispatches which pass over telegraph
line in the course OF. year, if collectsd TO-
E.ther, would preEent 4 very curious aud inter-
esting volume of correspondence. Tie price
Of the transmission Of n message depending
upon the number Of words which it contains,
ot course renncrs the construction Of il ncces-
aariiy US brief as possible. Most dispatches are
contained in less than ten words (exc'usire OF
address and signature, which are not Charged
far), aud it is surprising how much matter is
often contained in this brief uumcer. A1nosg
the best examples Of brevisy "hch We have
met with, however, rre the following.
4 lady in q eighboring city. deslrons Of ns-
certaining when her husband would return
home, sent him message making the inquiry;
10 which lie responded that important business
lctaired him, md that he ccu.d rot leave fur
some daye.
The lady Immediately replied by sending him
another dispatch in tue following lacon1c nun-
ner:
At lIonx. Ausus. Ie, lss9.
R:-Dispatch received. Dcutt1on-
omy xiv. 5. {Signed,) kA1E.
The gentleman to whcm tle dispatch was ad-
dresscd, upon referring to the 1assag- IN the
Scriptures alluded to, ol:nined the following
suggestive eplstle:
..When man hath taken new wife lie shall
not 60 out to war, n<aAer shdn Ae BE- charged
trith any butinefs but he shall be free at hcme
oua year, md shaH cAefr up his uife soAich he
| h&M taktn:"
The second example is the reply sent to per-
| son in q distant city, who, having committed
some olItnse against The inws, md run away,
| wus desirous OF ascertaining II it WouEa he pru-
dent Tor him to return. lie therefore telegraph
ed in the following iaconic style:
NEW Yolk, July I. 1850.
"Io B. e. IL, Philadelphia:
II everything oks DIT. H."
To which he obtained the following brief e.
ply:
/ pa11ApzLruA, July T. 1852.
10 D. T. IL, Ne.o lork:
"Proverbs, chapt xvii. 1a. c. b."
Upon reference to Tho passage irdicu.ed, the
i1uurin2 individual oltnincd the following sntu-
able advice, which, It is to be presumed, he ful-
lowed:
IA prudent man foreseeth the evil and Ailett
Aim..tJ, but the simple pass on and are pun
SEEING rnE ELEPHANT.
Some years ago there wss joke passing
AROUND upon the different Tee ,ra. b lines, which
IVES played tT upon u good many uususpectinE
individuals, in the following manner:
"Bosrox. April it, 1865.
"ToL E. PAant, at some hotel, R<dfor5:
"Iu leaving this morning you neglected tt
take your trunk. What shall be done with il
+tApAx GoopaELL."
Dg pronouncing the name Of the party nd
! | dressed quickly aud the signature slowly, 80
luton OF the '.sell" is obtained, aud you get
view Of the elephant ut the same time.
HEADING NJ SHOCKS.
There is another mode Of receiving inte1li
ecnce in connection with the Morse lines, be
Sides those already described; namely, b,
, means OF the passage Of shocks through th'
system THIS, we presume, has often been nc
compIished By different persons, although III
hare not been knowing 10 the fact. nr. Mill
ken, of the American Telegraph Office in Boa
ton, assures us that he once read the create
= part Of despatch as it WAS passing over tht
: wires between Boston and Portland, and tha
h he henrd the Portland operator respond II
k."{ali right) to it, while be was seated On th
8 draw It II site River bridge. and held the EN-
/ Of wire in each hand, thus passing the currcn
!, through tile body, and enabling him to read til
a a letters by the duration acd number OF shock
Z which be received.
n We haze succeeded, upon several occasions
!. | in re:esiug messages in this manner, when s:
n have been At distance from an office m
> wished to obtain information in regard to th
e stats OF The line.
. Not lcng since We had been annoyed upon on
Of cur wires By u very bad earth current, an
nnne Of the re3asrers being sb e to find the di
: ccut,y, we instituted search for It. FINAL.
]. upon arriving at Nepouset, We opened the Gil
o. cut a. The draw, and inquired Of the Bosso
operator, By touching the ends Of the wire tt
..ether in the proper time, il The earth-currer
! was between us and the Boson otice, or b.
vond This be could at once tell, by my ope1
ing lhe uit-discounectiug the wires; ii
90; any magnetism when the wires we're oisco'
pccted, then the earth current was betHeen
aud The Office; if he got none, then the tEoue
kzow. He replied that he did get an earlh. GU
| rent when We opened the circuit. We asked
it was very st1vugl
s "Yes." he replied, "near:y as strong
! when you c.ose.
All this, the render will understand, we
h ceiyed through our system, and interpreted |
n the duration and number Of shocks.
.'Thtre is trouble also upon the New Bedfo
> wire." said he; IL have not had any circuit
ucsrly hnlf N hour"
II We then sent an order for line repairer
- 20 out at once and repair that fine, and then
Commenced our Investigations into the locati
of the eartb.current, which NC shortly a{t&
wards succeeded in finding.
~ PRACTICAL JOKING 1T TELEGRAPu.
Some ten years OF more ago there WAS up
g. the New York and Washington telegraph Ii
n at the Philadelphia station, an operator nan
~ Tbayer, who besides being IN adept at the /
sinvss, was gentleman Of culture and wit, .
exceedingly fond Of joke, no matter at VIII
exueuse, At the New York terminus of
line there was, upon The contrary, stea
| mRtter-of. fact sort OF man, who Was no app
Oh ciator Of Jokes, and neser praclised them.
IN. President Of the line was Hon. y. B. Fren
for many years Clerk Of the House OF Rep
sentatives at Washington; n wit, poet aud
.nt 1norst, Of course he appreciated hunor wh
uuro | ever he came across It.
uyc, Thayer took it into his head one day to 81
rms a dispatch TO soma fictitious name in n. II
. =. for tie purpose Of enjoying a Tough At the
= pense of the operator al New York. Acce
ID ,nvIy be composed and forwarded the foil
ing: p,,., ..,,, ,s
A'1' tn Mr. Jonea New York
send ne tsn dola At once 10 that esn get my elo
~ fxsncdt 1CL
Nv: IS voris-col Get 81 cents
fi but The operator 1t New York, not suspec
Wing apy Joke, asked the Philadelphis operator
t'c,: the address.
:e1.: The Philadelphia operator replied that -
::aps ~ Young lady didn't leave sny;" and asked
M. -5. 10 look in tho directory for It.
"a Tbs New York operator replied that he
ee 70 already done 80, but ~ there wsre over = t.
a. sand Jones In the directory, be MAS 1t
40, to know which one to seud it to.
HTf that is the case" says Th1yer, " you