The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-11-04
-Four Hundred Miles Upstairs.

n - VI - - AANAA III ALA - hAsNAa4AA ele
sReading about electricity, light
ming and the telegraph, the other
day" said Uncle Peter, reminds me
Of a curious story once heard, when
l was in England"
1t seems there was a newspaper in
the city of Glasgow, Scotland, which
employed a London correspondent,
and who made it his duty to gather
the news every day and send it to
Glasgow every night by telegraph.
He had made an agreement with an
operator at certain Office, by which
his news sent to Glasgow at redue-
ton, by The year.
One night he arrived Rt the landing
at the foot of the stairs leading up in
to The telegraph office. The door was
locked and he could not open it.
The telegraph Office was away up at
the top OF the building, in the sixth
story. The operator had bed there,
to which he retired promptly at three
O'Clock; and it was now half past
Two.
The operator upstairs yawned and
looked at his watch. sJenkins won't
come tonight" said he, 81 may as
well 90 o bed"
And there was poor Jenkins at the
foot OF the stairs, unable to get in.
"HellO! up thtre!" he cried, look
ing at the window of the telegraph Of
flee that glowed with light. "HrIIo!
Jones! Somebody has locked the
outside door, and can't get in"
"What's the row?" said police
man coming along.
Ppm locked out" said Jenkins.
"Here I've a batch of the most impOr-
tant news Tor my paper-a murder,
three fires aud a riOt-and the door
locked in my face, and can't get in.
What will l do?"
So the policeman began banging the
door, but Jones, the operator, up in
his office was as unconscious of the tu-
mutt as if it had been in the moon.
Eo was whistliGg to himself and
yawning prOdigiOusly.
"Why don't you go to some hOther
hoffice - asked the policeman.
" No authority to use any other
Iine," said the correspondent. "Ah,
I've got !" .he added, and before the
policeman could ask for what "it''
was, the excited Jenkins had dashed
off down street as if mad dog was af'
ter him.
Jenkins rushed breathless into an
other telegraph Office, six blocks off.
81 say :" said he to the operator,
"I'm in a fix! Got news to go off in
half an hour, and the stupid operator
at my Office has gone to sleep, and !
can't get in"
Dwell, that is afx."
"Tell you what l want" said Jenk.
ins, endeavoring to catch his breath,
al want you to telegraph down to
Glasgow, aud ask the operator there to
telegraph up here to Jones, and bid
him come down stairs and let me in q
The operator rOared with laughter
at this, but went at once to his instru-
ment and began ratLing away at a
great rate.
This is the message he sent.
"GIasgow, wake up Jones, Station
X; tell him Jenkins at the foot of the
stairs can't get in"
Jones was looking at his watch
again, and concluded that he had bet.
ter put out the lights and go to his lit
tie bedroom across the way, when
clatter clatter, went his instrument.
''There's Glasgow calling me-" said
Jones, and hurried to his instrument
and licked off:
'What's wanting?"
Back came the answer:
"Jenkins down stairs door fast
90 let him in"
of went Jones with a rush dowr
stairs-threw open the doOr-and a
last the anxious Jenkins got up ant
sent off his news.
So you see how a man sent a mes
sage through a solid door, and up foul
pair Of stairs, four hundred mile'
Iaround and by Glasgow and all with
in twenty minutes.
"Was MT that four hundred miles
up stairs ?"
READING Coleridge classifes readers