The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-10
THE TELEGRaPn BUSINESS.
It's Growth iEehc United Statcs-Four
Thousassllae' Five Thousand Five
Hundrd3s0fcratorsn ana Seventy Thou
sand ,silcs OF Wire.

The number of telegraph stations and opera
tors employed IN the United States is not gcner-
I ally known, even among telcgraphcrs. According
10 Official information the total number OF telc-
graph offices now laily transmitting ami receiv-
Ing messages is rs follows:
Western Union Offices, 2+60; Franklin, Atlantic
md Pacific, Pacific and Atlaltic, and Bankers ana
offices In the United States, Iol4. The estimated
nnmner il, oi private offices ut which no public
business Is received for transimisson, is 100
The number Of miles of line now in actual use ia
rs follows: Western Union Company, 5000;
i7,sco. 3d." D''nAeS "'" D'oNe'S "n" e0nee'i0hs'
The number OF persons employed Including
presidents, superlntendents. managers, opera
tors, clerks, messengers and line repairers, has
been carefully estimated ut five hundred. a
large number of g0ou operators have left the bus:
ness during the pnst few years; and in New York
there are many professional telegraphcrs engaged
in other pursuits.
THE GOLD INDICATORS.
Ahont two years ago company began the dis.
tributlon Of the little boS-lke "gold indicators"
connecting with the New York Gold Room by
and @ NJ of aese is nsr
menis placed in the counting-roonls OF sulscrib-
week for the Of this Indicator is five dollars;
and rs the company Is Mt no expense, except for
ni nn1y, 9I % .ne one operator required IN the
Within the past year q printing operator has in
vented We an Instrument for recording the prices OF
all Tie stocks called In the New York Stock En-.
change. This machine is self-recorling, and the
figures are plainly printed upon o slip OF plain
and Stock Telegraph Company;" and so useful
anu popular have these instruments become, that
tiney are to he found IN the oGes Of oil the prom
streets, and Exchange Place. Theprice per week
Ior the use of this Indicator is six dollars. The
clear profits OF this company estimated at Ave
hundred 0nu hfty dollars per day.
SYSTEMS OF TELEGRAruINo.
e Morse Syaem anr Of n%s RAPIDLY
third faster than the Morse, has been proved to
DE less Trustworthy and more expensive than the
manuscript copy or Morse operators TO the incon on
venient printed tane.like narrow strips, Of the
printing printing prominent osion
special dispatches from the Washington cores
nondent because they had been transmitted by
the printing line.
rapid "sound.reading" Morse telegraphcr
can receive from thirty five to thrty.elght words
erbe manner Witbn mem 1h 10 pspeT s IN clear
Morse Register Through which a slip OF narrow
paper was originally run by simple clock work to
use, and there are not probably half dozen OF
them now working In New York. Nearly all the
operators have learned to read the signals entire
ly by, sound; and n sIilrui telcgrapher can also
read add the SaS signals Is distinctly d by night:
operators Is fixed at Sl1s q month; but there are
a large number in New York who receive but 500.
OPERATORS.
large majority OF the more intelligent AmerI.
can operators IN the business were originally
from the country, and, until very recently, COM
paratlvely few students in the city had an oppor-
tunity to learn the business. In country oflices,
ties for young men TO learn the method OF oper-
ating; and this in measure accounts for the fact
he sms IN ane ne %u % sSe
past two years, the Western Union Company have
annually received from the public schools num-
Der OF young men, who have successfully gradu.
ated, and have taught them the business. These
youths invariably make good te!egraphers. The
send and receive message varies from two
weeks TO three months. The young learn very
does not exceed twelve Years who can tpansme MI
and receive dispatches; hut to become frst-class
sound.operator requires practice Of at least q
fond Of music, learns very rapidly; but persons
over twenty-five years OF age rarely become pro-
an exception TO this rule in this couatry.
ooson Women have @ lately been employed In American
oees ana there are on record where
news dispatches Of ten thousand words. There
are fcW, however, who are able to receive more
lour columns OF newspaper type, without relief.
NEWSPAPER DISPATCHER
IN no part OF the world Is the telegraph go lib
orally used by the newspapers as In the United
states. the greater amount OF this work Is done
at night: when the financial and commercial busl-
ness OF the day s concluded, and the various com.
panes can, therefore, AFFORD TO send news cheaply.
The num er of words contained in the press dis
patches delivered to tile different Journals in the
United States during the past year. by nll the
lines, is estimated at 400, 500 600; and the amount
OF tolls upon this class OF custom In the same
year was one million dollars.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The longest direct circuits, with which New
York operators exchange business without repe-
tition, are from New York to Chicago, Cincinnati
Louisville and Wilmington, n. G.
The Franklin Telegraph Company about one
year since adopted the use OF double transmit
ters, and are constantly working one wire to
Philadelphia and one to Boston, both ways at the
same time. This invention was made by DR.. Gin
tel, OF Germany. few years ago, and has proved
decided success. There is scarcely day In the
yenr but this company work these Instruments
upon this system Without serious interruption by
storm.
Within the past two years several private COM.
panies or corporations have erected lines for their
own use. Ainong others are two wires recently
completed between this city and Philadelphia,
one for Smith, Randolph & Co., brokers, OF New
York, and Harrison Brothers 4 Co., dealers in
paints. oils, &c. No public business is transacted
over these wires, which are owned and managed
exclusively by these firms.