The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-10
THE TELEGRAPH BUSINESS.
It's Growth in the United States-Four
Thousand Offices, Five Thousand Five
Hundred Operators and Seventy Thou
SO nd Miles of Wire.

SO nd Miles of Wire.
The number Of telegraph stations and opera
tors employed in the United States is not gener-
ally known, even among telegraphers. According
TO official information the total number OF tele-
graph Offices now daily transmitting and receiv-
ing messages is as follows
Western Union Offices 1869; Franklin, Atlantic
and Pacific Pacific and Atlantic and Bankers and
Brokers' line offices, 545; total number OF public
orices in the United States, 4ol4. The estimated
number OF private offices, at which no public
business is received for TRANSMISSION, Is 100
making grand tot Il OF Ala.
The number OF mi es Of line now In actual use is
as follows: Western Union Company, 81, oss;
Franklin, Atlantic and Pacific, Pacific and Allan
tic, and Bankers and Brokers', and co nections,
1850.
The number Of persons employed, including
presidents, superintendents, managers, opera
tors, clerks, messengers and line repairers, has
been carefully estimated at five hundred.
large number OF good operators have left the bus-
ness during the past few years; and In New YORK
there are many professional telegrapners engaged
In other pursuits.
THE GOLD INDICATORS
About two years ago company began the dis
tribution of the little boX-like "gold indicators y
connecting with the New York Gold Room by
telegraph; and at the present time there are one
ments placed in the counting-rooms OF subscrb-
ers throughout New York. The price charged per
week for the use Of this indicator Is hve dollars;
and as the company is at no expense, except Tor
the salary OF the one operator required in the
Gold Room, the profits are very large.
Within the past year printing operator has in
vented an instrument for recording the prices OF
all the stocks called in the New York Stock EX-
change. This machine is self-recording, and the
figures are plainly printed upon slip OF plain
paper. The name OF this company Is the "Gold
and Stock Telegraph Company;" and SO uselul
and popular have these instruments become that
they are to be found in the offices Of all the prom
inent bankers and brokers OF Wall and Broad
streets, AID Exchange Place. The price per week
for the use OF this indicator is six dollars. The
clear profits OF this company are estimated at hve
hundred and fifty dollars per day.
SYSTEMS OF TELEGRAPHING.
The Morse system Of telegraphing has rapidly
superseded all others. The House a. Phelps COM
bination printing sytem, although about cce-
third faster than the Morse, has been proved TO
be less trustworthy and more expensive than the
latter. The newspaper press generally prefer the
manuscript copy Of Morse operators to the incon-
venient printed tape-ike narrow strips, OF the
printing instruments. A prominent T. Soston Bost0n
special dispatches from the Washington cores
pondent because they had been transmitted oy
the printing line.
can receive from thirty five to thirty EIGHT words
minute and transfer them to paper IN clear.
iegible manner. Within the past five years the
Morse Register Through which slip OF narrow
paper was originally run by simple clock work TO
obtain the characters) has gone entirely out OF
use and there are not probably half a dozen OF
them now working in New York. Nearly all the
operators have learned to read the signals entire
" by sound; and skilful telegrapher can also
read the signals distinctly by night.
? The salary Of frst-class Morse s0und-reading
operators is fxed at $11S month; but there are
q large numbec in New York who receive but 500.
OPERATORS.
A 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 offices,
where business is light, there are unusual facill-
ties for young men to learn the method OF oper.
ating; and this in measure accounts for the fact
that the more skilful and proficient come from
the small stations in the interior. Within the
past two years, the western union company nave
annually received from the public schools num-
ber Of young men, who have successfully gradu-
ated, and have taught them the business. These
youths invariably make good tele' 'aphers Inc
time necessary for person te .rn % now 10 10
send and receive message va. from two
weeks to three months. The youLe earn very
rapidly. There are many children whose age
does not exceed twelve years, who can transmit
and receive dispatches; but to become hrst-class
sound-operator requires practice Of at least
year and half. A good musician, or any one
fond of music learns very rapidly; but persons
over twenty-five years OF age rarely become pro-
fcent In telegraphing. II is believed there Is not
an exception TO this rule IN this coustry.
Women have lately bee? employed in American
Offices and there are instances on record where
one Of them has received and copied by sounu
news dispatches Of ten thousand words. There
are few, however, who are able to receive more
than six thousand or seven thousand words, or
four columns Of newspaper type, without relief.
NEWSPAPER DISPATCHES.
In no part Of the world is the telegraph so 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 is concluded and tho various COM
panies can therefore, afford to send news cheaply.
The number Of words contained in the press DIS
patches delivered TO the different Journals in the
United States during the past year. by all the
lines is estimated at 400, 500 00o 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, y. {.
The Franklin Telegraph Company about one
year since adopted the use of double transmit
tiers, 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
a decided success. There is scarcely day In the
year but this company work these instruments
upon this system without serious interruption by
SS:.urii.
Within the past two years several private COM
panes or corporations have erected lines for their
own use. Among others are two wires recently
completed between this city and Phlladelpnla,
one for Smith, Randolph & Co., brokers' OF New
York, and Harrison Brothers & Co., dealers IN
paints, oils &c. No public business is transacted
over these wires, which are owned and managed
exclusively by these firms.