Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-06-20
FOUR HUNDRED MILEs UP
ATAIR8.

"Reading about electricity, light
ming, and the telegraph, the other
day." said Uncle Peter, 'ssreminded me
of curious story once heard, when |
was in England" ..
It seems there was newspaper In
the city of Glasgow. in Scotland, which
employed q London correspondent.
Tho correspondent made it his duty to
gather the news every day and send 1t
to Glasgow every night by telegraph.
He made an arrangement with the
operator ut a certain office, by which
news was sent to Glasgow at 4 reduc-
duction by the year.
One night he arrived at the lower
door, at the foot of the stairs leading
up into the telegraph office. The door
was locked, and he could not open IL.
The telegraph office was way up to
the top of the building, In the sixth
story. The operator had q bed there,
to which he retired promptly at three
O'Clock, and it was now half-past two.
The operator up stairs yawned and
looked at his watch. "Jinkins won't
come tonight" said he; a. may as
we'll go to bed" And there was poor
Jinkins all the. time pounding away
on the door at the foot Of the long
stairs, unable to get in.
"Hillo, up there :" he cried, looking
at the window of the telegraph office,
that glowed with light. "Hillo. Jones !!
Somebody has locked the outside door,
and can't get in."
"What's the row?" said police
man coming along.
Pm locked out" said Jinkins.
"Here I've got batch Of the most i'm
portant news for my papers, murder,
theee fires, and a riot-and the door
locked In my face, and can't get in.
What will / do?"
So the policeman began banging the
door, but Jones, the operator, up In
his office, was as unconscious of the tu-
multi as If It had been In the moon. He
was whistling to himself and yawning
prodigiously.
"Why don't you 60 to some hother
hofflce ?" asked the policeman.
"No authority to use any other
line," said the correspondent. "Ah!
I've got it :" he added, and before the
policeman could ask what it was, the
excited Jinkins dashed of down the
street as If q mad dog was after him.
Jinkins rushed breathlessly into an
other telegraph office six blocks off.
"I say" said he to the operator,
"rm In fix. Got news to 60 of
inside of halt an hour, and the stupid
operator at my office has gone to sleep,
and can't get in-and-and-and-"
4, Wall t6ot Ia n fix ~
"Tell you what l want, said jim
kins, endeavoring to catch his breath; ;
~ want you to telegraph down to
Glasgow, and ask the operator there to
telegraph up here to Jones, and bid
him come down stairs and let me in"
The operator roared with laughter
at this, but went at once to his instru-
ment and began rattling away at a
great rate.
This Is the message he sent:
"Glasgow. Wake up Jones, Station
X. Tell him Jinkins 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
little bedroom across tho hallway,
Wneu cIatteI, Ciattei, "eus Ills hA'sA"
ment.
"There's Glasgow calling me-" said
Jones, and hurried to his Instrument
and ticked off:
whats wanting?"
Back came the answer:
"Jinkins down stairs-door fast
let him in"
OF went Jones down stairs with a
rush; and at last the anxious Jinkins
got UP and sent off his news.
So YOU see how man sent q message
through solid door, and up four pairs
of stairs, four hundred miles around,
by way of Glasgow, and all within
twenty minutes.
Wasn't that four hundred miles up
stairs?