Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-31
ssome time aftervard was tr.nsf,,roa

some time afterward was transferred
70 the Boston office. At that time wire
NO: l, as 1t was then called, was consid.
cred the crack wire of the country Tho
fastest men were working it. For some
cause the operator in Boston RESIGNED r.
was difficult to find a man to fake h;s
place; A half dozen fellows tried it but
FOUND 1T too much for them. One after
another they dropped it like hot potato.
ana sloped wiser than when they came.
mere was man in the Office named
A A,s he thought the world of Tom
hulson, and recommended him for the
place, vouchlng for him as tirst-class
operator: =. F. Milliken, the manager.
telegraphed to the little town in Mich,
gan, asking Tom if he would come ON
ana accept the position. Tom answered.
yes, and without further words started for
Boston, via the Michigan Central and
Grand Trunk Railroads. In runnino
through Canada he got showed under
and was kept on the track in one SPOT for
tWenty-four hours, cold and hungry with
out bed. AS usual, he owned but one suit
OF clothes, and that was on his back. Tn
fortunately, it was summer suit. He
might have frozen to death had he not GOT
an old rough roundabout overcoat from a
Canuck railroad laborer. But he finally
got through all right.
s / vas in the Boston Office when be
arrived, and / must say" continued Mr..
Stewart, bringing his fist down upon the
table, he was the worst-looksng speci
men OF humanity Lever saw The mod
ern telegraph tramp isn't marker. He
wore pair of jean breeches six inches
too short Tor him, pair Of low shoes, the
Canuck jacket, and broad -brimmed
butternut hat, a relic of his life in Mem
phls. The wide rim was badlyytorn, and
hung so that you could see his ear throuob
the opening. There was the SLIGHTEST
trace of dirt on his upper lip that he
called mustache. His hair hadn't been
combed tor week, and he had the black
est white shirt that was ever seen on the
back of human being Neryouslv pinch
ing his upper lip-a habit that he had
he inquired for the manager, and was
sent to Milliken.
Are you the boss2' Tom asked. Mil
liken smiled and said he was MANAGER
Tom then introduced himself and asked
when they wanted him to 90 to work.
Milliken stared at him as though he
couldn'. believe his ears, and said AT
half-past five 1t was then we'll along in
the afternoon. Tom began to look around
the office for clock, and Milliken said:
Young man, you have to work pretty
heavy wire Tom gave what he called
his mustache an extra twist, and with all
the assurance in the world blurted out:
| All right, boss. I'll be here at half past
five He sloped so quick that it made
Milliken's head swim.
The operators burst into peal of
laughter. They have seen and heard every
thing, and their remarks were anything
but complimentary to Tom "Oh,' said
one of them, he won't last as long as
! that Jerseyman that tackled the wire the
other day. why, that fellow can't read
by paper, let alone by sound, shouted an
other. A third declared that Tom was
the worst he ever saw" and when a
fourth one wondered weather the walk
ing between Michigan and Boston wss
| very good there was general roar.
"Well," continued Stewart, ''half-past
five came, and so did Tom. Everybody
was on the qui oioe. Milliken was lust
taking from the vault the supply of
blanks for the night operators. As Tom
came up he poi.ted to pile of them,
saying: Take what blanks you want and
I'll show you your table, Tom innocent
ly picked up the whole bundle, and fol-
lowed Milliken to his table. The oper-
ators began to grin and smoker. They
all thought that he would get bounced
after trying to catch one message 1t
was the No. wire to New York. Jerry
Borst, then considered one of the fastest
senders in the country, worked the New
York end. AS Tom seated himself he
heard the call b, and turning to Milliken
asked If that was the call for Boston
Yes, replied the manager, watching
Toms movements with intense curiosity.
Thereupon Tom opened his key and tick
ed the answer: Il, ~ Jerry began to
'whoop 'em up in his best style, and ev-
cry eye was turned on Tom. He dis
played no anxiety, but kept right along
at his work as though he had been taking
Jerry all his life. For four mortal hours
did Tom take it down in handwriting
as neat and plain as reprint For
the first time in his life Jerry had rushed
I a
the receiver. He was astounded. When
he had finished, the following messages
passed between them.
From Jerry.
"Who the deuce are you, anyhow?
From Tom
"I'm the new man. My name is Tom
Edison.
From Jerry
"Well, you're the man I've been look
ing for the last ten years, and you're the
only man ever found that could take
me without break. Shake
"And they shook. The establishment
of the boys in the Office was unbsunded
There was no more jibing nor snickering.
Everybody was Toms friend at once.
The next day Milliken picked up sheet
of Toms manuscript, and reflectively
stroked his beard, I never saw such
pretty copy he said. 'He's as good an
operator as | ever met"
Vict0rid and Napoleon at Windsor