The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-02-25
Social Uses of the Telegraph.

Queer messages pass through our
hands continually" said the Western
Union telegraph correspondent, but
we do not often recollect their contents.
A message may cause smile at the
time, but is sent and then forgotten.
Operators do their work mechanically.
The words are ticked off at their finger
ends, and are forgotten at once.
do you ever get regular social letters
for telegraphic transmission !"
'sThat has becomes matter of frequent
daily occurrence, and often they come
to us in regular epistolary shape, be-
ginning with yours truly. Of course
the telegraph company is quite willing
to adhere to epistolary forms, for they
make so many mole words to charge for.
Some time ago we had a regular, down
right love letter by telegraph It was
from some fellow travelling in the south
"a drummer, / guess-to his sweet
heart at home, and it began with My
Darling Lizzie, and went on to say that
this would show to her how feryently
and devoutly he loved her when he
could not even wait for the mail to tell
her how she was in his thoughts night
and day, and so on for several hundred
words. That sort of thing is unusual, of
course. If it was regular way of lovers
we might find ourselves called into
court occasionally as witnesses in
breach of promise cases, because the
originals of the letters are in our Gus
tody.
It is common thing for US to send
ont telegraphic announcements of be-
a ,.f IL 49,,
kilograms in reply. Telegraphie birth
day congratulations are also of frequent
occurrence, and the Purim festival al
ways brings out crop of kilograms be-
tween FRIEND and relatives. Sometimes
message will simply read. L drink your
health We get such even for cable
transmissions.
The uses of the telegraph for social
purposes have become very large, how
ever, among people generally" the tele-
graph man went on st constitutes
about twenty per cent. of our domestic
business, and about seven per cent. of
our cable business. Most of our half rate
night messages are of that character.
How is Ida this morning? a man will
ask his relatives in some other city.
Every day telegraphic queries of asimilar
nature go across the ocean. The tele-
graph brings people into one community
and, aside from the expense, there is no
more trouble in making such inquiries
than in sending around 10 a neighbor's
house to find how sick friend is getting
along. Some times q man visiting here
on business will send short letter to his
wife by telegraph every night. Want of
form and ceremony is excusable IN tele-
graph messages, and busy men to whom
the expense is no consideration are get
ting more and more in the habit of pre-
ferring the telegraph to mails, even when
there is no necessity in the world for
such expedition. Fellows who come to
town on larks sometimes cant wait till
they get home to tell their comrades of
the good times they are having. Their
messages have high flavor at times. but
we rarely make any objections. Even
profanity goes by wire sometimes.
'.Since the introduction of cipher
codes the amount of business corre-
spondence transferred from the mails to
the wires is very great. About sixty per
cent. of our business kilograms are now
in cipher, and by means of the codes
in use great deal can be condensed
into a little. Where a business man
used to send by mail. he will now write
cipher letter to get at half rates at
night. He can write at the close of one
days business, and the telegraph puts
his letter on his correspondents desk be-
fore business hours of the next day. In
fact, the transfer to tue telegraph of mat
ter that used to go by mail has been so
great since the adoption of the half-rate
night system six or seven years ago, that
the amount of business increases faster
than facilities can be provided. BUSH
ness kilograms. fuctuate in quantity
from day to day, but taking the year by
seasons, the amount of work remains
pretty steady. But in summer, when
people are travelling about for pleasure,
the increase of social communications is
tremendous. We have to increase our
staff of operators along the coast water
ing places fully twenty per cent. Lots
of little Offices are opened that there is
no demand for in the winter months.
People send gossip, love, congratula-
tions, regrets, jokes, condolences. APP
peals, and money by telegraph. IN. Z.
Sun.