Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-12-27
EdisOn's Experiences as a Tele-
grRpheE.
Boston Herald.

EdisOn's Experiences as a Tele.
grapheE.
Boston Herald.
What were the real facts Of that
Boston experience you had in fast re-
ceiving a good many years ago." Mr..
Edison was asked yesterday.
Let me see; that was IN 1868. /
had been working 10 Louisville, Ky ;.
a couple of years, and went from there
to Michigan. A friend named Adams
got me a place here in Boston, and |
came over, arriving here about i;56
o'clock, and had to 90 to work at $50
O'Clock. Although il was the middle
Of winter, | came into the Cfice with
a linen buster on, for | was very poor
then. A fellow named Jack Wright,
whe knew me cut West, thought TO
nave some lun, so he posted the Office
and had New York put on an OF era
tor named Bagley at their end Of the
liue, with a special of 500 word' to
the Journal. He had had my end
switched to a table about the middle
Of the room, near the managers desk.
NotSuspecting anything, | sat down
md commenced taking it. Soon
Bsgley commenced to 'whoop en- up
and, although | was accustomed to
keep six or eight words behind 10
copying. l thOaght best to close
up, especially as he commenced to
send some awful stuff. making Is o.
his ms and contracting his words,
sending imy, for instance, for 'imme
distelv. | having to write it out in
full. Happening to look up, | noticed
6t,een or twenty operators Rrinning
behind me. Then | saw it wal a put
up job, aud my blood got up and
determined [ would not Ergak. Ope-
rAtors in New York asked over other
Eir,s il | was Getting it, and would
hardly believe the replies. When
thoupht he had reached the ton Of hi,
speed | opened my key and said.
'u'nt 90 tn sleep; shake yourself and
hurry through thisl' -
Toe way | managed it was this: ! /
had practiced all kinds Of handwriting.
and found that by a kind ofprint hand
| could write ilty-6ve words per min
ute, and | knew there was no mar
who could keep up that speed with .
telegraph key, so | felt safe if | could
only read the ticking. | had no fears
as to that either. as | had read all
kinds Of clipped sending in the
West. Another thing that was 10 ms
favor is, that | am a little deaf, so that
the hum OF an Office docs not disturb
/. me, aud | gave my whole attention /,
I the clicking of an instrument U-
There is a little experience | hat
2 out 10 indianapolis that may interes
: you. l was very ambitious to receiv,
:. press report, aud used to sit up unit
the 2 am. press report, listening be
e side the receiving operator, until afteI
r awhile | could receive it very nicely
/ and then / wanted to receive pres
! myself. Naturally, when | had tn,
real responsibility of taking it,
n pulled it bad at first, as they sent a
. the rate Of forty words a minute.
: thought the matter over, and Workel
\ out a little plan to have the register
e indent some tin foil as it came 10. an,
: then had the boy turn it through an
. other instrument, which licked it O.
4 at the rate OF about twenty Eve word
: per minute, which | read aad wrot
of very easily. The only trouble wa
Z that we got 30 (gOOd night from III
East about 100 am, while it wa
some time an hour or more when "
v gave the last sheet to the newspaper
They commenced to groWl after awhilt
c and our manager dropped in on us on
morning aud discovered our littl
: game in full blast.
n by the way, there we're sever,
valuable Inventions wrapped I'D i
that Office trick. Taking Of the til
foil reminds me Of another ineiden
There was a fast sending tournsmer
\ gotten up once, in which the judg,
we're to be at St. Louis, and the faI
senders throughout the State we're
4 send from their respective Offices I
the central Office in st. Louis. Nov
although | have a reputation IS a r.
ceiver, | have just the opposite as
0 sender, and When entered my nan
in the list TO compete there was ere.
'ha haing' over the wires. We wei
. given a chapter in the Bible to senC
and. while the other men wera nrao
! ticing sending it, | worked out th
chapter on the t~infoil, and fixed ever,
. thiDgall ready to turn the crank I
\ the rate OF about fifty or 6fty-fy
4 words per minute, getting our boys
keep quiet about it. For some reaso
the contest never came of, and | di
= not have the pleasure Of carrying o
the prize"