The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-03-25
KNIGHTS OF TIE WIRE.

KNIGHTS OF TIE WIRE.
The Experience Of TeleSraph Oper-
-ator.
philadelphia Press.1
elbow few there are," said a we'll
known .telegrapher yesterday, "who
understand the character Of the work
by which the telegraph operator gains
his living. 5 Fewer still know any
thing Of the characteristics of the oper-
ator himself. He is always HID away
ont Of sight, in the top story of some
lofty building, where the public may
never catch glimpse Of him at his
daily labors, or behind some high rail-
ing In q depot, where the traveller has
only . moment In which to bestow a
hasty glance into the narrow cell,
termed an Office. How often has the
traveller, who has had to wait some
hours In the lonely country depot for
his train, found amusement with which
to make the hours seem short, by watch
ing the movements of the country OPP
orator, and listening to the ceaseless
clatter of the sounder, wondering per-
haps what the busy little talker was
saying, and Illuminating, mayhap, on
the ImperturbIlity Of the operator, as
he, with unchanging countenapce, re-
ceives or dispatches the messages of
grief and joy. The telegraph operator
has a distinct individuality. He finds
his society among his brother opera
tors, and general society never knows
him. Yet he is bright and intelligent,
and knows nearly everybody's business.
1t happened some time ago, that a
Press reporter was thrown great deal
into the society of young man, who
was employed In one of the large tele-
graph offices In this city, and found him
one of the pleasantest Of companions.
The fund OF anecdotes connected with
his craft, with which he used to enter
tain his friends, seemed absolutely In
exhaustible. He had travelled all over
the country, working In nearly every
large telegraph Office In the United
States, and told number of funny
stories about almost every office in
which he had worked. 81 learned the
art OF telegraphy in New York, about
ten years ago." said he, and since then
have lived In every city on the CONT
nent. My plan was to work few
months In one city, until had seen
all there was in 1t worth seeing, when
I would trade situations with some
other operator in another city, who was
bent on the same purpose as myself;
and thus continued exchanging until
I find myself back in Philadelphia
after nine years. travelling. have been
all through Canada and Mexico, and
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. My
experience rs a railroad operator, while
not being the pleasantest of all, is de-
cidedly the most interesting.
cit often affords me pleasure to recol-
iect the time when worked In little
place on the New Jersey Gen.
trail railroad. was young in the bus.
mess then, and frightened to death
the first night worked on the road.
was afraid I was not good enough an
operator to do the work, and the fear
of making a mistake that might result
In disaster and death kept me nervous
and wakeful through the long weary
hours of the night. This feeling soon
wore off, howevr, as gained confidence
in myself, and 1t was not long before I
began to work at some scheme whereby
might sleep. through the night and
spend the day in finding pleasure. 1t
was double.trac road, and the trains
were few at night. At last hit upon
a scheme, and it worked successfully all
the rest of my time on the road. took
two long pieces of strong Irvine and ran
them out over the top of the window,
down under the platforms of the depot
to the tracks, tying one to the south
bound track, and carrying the other
under the rails of the south to those of
the north-bound rails, where tied it.
In the Office made a large loop in the
end of each string, and placing my
chair near the instrument, I leaned
back, eievating my feet and putting