The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-10-03
THE TELEGRAPH OPERATOR.
INCIDENTS Nv THE DAILY RoUTxNE
OF TELEGRAPHERs' WORK.

Keeping Their Minds TO business when
Twenty o. Thirty Instruments are
ColnE--Cnrious an a Pathetic Experience
Il suppose" said the reporter, "you
operators must have some funny ex-
periences."
eyes, there are some droll things
every once in a while, but we get so
used to them that we don't mind any
thing about them. l suppose you
have heard that story about the
man who saw an operator working
an old Morse paper instrument, and
called his girl up to see this fellow
make paper collars.
Chow do you manage 60 keep your
ear on one instrument when there are
twenty or thirty going in the same
room p
"There is no difficulty in that" was
the reply. ut is as easy as it is for you
to keep the run of a friends converse
tion when there are other persons talk
ing in the ROOM"
"But no two voices are alike" limited
the reporter, obviously.
"No two instruments sound alike to
an operator, and there is no more diili-
Guilty in distinguishing the click Of
your own instrument in roomful
than in distinguishing the familiar
tones of a brothers voice"
"Can you tell who is sending at the
other endP"
"We can easily detect a friendly
hand, although don't know as could
make you understand how"
"Do you hear anything that goes
over the wires ?"
"We could if we cared to, but that
gets to be very old story. We only
listen for our call, which is repeated
till we answer, and then the message
is sent"
"I suppose you have some sad ex-
periences when you receive messages
of death or sickness"
"Well, hardly. If we were affected
by such things we would be in per
petual state of grief. You don't no.
tice them at all. Why, once received
a message addressed to me announcing
that had become a father, but had
become so used to such things-I
mean to receiving such sages-that
/ never noticed to whom it was adj
dressed, and sent it down to the count
ing room with bundle of other dis
patches [ had received at the same
time"
Speaking of curious experiences" !"
chimed in another operator who had
been listening TO the conversation,
speaking of curious experiences, l
remember when was working nights
at a little station on the Chicago, Bur
lington and Quincy road. About l
O'Clock one cold, sleety morning the
circuit was broken off for a little
while, and then 1 heard the word
help come over the line several times.
This was repeated at intervals for
some minutes. was decidedly fright
. ened, but nothing could be done till
daylight. After the break had been
located, men were sent along the line
to repair the wire, and as soon as the
instrument began to work we received
word that the break was at the bridge,
and that Charles Adams, the day ope-
rator, had been found there dead with
both his legs cut off. We afterward
learned that Charlie had been to a
dance in neighboring town, and had
fallen, unseen, from the freight train
as it crossed the bridge, and had been
run over. With his little remaining
strength he had crawled to the edge Of
the bridge and broken the wire. He
had telegraphed the word help b!
touching the ends of the wire together.
Boston Globe.