Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-07-27
TAPPING THE WIRES.
One Lineman who Know sAu the
Wires-Mefhods of Dispatch Stealers
The Frequent Failure OfTelegraph
Thieves.

Wires-Methods of Dispatch Stealers
The Frequent Failure ofTelegraPh
Thieves.
New York Sun: In speaking of the
tapping of the wires between Long
Branch and Philadelphia, the other
day, and the sending of a false report
by which Philadelphia booksellers
were swindled of several thousand
dollars, telegraph man said: Such
attempts, in one way or another, are
made every year The men who put
up the jobs apparently have less scruple
about beating pool-seller than they
would about swindling an orphan
asylum. A wire is SO easily tapped
that the companies are wholly unable
to guard against it. An attempt
to beat the Long Island City pool
rooms last summer was discovered
Just in the nick of time. 1t was dur
ing the Saratoga races. The intention
was to get the news ahead of the pool
sellers. Western Union had an office
in Saratoga and one in Long Island
City. Mutual Union had one in Sara
toga, but none in Long Island City.
The men who worked the job deter
mined to tap Mutual Union news and
run it around through ar office nthis
city and thence to Long Island City.
Accordingly Mutual Union lineman
was bribed, and he tapped the wire
right in the cupola over the Mutual's
office, at No. 137 Broadway. The dis
patches from Saratoga had, therefore,
to pass through the 'snide' office be-
fore they reached the Mutual Union
office. From their uptown office the
gang sent the message by private wire
to Long Island City, and by haste
saved several minutes of time. That
is, they would have done SO if the Mu-
tual Union people had not discovered
the game a few minutes before l
o'clock, when the races were called.
How are these fellows able to pick
out the right wire among the humid
red strung through the streets"
There are plenty of old line men
who know all about the lines OF the
city. Some of these Enemen are al
ways out of employment. 1t is easy
to hire them for the job. In the coun-
try, as on the Long Branch and Phil
adelphia line, there are only two or
three wires. If they don't hit it the
first time they can the next sure.
1T is apparently more difficult to
intercept a message and send false
one than to get the news in advance.
Not very much more difficult. The
wire is cut and a wire is spilced to
each end of the cut wire. These wires
are led to separate instruments III the
one room. An operator sits at each
one. Messages are allowed to pass
along through until word is received
that the particular horse they wish TO
beat is at the start Then the circuit
between the two points is cut and the
message from the race track stops with
the operator who has cut the line. He
supposed to go, and the operator at
his elbow, using the signature of the
operator on the track, sends on the
false message. Then the cut wire is
spliced and all traces of the job are
removed. 1t would take a smart man
to find the place where the cut was
made. 1t could be discovered only by
accident, because there are so many
Spliced breaks in e~sry line"
II have heard that you have an in
strument for determining the location
of breaks.
1T might locate these fellows if the
company had any information that
its line had been tapped at the time,
but doubt if it would be of service
under the varying conditions of the
lines in hot weather"
rs it not possible to devise some
method for protecting the pool sell
lers!"
''If they would take their news i'll
cipher they would be perfectly safe.
Or they could have their message
repeated. They will not adopt either
method. The trouble is they want to
save every second of time. The
sooner the winnerg gets his money the
sooner he'll put it in circulation
again"
DO the, beats usually succeed in
their schemes"
They usually do not, easy as it is
to tap the lines. 1t is now four years
since Kelly & Bliss were beaten so
badly III Long Island City by a false
dispatch. An occasional success
makes up for the failures, and there
fore the wires are cut with each
recurring season.