The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-02
The DAILY ARGUS.
Saturday February 9. 1884.
WIRE WORKERS.
An Electricians View of the West.
ern Union Telegraph Service.
Something About the Wire Used for
Guiding the lightning The
French and Western Union
Services Compared.

New YORK, Feb al have been going of
late to a French restaurant, which is crowded
at the middle of the day, where fall in with
some Of the best scientific and artistic Gauls.
One of these, | understand to be the cleo
trician of the Western Union Tele-
graph company. He is a modest man,
and disclaims knowing anything about
the financial or personal management
of the telegraph here, but l under
stand passes upon all patents that are sent in,
occasionally inyents patent, and is called
upon in the physical and phenomenal straits
of the company to adjust things Said he:
"The Western Union Telegraph company is
not only the most extraordinary and ex-
tenSive telegraph combination on the globe,
but it does its work with more precision than
any other company. A message sent by
broker from New York is delivered in six
minutes to his agent in Chicago. That is
pretty good handling. The French pride
themselves upon their skill in telegraphy,
but they cannot do work as fast as that, and
also do so much business.
Said /: as the Western Union company
buying its wires in the United StatesF'
YES; all the wire it uses is either made at
Roebling's works, Trenton, n. j., or at Wor-
cester, Mass l can say this, too, about
American wire: 1t is the best wire made in
the world. l have recently, and, indeed fire.
quently, tested it in the most thorough man
ner. Its excellence is in the quality of the
metal and in the evenness and thoroughness
Of the manufacture. understand that the
Western Union buys $500 worth every day."
think he said every day, though he may
have said every week, but my mind adheres
to the former, for he added: THAT Ger
sainly answers the question whether the
company keeps up its equipment"
Another gentleman present asked if the
price of the American wire was not higher
than English wire at the present time Said
the electrician: "The English can not make
that wire l have tested the samples they
cffer Us and that are offered from other coun-
tries These wire works in the United States
have been in operation so long that race of
men have almost been begorten to work
ware"
He continued, saying that English wire was
somewhat cheaper than American, but not
s. cheap considering wear, conductivity and
evenness. He said that, in his Judgment, the
Americans would continue to manufacture
all the wire in this country. The Trenton
wire works were established by Roebling
tion of men are working in them. l asked
this gentleman if the great Western
Union telegraph building was not perfect
establishment. YES said he, for extent
and adaptation it is successful, though l
think it ought TO have been situated at some
less exposed point, where its wires would not
become entangled with the innumerable
wires which are stretched in the lower part of
,affr- Il l.
have been obviated At the time the building
was put up it was hardly foreseen. That"
said he, lis one of the troubles of the present
time, to get area enough in the limited quar-
ter Of lower New York for everybody's wires
to come in" Speaking of the cables, be
he said: "The cable business between this
country and Europe is excellent. They are
cabling day and night The rate is much
lower than it has been at different times, and
the increase of the business may stitl further
lower it. There are eight cables across the
ocean, and by the duplex instrument used in
each, they are equal to sixteen cables
l inquired whether the United States did
not use the telegraph more than any other
countrya
AS to the aggregate Of messages sent it
may, but France is the most thorough EN-
plOyeI Oh Tue IeIegrdpn, InOuSui Vi cOuTSo,
within comparatively limited means. France
lies so centrally in Europe, with nations radi-
ating from her, that large portion Of the
messages of all Europe pass across her bounda-
ries Some other gentleman presently
remarked upon the curious nature Of the
Americans in their business operations. In
the Western Union Office the greatest strict
ness was enforced. At the instruments dur
ing business hours no person was allowed to
approach an operator, and if he was ap-
preached he was apt to be discharged. The
intention of the managers was to secure
financial results. Mr. Eckert was supreme
in everything, and kept an eagle eye on every
part of the establishment Mr.. Gould came
in, looked at the figures, saw the results and
had but little TO say"
asked if the Morse system was used in
Europe as here. Yes; new systems have
been invented which have their superiorities
in some respects, but it is very difficult to IN
learn the great telegraph corps of the world
which has been brought up on the Morse in
strument, and their ears attuned to its taps
and clicks The time may come when some
other system will be adopted, but it does not
look so at ureSent