Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-10-10

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Devices,-GO0d Reasons for
Cipher Among Bankers,
Brokers and Big
Operators.
Last Tuesday the countenance of the
operator in charge of branch office of
the Western Union Telegraph Company,
located on Broadway, above Canal street,
indicated amazement tinctured with dis
gust as he surveyed message held at
arms length. The message was written
on one OF the company's ordinary blanks,
and read
To John Chalfant, Tufts Elephant Cor
raj, Salt Lake City, Utah: Eabggortza,
Eqboptzag, cxmrtzuloy, grmltpaait, lopxxy-
zabx, racgkpmolb, oozkmarbty, cqmtgedb-
aim, hiayrtolbc, golzqbazz.
In the corner was written, "paid 81. ,,
That was its unfortunate feature, for it
was not the alphabetic tumble of the
message that excited the operators dis
gust, but a note from the main Office
pinned to the disguised dispatch. The
note stated that the operator had been
charged 81 80 for the message and warned
him to be careful in future about accept
ing cipher dispatches at lower rate
than that of full word for each letter.
81 thought ten letters constituted
word, no matter how they were placed !;
but I'll know better hereafter" sorrow
fully remarked the operator, and then
added: ''The next man that comes in
here with lot of sausage-meat English
will hear from me-"
The rate to Salt Lake City is 81 for the
first ten words, and seven cents per word
in excess of that number.
"No, we do not accept ten letters for a
word, no matter how they are palced,"
said an official at the company's main
Office. "We have had to stop that and
charge for the letters in cipher Dispatches
at word rates. This cipher business is
troublesome to an operator and make slow
work. Besides that, mistakes are posi-
BILE. We take cipher messages at rates
as stated, but we do not hold ourselves
responsible for their correct transmits
sion."
GLOW about the code words?"
"Any word to be found in Webster's
goes at regular rates, whether in message
that reads so that it is understood or
otherwise. We only discriminate against
the cipher"
els mitch telegraphing done by secret
methodist"
"Lots of it. Merchants do it to reduce
expenses, and others, from school girls
up to the big market manipulators, do
a great amount of secret telegraphing."
The use OF code systems is greatly on
the increase. Some make up their own,
but the majority of business men have
systems specially printed for them, or
make them up out of the cipher books,
which, are to be had of all commercial
stationers.
Mr.. E. Parke CODY, the Adjutant of the
Veteran Corps of the Forty-seventh regi-
ment, when asked about cipher systems,
took the questioner to the fourth story of
a printing establishment, where thin,
dark little man, with intensely black eyes
was found cutting three dictionaries to
pieces with a huge pair of shears. The
dictionaries were in English, Spanish and
German, and the little man cut long strips
of words from them, which he pasted
on paper, and then drew lead pencil
lines from the words to written sentences.
tHe is connected with South Ameri-
can steamship company, and is preparing
a copy for cipher system for his line, :"
explained the printer. eve will not
print more than half dozen of the
books, but the cost will be over 5000.
After we strike off the required number
of copies we destroy the forms, and do
not even keep sample for ourselves.
You see the companies guard their secret
ciphers as the man guards the apple of his
eye. 1t would never do to let rivals or
interested spectators get hold of their
codes, or the company would be fore
stalled in the market. We do considera-
BILE cipher work for exporters and inl-
porters, and men in the iron and foreign
trade, as well as for steamship companies,
but we never allow the work: when of
the press, to be seen by any one except
its owners. Cipher systems are coming
greatly into vogue with the business men
of New York. There is great saving of
expense in the use of the wires and less
chance of misinterpretation and mistakes
than when sending fully-written dis
patches. Some customers are very
secretive about their systems, and others
do not appear to care anything for con-
cealment. We get up a cipher system on
an interchangeable plan by which not
even the printer of the book can know the
meaning of the code words"
ssWhat is the expense?"
'tCipher systems, or codes, as they are
called, when they are made to order, cost
from $50 up. Some run as high as $500,
and even more when expensive. We
make a novelty in book form, consisting
of system which becomes secretive by
the selection of number. Such are sold
at stores, and can be used by anybody"
At The office of Hatch & Foote, the
bankers, snail cipher book was exhib-
tied to the reporter 1t contained names
Of stocks, with orders to buy or sell,
quantities, advice, etc., all to be repre-
sented by word or two.
ssThere is nothing secretive about it, :
said Mr.. Emmerson. ave give the books
TO our customers. tits a saving OF money
in telegraphing, and an easier and more
certain way of communication. We have
no need of a secretive system in our gen.
eral business, though the large operators
used private code" ~,
This was on inquiry found to De tne
case, but any attempt to get view OF the
private codes was regarded as the TRICK o
NI.O I:..1,, of fba Cbimasal Bank