The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-02-25
The Versa.iIlty Of tI.e alorse Alphabet

can be- communicated by tie sense Of
hearing, taste, sight Z ling.
About twenty yeanl " Col. j. j. s.
Wilson, OF ST Louis, then an active
telegraph superintendent, was on q
tour in the southern part of Missouri.
1t was season of floods. Large por-
tions of the country adjacent 10 the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers were inun-
dated, and the wreckage had included
the washing away Of many miles of
poles and wire. 1t became necessary
to communicate with point on the
Missouri bank of the Mississippi River
by telegraph. The fertile invention of
Col. Wilson directed that locomotive
be run to the Illinois bank. Mounting
8 the foot-board, he grasped the valve,
and soon the shrill screams of the To-
comotive whistle were heard by the
listening operators on the other shore,
Whistling out Wilson's message in the
long and short sounds of the alphabet,
familiar TO them as that of their prina-
ers. Communication was kept up in
this way for several hours.
A rich citizen of San Francisco owes
his life to his knowledge of telegraphy
acquired many years ago. Wandering
over Southern California as prospect
or, he was captured by band of Mexi-
can desperadoes. They carried him to
/ an abandoned hacienda, and with mock
ing cruelty set him at their table to
feast. before, as they told him, they
killed him. The prisoner recognized
among his captors an old companion
also an operator. who had gone to the
bad little time before The recogni-
ton was mutual, but neither dared to
address the other. The captive's quick
wit improvised sounder out of his
knife and fork, and, while to the others
he appeared playing with them, his cry
for assistance was read and understood
by his old-time comrade. They formed
in this way plan of escape, which was
successfully carried out.
A train on a Western railroad several
years ago met with terrible accident
miles from any station. Among the
passengers was young telegrapher.
His ready mind took in the situation,
and climbing the nearest pole itwas an
easy task to cut the wire, and using tho
two ends as key sent a message for
help. To receive the reply was a more
difficult task. Here again the young
mans invention stood in good stead
and spurred him on to an exhibition of
nerve that is rarely met with. Admon-
ishing the distant operator to send
slowly, he placed the cut ends of the
wire upon his tongue, and by the
strength of each shock to that delicate
member made out the letters until the
message was complete. That young
mans sense OF taste was destroyed and
returned only in weakened degree
after two or three years.
There happened to be an operator on
board of small coasting schooner
which was cast on a Florida reef in
such position that escape from the
ship and aid from the shore were both
out of the question during the night Of
the wreck. Throughout the long hours
of suspense he keptup communication
with another operator sa shore by
means of lantern, and words of hope,
of sympathy and encouragement passed
back and forth until day dawned and
17IC UuIurtt sJptt ss,y s-.s.-----------
several of its lighthouses has the lant-
erns arranged so as to emit long and
short flashes of light, which form GER
tain letters of the telegraph code. This
is a method of distinguishing IT,
beacon, which is easily understood
a little practice.
Schmidt, His Baby, and His Friends.
A stout, florid German went up to a
policeman in the Bowery yesterday and
said: II want to haf some beebles ar
rested. -
..How manyP" asked the policeman.
$50 many as / don'd count NIT all
der fingers un toes of my left handt. "
ssWhat have they done to you?"
ssEverydings! Dey trive me most
CRAZY. You see. my wife she haf a
1eetle poy yesterday. dolt my gusto-
mers about it. and We all trink dot
leetle poy's sugsess at my expense. |
tink open as many as dree kegs OF
peer. Veil dot vas all righd, for !
don'd vas fadder efery tay.
$50 soon as o'clock to-tay hear
dot deiephone in der saloon. / put dot
plack speaging drumpet mein ear
against and sayt: .Hellor
Il heart somepody say, is dot Carl
Schmidt
sYah, Isayt.
/" 'How's der leetle poyg
81 vas pleased to haf mein friends
ask apout der paby, so schmiled and
sayt: 'Pully.' Somepody sayt, Goot-,
pv, und put up dot speaging drum
pet.
s.Bresently dot telephone rings vonce
more. heart somepody inquire if dot
vas me. / sayt Yah, und he sayt,
.How's der leetle poyg / schmiled
yonce more und sayt, pully, und put
up dot speaging drumpet. In a coub-
bic minutes dot telephone rings again.
/ sayt, sHelloi who vos dotg Some
pody sayt, Herr Ehret, der proven
whats der madderP' sayt.
/" How's der leetle poyg sayt Herr
Ehret.
81 did not schmile so much, but |
I sayt all der same. Pully.
ssI vent behind der par to trink der
leetle BOYS health, Yhen der telephone
again rings. Dot makes me mad, so
exclaimed loutly, Hello! Who you
vas und vat you vant?' Der man sayt
he vas Prince Beesmarck, und wanted
to know how dot leetle poy vas. | dolt
him dot poy vas more as ghentleman
vot he vos, and put up dot speaging
drumpet Dot telephone rung so many
as twendy dimes more, and made me
wish dot Ieetle poy neverhat peen porn.
policeman, want to haf dose fellers
vot ring my telephone arrested.
What are their namesp
..Pesides Herr Ehret und Prince
! Beesmarck, dere vas Shorge Vashinton
Shilds, Henry Pergh, und odder pig
/ fellers. 2
.You had better go to the Essex
Market police court and see Justice
Patterson about ii. =
Mr. Schmidt walked in the direction
Of Essex street. ~ = san.
The Queen Of Otaheite modestly re-
marked to New Yorker: Il am very
ignorant, and am conscious that am
not wit Though know French and
En0lish. and play several musical in
struments, ! was not bright girl at
school, and have not improved much
sinna What then can il matter to