The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1885-06-19
PRIVATE WIRES.
What 1t Costs to Establish Nelghborhood cd
Telegraph Lines.


three or four farm-houses in commun-
cation with each other. The benefits
thereby derived are of great value, and
the young folks take great pleasure >inS
this mode of communication. The
Free Press some time ago mentioned. 81
line which IS in operation in the souine
ern part of this State. 1t is severe.
miles in length and places eighteenStoi
twenty residences in communication
with each other. The line runs to a
village and is connected with a doc
tors Office there, thus giving each
"otfice," or house. provided with an
instrument direct connections with the
doctor, a great advantage in case Of
sickness or an emergency. In case Of
fire or burglary. any family can sum-
mon and obtain assistance at once
from their neighbors.
Farmers have no idea of the feasibil-
ity of scheme of this kind, and thecost
is very slight, compared with the bene-
fits they may gain thereby.
We will suppose that there are four
or five farmers, who wish to build a
telegraph line and connect with the
Post-office or telegraph office. Supz
pose the line is to be about one mile il
length. Let us figure up the cost. IL
No. II galvanized iron wire is vert
well adapted for line of this lengG&
and one mile of it would cost afT
$l5. The glass insulators, and b1stSxI|
cts to fasten on poles and attach tEW
wires to, will cost but few dollqtN
The poles are small item to farmlas
as the wire need be carried only 49,
enough to keep it out of easy reasyJ
mischievous boys, except in 2jAS91
ing over gates, roadwaysN or L($I
where that people are liable to digiIafla
under it. In such places it mES33
high enough to clear man sta IN "a
upon load of hay. Your boys wjp9 ia6
glad to have the privilege of cJEN
the poles, and to assist in buildines k84
line, because they are to have laxT
| fun In chatting over the wire, I:
checkers by telegraph, etc., dur.Y :;
| long winter evenings. a'
The gravity battery" as it is caffitss caffiitess,,
is the best and cheapest kind to use fol
this purpose. You will need five s'cells,,''
OF jars of this battery for the line sIsa'
an additional "celP' for every in.s s.l' sss
ment attached to the line, half s3f6
battery to be attached to each
the line, and none anywhere eli I
if your line is connected with ~
ings, you will want ten jars, y5REy2A &
cost you about seventy-five clgsSSsHi
The best instruments to use%p I, NM,
in which the s'sounder' and s.k6y 4. M
on one base. In case you have SciSF,,
drcn who are apt to meddle with n
! you can make asfcover to lock over u
after the fashion Of ahewing-mach NJ
The instruments will cost you abo.e
five dollars each. 1t will not pay tc
get the cheapest, neither will it be nee
essary to have the high-priced ones.
You will also need a ''cut-out" and
1ightning-arrester" combined, so thai
you can switch off the instrument dur
ing heavy thunder-storms, and effectu
ally protect your property. There arr
several kinds of cheap ones which vii
answer very well, and cost about ON
dollar each.
| During my five years. experience a
telegraph operator on different lines,
know of only one instance wherein a
office was damaged by lightning, an,
that was probably due to ;thaaQperator'
neglect IN not ''cutting'' or switchin
out his instrument before going hom
in the evening.
70 sum it up the expenses would b
about as follows: -
One mile of wire re.............-............ $15 (
Insulators, about. -. s...,..-..............
Battery, lOcellsa75 cents ts................
Cut-outs, or switches, 50s1.............. s.
Totai................... .....-...............$55 $55
This sum divided by five leaves eac
farmers expenses $11.10, small SUI
to compare with the good you will q
out of it.
! After putting up the line and gettin
it in running order, the next thing
be done is to learn the Morse alphabe
The firms that manufacture instrumen
send cards with this alphabet printe
on them, and book of instruction
with the instruments, SO that persc
of ordinary intelligence can put up
line and master the alphabet by folloS
! ing the directions given therein.
1t takes from three to twe|Kemonth
! | according to the aptness of the leaTne
to become sufficiently proficient I'll g
: along on railroad wire, but on a,'wi
n of this kind few weeks pf&etsce W
n enable you to converse slowly wi
a your nelghbors, and youswtll impro
in proportion to the length Of time y,
: practice. Agree with yopr friends a
: on the hours to pract ce and let one
each house .'sendn in their turn abe
fifteen minutes at time, and all t
rest copy what he or she sends. 1t W
: be pleasant pastime .for the fam
: and serve to keep your bow more
. home.
If you can get an operator to
e struct you few times you will get
0 better idea of it to begin with. althc
O it will not make muchs if any, q
v ence in the end. ~
In great many localities thef,&
e wire fence NAV be used, but it is not
# reliable, as it is not very well insulat
n and will work badly in very damp
= wet weather. In dry weather, a
q provided the posts are dry, it will
n almost as well as an insulated wi
\ Be sure that the joints arasoraped |
a til bright before conneotl48 he Ell
= together. If the wire is welf PAINTED
:. will work t1lerably well, even in '
IN weather. Cor. Detroit Free Hess
,s .7
One secret of the decline of
Southern cotton-mills, which tho N
=. Orleans Picdyune admits and deploi
~ is that there was too great .boo
az in these enterprises. Those that W
a. earliest i'll the field made heavy d