The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-08-15
TALKING BY TICKS.
DETAILS OF THE WORK DONE
IN TELEGRAPH OFFICES.
Great Accuracy and Clearness Re
quired of Telegraphers-Their
Wonderful Sign Language
Sending Gable Messages.

Wonderful Sign Language
Sending Gable Messages.
More than 1000 telegraph operators ar
employed in this city, says the New
York Commercial Adcertiser. Thei
work is essentially skilled labor; the!
themselves style it profession. The
greatest degree of accuracy and clearness
s required in their work. The omission
If a single letter in transcribing, the
addition of letter too many, may some
times involve suit for damages, and
cost more than year salary. Oper-
,tors must, therefore, be thoroughly
expert, they must be steady, sober and
reliable, in order to retain their positions,
Though less than century old, the
principles at least of the electric tele-
graph are known by every schoolboy. Ii
Is in the detail of the business that the
public Is ignorant.
There are several classes in the pro
fession: Ordinary line hands, cable opcr-
tors, those who know more than one code
of communication, those competent to
keep books and take charge of branch
office, possessing more than the ordinary
requirements, are competent for more
than ord d:nary positions. It is not essential
for an operator to be walking dictionary,
or to know anything about the spelling,
or other matter of telegram. His only
duty is to send and receive messages
letter TO: letter as they come to him.
In cypher messages this is especially es'
sential. In receiving this must be done
by sound, by listening attic. e.tively to the
little instrument as it clicks out in long
or short ticks, dots and dashes, as they
are called, the various combinations that
represent letters and figures. Tie sense
of hearing in this way is developed to an
almost abnormal quickness.
The receiving operator, by the very
tone of the instrume It, can tell whether
it is familiar or unfamiliar hand that is
on the other end of the wire, and can
even recognize friends touch almost
the minute he grasps the key.
Good telegraphers can read or send
their sign language by almost any means.
1t is employed in army service Tor sig
mailing on the field by means of sunlight
flashes reflected by mirror, in which
the sight, instead of the ear, is employed.
The same idea is used in transmitting
across an ocean cable, the length oil
which does not permit of sufficient elec.
trical power to work "sounder" instru.
meut, but mercy gives little electric
flash of exactly the sane character as the
most miniature flash of lightning, the
series of whi: h are read by observation
in dark room, the duration of the flashes
corresponding to the dots or dashes that
constitute the letters Oh the ''sounder.'
All cable messages must be repeated by
more than one operator; they are alway!
handled by an ordinary operator first ano
sent to special cable Office for trans
mission across the sea. This is essentia
as q rule, for while the Morse code o
te.egraphy is used almost invariabl.
through America, the Continental system
is prevalent in England and Europ'
generally, and is used now on most of tn
cables. The chief difference betwee.
these systems is that the Morse plal
utilizes space, or brief intervals between
certain dots or dasnes to constitute
certain letters, while the continenta
system has no spaced letters and is
therefore, little longer and more cum
bersome. The letter G, for instance, il
the Morse system, is represented by twt
dots, space and a dot, and the letter !
by dot, space and two dots, the letter J
by two dots, a space and two dots, tn
letter o BY dot, space and dot, etc.
while in the continental system thes
letters are represented by greater mum
Der of dots or dashes combined withou
space.
It is said that person with natura
ear for music can most quickly becom
an expert telegrapher. Members of tn
profession can communicate with eacl
other by simple pressure of the finger
of one upon the hand of the other &C
cording to the intervals of dots ant
dashes, which, together with other way
that naturally suggest themselves to al
ingenious mind, constitute systems o
communication readily usable in churcl
or anywhere else within seeing or heir
ing, if not OF feeling distance.
The motions of a fan can convey tn
language as distinctly as writing. II
sending messages, every letter con
tanned in them must be faithfully re
peated. For an hour or more at tim
the receiving operator will have Il
write message after message, interrupted
only by the signal "ahr," something
this way:
- .... -. signifying ''anothel
message" This is contin Led until tn
long series is ended by full point
Then the receiver is obliged to max,
sure that he has made no errors, ant
sends the acknowledgement 80. K,
sounding:
=. This signifies "al
right" to VIII ch he adds his signature
OF one or two distinguishing letters
which are also put on each message
under the space on the blank ''sent by
and "received BY" so that each message
can be traced. No two operators in tht
same office can have the same signature.
The average pay of an operator is about
SIS amonth for men aud $50 month fol
women. This can be frequently arg
mented by extra work time. Cable
operators and those in exposed positions
in the West get higher salaries.