Wichita eagle., 1888-08-31
WOES OF A TELEGRAPHER.
Trouble During q Thunderstor1n-Messas
Not Easily Disciphcred.


sAnd you imagine we fellows have
slick time of it, eh?" said an operator at
the Western Union Telegraph Office.
'sWell, you are away off. An operators
life, especially this sort of weather, isn't
altogether pleasant one, when he has
got to use fan with one hand and pen
with the other"
"How many words do operators
usually write minute?"
''An expert operator has to write on
an average from thirty to forty-five
words, and sometimes more, according
to the ability of the transmitter at the
other end of the wire. If the sender is a
first class man he can make it very I'M
comfortable for the receiving operator
by sending so fast that he won't have
time to dip his pen in the ink bottle, not
if it were buttoned to his bosom. Then
in thunder storm the lightning inter
feres q good deal with the operator
transmitting. The receiving operator, if
his ability allows it, can readily get along
by guessing, but he has to be very care
full, or any mistake that he may make
will cause his salary to be somewhat di
minished at the end of the month on &C
count of having to pay the cost of the
message, or a few hundred dollars more.
No, sir, an operators life is not one Of
pleasure, as is the general impression.
It's one of continual worry, and is
strictly business"
chow do operators usually learn the
business2''
ga first class operator frequently starts
out as messenger, and through his own
perseverance gradually learns the ropes
and, if he is ambitious enough, he finally
becomes an operator. He may not then
be fully up 10 the standard. He's got to
become accustomed to different styles Of
messages, such as social business and
cipher Any first class operator can sit
down and write cipher after cipher, with
the experience be has had with this eco
noInic and costly style Of telegraphing.
For instance, In an everyday style hike
this: How melons ripe enough to pluck
or 'Cotton's easier. market steadier, cot
ton coming in lively. Is all easy enough,
but when the messages get this way:
'Somnahnbuhstic echu- buy hundred bales
p1iddling and it Is mixed at the other
end to read, Summon an ambulance. try
bounded pills, middhns. etc, Or send
me fritz toilar, vas ousgaspeilt,' it's
not quite 20 easy. The operator books at
such message, turns it different ways,
and either carries it back for recon
struction, or lets it go as written. Then
again, i wasn't yez COON right doom on
the wire no doubt means, wants MIN TO
reply by wire When be gets such .
message the operator Is in another
pickle what TO do.
tin cipher and cables though. such
risks cannot be taken, as it might in
vo,re thousands of dollars, and as the
operators finances are nominal, be can
not take the risk-
There are also stock quotations that
are important, oftentimes more 50 than
the cipher message quotation comes
along. The merchant does no< intend 70
invest until be is certain that the quota
ton has been correctly received An
operator or the telegraph company can
lot always be held responsible for snis-
spelled OF BADLY written messages"
How should 8 message be written 70
insure prompt dispatch and quick delay-
eryT
ut should fr< b plainly written,
every word and feunesfe4ledo oct Paper
is plentiful and can b gen1o0zt util-
lied for this ir.pmts1s Qupose @&ev
Yoxk Grznnio