The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-09-21
CONyERsING BY TELEGRAPH.
An Operator Says He Does Not Hear
the Clicking oft instrument.
INew York Tripune.l

$40. New YORK vrlOunel
nDo I hear the click of my instru-
ment ?" said telegraph operator
when asked what was the sensation OF
receiving message and writing it out
at the same time. swell, / suppose
I do, else I could not take the mes
sage, but the sound does not make
noticeable impression on my ear. In
fact. l am never conscious of the fact
that there is click. I do not asso-
ciate the actual dot or dash with let
ter. To me it is letter itsef. So when
I am receiving it is precisely the
same as If some one was talking to me.
Most of the messages come along so
rapidly, you know, that they make
running conversation. 1t is not pre-
cisely as il you were talking to me
here, but rather, as if you set in one
corner of room and spoke to me.
This is SO true that when a question is
asked an operator fancles that he bears
the rising of the voice at the end OF the
sentence. This prevents one from
being overcome by the terrible mono-
tony of the thing, for often get in
terested in the message. When l am
receiving graphic newspaper account
of any incident feel az if some one
was telling it to me. Perhaps it is
more real to me than to one who reads
it afterward. ..
uSometimes when my wire is not d,
work lie back in my chair and doza
off. When another operator begins tC
call me the effect is the same as ii he
spoke my name in my ear, repeating
it over and over again. I do not asso
ciate the call with anything but thu
, idea it represents. That is why thu
+ little pleasantries which two operator:
: exchange do not seem so unsympa
thetic to US as people think they are
l have had men laugh at mo when
told them that 1 had just greeted
fellow operator after getting him.
The thing struck them as beini
V ludicrous. He heard nothing but IT,
v metallic snap. 1t often happens tina
It YOU lose track of man for loni
8 time. Some day he hobs up again a
!. the other end of wire. You dom
e discover who it is until the message
), over the wire, perhaps. Then you say
If .Hullo, where have you been how ar
IS you?' Just about as you would if 80
o met him on the street.
n "Then you get TO know some ma
o whom you have never seen. You tai
n with him, say shullo' and goodbye
sc and get well acquainted with him
lie time. You wonder what he looks lik
re whether he is tall or short, and sue
ID things. Some day he changes or yo
r. change, for operators are always mo-
ing around, you meet him and a
he friends on the spot. or course, whe
he YOU know a man personally and tai
v with him the conversation is all tt
al more natural. But you mustn't get t!
IS, idea that operators say much over Il
ne wire at one time. They don't ha'
to the time. When work is pressing '
a. jump from one message to auoih
ed without wasting much time.
Id "Cau / recognize certain men
re, their touch on the key? No, l car
ne say that 1 can. But there are son
he men who are like lightning, and
n, usually find out pretty soon whether
of not the fast man of an office is on I
on other end. Then there are men wi
are terribly slow, so feel as If
p listening to drawing voice. c
of tell when 1 have taken two wor
y. whether the sender is good or pc
o. operator"
ed
wv The new cruiser Baltimore has 81
on cessfully stood severe test and be
Ii formally and regularly admitted il