New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-23
A NIGHT WITH THE WIRES.
TALES OF THE CLICKING "SOUNDERS."
WHEN TELEGRAPH MESSAGES SEEM sADDEsT

WHEN TELEGRAPH MESSAGES SEEM sADDkSr-
TALK WITH AN OPERATOR.
At about thIs season of the year the coming OF
dawn marks wonderful Transformation scene In
that hive of industry the big operating room al INC
Western Union Telegraph Company, at BroNiWaS ana
Dcy.st BY the time the first gray strraks appear
IN tho East the bulk OF the work for the night
has been finished. The specials for The news.
papcrs East, West and South have all been cleared
nom the files and tho reds or hafratc night
messages are flashing their routes to distant d'
tinattons II Is the period In the twenty iour
hours Of the day when there Is lull In the iush oi
business.
The eastern Hight grows brighter canh moment
stealing over the Lay, the roofs Of N@t build
fngs and into the windows Of tbs operating FO"h
on the top floor of the tau structure Of tho telegraph
con,pany The lpa nI.scc LAMPS, which GicNhcd
brightly during the darkness Of the night, now
become Us yclpOw and sclly OF Au" under U'o a.
pruaoh Of the sunlight as gas Jets wi'h'I ue DiIh'
liant radius Of all lamps rays Here ahd tcro
throughout the room weary operators am seen win
their heads bowed upon their arms, and thcF
arms resting upon their little tables some arc
stealing brief but sweet bits Of sl"mocr, but most oil
them arc simply resting. Others lean back with folded
arms contcntdly putting their pipes, contemplating
possibly the amount Of energy cNpchueu upon "c
nights work, ard wondering What the same OK
pendturc In some ot!cr field Of labor would nave
u.
quietly talking shop" perhaps. but most likely ex
changing the anecdotes and taxes Of advrnur' OF
which the craft seems to poses an inrAhauSuu'o
supply The wire railways which convey messages
frum part Of th" room TO another WI" nsh'"'"N
Ike srftIws> aIo sill. III" ChcE.rE OF tie lr5'ru-
rnnuts becomes les Irritating IL The ear ~ WIN a'oF
win, is cleared and the saunders cease their m"t""'
nous metallic Iablrr. finally a. t." sun appear,
the is quiet. save for the occasional c!'"h Va
AZ instrument with rush mrS> sage.
sitting Ia any part Cf Tho room ono can hear an
occasional message II l. HaNh"i 10 us dc'Hh"i""
AT this hour the rush. messages nearly always boar
tales Of wre. Listening closely, one can hear away
OF In the distance the message OF vile 10 her lo's
telling tlcai that her husband IS dead and praying
them TO como TO her; again, It Is Tie tu'3and WI"
tclegrsphs or a mother who informs iaAcr that
their child IS dead.
An oId.,in,c ulccrapher Wander into IN" op"ra''
ing room one morning recently after me laPlN h"h
gone 70 press and welcomed rs on" OF III" roni7
OF men by whom he recognized They wcr ta'NhS
about tho depressing !nhucbCc' Vi ''c'' '"""'" -
dawn and sundays.
L, sometimes seems strange, even 10 m" to whom
It should bc natural en- ugh sad one mat uoAt'
messages should lie so rrvalcht at such u"'S nut
OF course Il Is due % tho fact that ordinary sFia
and business kilograms arc temporarily suspended
leaving the rr.cncy OF dean mes fE'h III pm
session OF a monopoly OF the Wire. II Often ma"e'
me blue hardened 10 1t To At h"ro aud IlShh
TO the tales o. SORROW borne III the"" mssaFe'' l
| sometimes find myscf almost uncon"cIo''H "'a'hE
chain OF Imaginary events around thc persons '"''S
Concerned In sornc of thcic kilograms. on sundays
| II seems a, none but death messages pass 'ht""Hh
our hands rs matt II course there arr jn,i a many
any other dav but on week days they are 0vcrwh'lrh
| by the vast amount If regular buS'ns- under "hch
| tbcy aio lost sight Of out OF Il" ne''P'"' ut'
| handled one Sunday 149 w'Ie anh""h cm'hs VI
des,hS Some Of the boys get used 10 handling these
In,