Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1889-06-27
TRICKS AMONG TELEGRAPHERS.
The Tenderfoot Is Usually Put Through a
Vigorous Course of SprOuts


The Tenderfoot Is Usually Put Through a
Vigorous Course of Sprouts.
speaking of country town telegraph
ers, said a veteran operator, reminds
me of story on myself. l was the
Student of the railway station in small
New Jersey town when an old timer
came down there to work wire in the
division superintendent office, which
was just across the track in another build
ing.
"One day answered call on my in
strument and got a message from Mas
ter Mechanic McMartin, who lived down
the track sixty miles, asking me as a per-
sonal favor to take the handcar and go
down the road about three miles to the
farm of j. Bird, where | would get 500
strawberry plants. He wanted me to
bring them to the station and send them
down by the evening express. Now Nc
Martin was in especial favor with me.
had two brothers working under him,
and naturally thought he was a great
man. So said would do it.
81 went home, gotta big clothes basket,
rolled out the handcar, and with one of
the boys that always hang around a
country depot started out to find the farm
of j. Bird. | had never heard of any
such person, but thought | might have
overlooked him. So pumped away up
long grade until l reckoned had gone
at least three miles. Then hailed a man
in a field and asked him where j. Bird
lived. He said there wasn't any such
man around there-might live farther
west; so l went on couple of miles
until l found another man, and he was
at least half a mile away in a plowed
field. So | foundered over that stretch
of broken ground and asked him where
to find the farm of j. Bird He said he
had lived in that county thirty years,
and that no such person had ever been
in it so far as he knew-there was no
such man in that immediate section,
anyway.
81 went back to the handcar in a
quandary. would have gone farther
west, though | was already between
eight and nine miles from town, and my
hands from pumping the handcar were
blistered fearfully, if it hadn't been for
the old farmers positive statement that
no such man lived anywhere around.
Finally concluded that there had been
some mistake and started back. 1t was
mighty hard work and my hands were
awful sore, but l pumped away, and
at last rolled up to the depot There
was great crowd Of young fellows
there, and when l picked up the big
clothes basket and stepped on to the
platform everybody gave me a great
laugh. Then the old time operator put
his head out of the window and sung out:
"'Got them strawberry plantsY
cit didn't take me more'n second to
realize the whole measly trick. The op-
orator from the other building had
switched on his ground wire, called me
up and sent me the message and signed
it McMartin. On the strength of that l
had gone out on a hunt for a jay bird and
come back with two dozen blisters.
While l was gone he had circulated the
story and the gang had gathered !
didn't hear the last of that sell for
months, and was SO suspicious after
ward that l wouldn't answer my own
call half the time That's what call
low down trick; but I've hoaxed young
operators just as badly since. 1t teaches
EN- the business. New York Star