The morning news., 1889-05-17

| tongue, and 1t occurred in this way: While
IN the Macon Office it was found one day
that the line was down, Sud from the
strength of the current in the Office M,
butter located the break near town. Bor-
rowing horse he rode out on the wagon
road leading to Columbus. The high wind
OF the morning had prostratad the wires,
and for miles they were stretched upon the
tops OF the young trees, upon the rail
fences. and upon the ground. Several
miles from town he found the break, but
having no help along and no TOOLS except
pair OF pliers, the task of repairing the
wire would have seemed a dubious under
taxing to man of less energy than young
Butler. Not far distant he saw a number
OF hands at work in 4 field, and riding up to
the owner Of the plantation he introduced
himself and asked for the loan OF the hands
for an hour.
TELEGAPHING WITH THE TONGUE.
The farmer did not seem disposed to grant
such favor, but Mr. Butler mentioned the
name of Mr.. Alexander others, who
were close friends of the farmer, and the
hands were directed to assist. The wires
were brou hit together, but before being
Joined together it occurred to Mr.. Butler
tnat he would inform the operator in the
Macon office that the line was In working
order. INC" was the call for Macon, and
great was the astonishment of Sam Suhers,
the operator, when he found that he was
talking with John Butler, knowing that he
was out in the woods without key or sounder
or instruments of any kind. Mr.. Butler
had driven a hatchet in the moist earth be-
tween the ends of the two wires, and by
tapping the end of the wire leading to
Macon upon the top of the hatchet he was
enabled to send message. Then, by hold
Ing the two wires with his hands and his
tongue between them, he received the re-
plies.
This was the first instance known at the
time, but owing to Mr.. Buffers mOdesty
nothing was ever said about it. A year or
SC later. ho "evsr, he acc 1mplished the same
feat and>it created quite ir
Mr. Butler was one of large number Of
passengers bound for Mobile. When the
train was rolling along towards Montgom-
cry, where 1t would make connection with
the steamboat Messenger, Capt Cox, then
one of the model steamboats, on the river,
it was found that freight train had run
off at the mile post sixteen miles above
Montgomery. Here was dilemma The
nearest office was at Columbus, over 100
miles away, and no man could be sent to
Montgomery in time to delay the departure
Of the boat or to stop the uD night pas
sengar train, which would most likely run
into the derailed freight. Conductor Cor
don was in despair until Mr.. Butler said TO
him:
Gordon, can send message to Mont
gomery for you.n
The conductor doubted it, but anxious to
try any means he told him for heavens sake
to do it.
"Take down that bell rope and make
your brakeman bring me a crowbar."
This was done and the passengers filed
out of the cars to see what folio @ei. The
end Of the rope was thrown over the wire
and pulled down. The crowbar was sunk
into the earth, and the wire placed on top
of it was severed by blow from a hatchet
Then, tapping the Montgomery ead upon
the crowbar, Mr.. Butler called mp Hubert,
the operator. Hu ert responded, and then
the message of the wreck and The request to
hold the boat was sent. Sam G. Jones
was superintendent of the Montgomery and
West Point railroad and Hubert, who knew
Butler well, asked to hold the wire
open until he could find Jones, and also Mr.
Pollard, agent of the boat line. Hubert
ran across the street and found both Jones
and Pollard in the chamber of c)mmers
building and related the wonderful message
They went at once to the office, and after a
conversation with Butler told him taat he
passenger train that was already steamed
up to 60 out would go at once to the sixteen
mile post TO bring in the paSse gers and
engineer of the freight train. Pollard kept
the boat waiting, and shortly after dark
the train arrived in Montgomery with the
passengers, who took the boat and proceeded
on to Mobile.
AS may be imagined, Mr.. Butler was the
hero of the hour The Montgomery Ad-
UertiSer published an account OF 9 occur
renee. 7 is was copied in the Mobile Req
lister, and thsn in turn by the Nsv Orlea IS
Bulletin. Then it got into the London
Times, and was made much sport Of, the
Thunderer claiming that it was a yankee
trick" and an impoSsi bility.
During the late war this feat was often
done, notably by Gen. Morgan Of the con-
federate side, but Mr.. Butler was the first
man to demonstrate that it could be accom-
plished
Mention Of the war reminds me of an
other fact in connection with telegraphy. 1t
was the war that caused the abandonment
of the paper on which the mes ages were
written with the needle. Down south here
the papsr could not be obtained, and the
operators were therefore forced to depend
upon reading by sound. After the var the
paper was discarded altogether, and every
operator depends upon his good ear.