St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-11
RAPID TELEGRAPHY.
Expert Jerkers OfLightning Com
pete for Cash Prizes.

pete Tor Cash Prizes.
New York, April 10.-The national
fast sending tournament which took
this afternoon and evening in Hardman
hall, Fifth avenue and Nineteenth
street, was the most interesting event
of the kind in the history of the tele-
graph. The hall was crowded, the audi
ence including not only teleeraphers.
pie not familiar with the art, but who
had been attracted by the novelty of
the contest. Among those competing
for the various prizes were the very
cream of the telegraphic fraternity;
the experts both in speed and
excellence of transmission. The
hall was fitted up with telegraph wires,
batteries and sending and receiving APP
paratus, and the matter transmitted
could be heard all over The room. Each
contestant was given five minutes in
which to send as many words as pos
sible from printed form. Prizes were
awarded both for the highest number
of words transmitted and for the per-
lection with which the Morse characters
were made. A prize was also given to
the operator making the best copy in
receiving the matter as sent. The after
noon was devoted to the ladies' class
aud the ''Old Timers" class-the latter
being open only to those who have been
operators for twenty-five years or over.
Each contestant had
His or Her Partisans
among the auditors, and was warmly
applauded on taking the platform. A
large delegation of newspaper men was
precautionary of the reporters being
old telegrapherS themselveS-and they
declared that the public interest in the
affair was something remarkable, and,
in fact. exceeded that taken in the re-
cent billiard tournaments. Fred Cat
lin, veteran telegrapher, was manager
of the tournament, and the Judges were
Walter p. Phillips, general manager of
the United Press; Thomas r. Taltavall,
editor of the Electric Age; George III.
Usher, manager of the Postal Telegraph
Cable company; E. F. Howell, tester
OF the Western Union office, New
York, and George E. HolbrOok, of the
New York World. c. W. Price, of the
Electrical Review, was starter, and w.
j. Johnston, of the Electrical World,
was timekeeper. The contributors OF
the S720 in prizes were Andrew Carne-
gle, Gen. Thomas T. Eckert, Thomas A.
Edison, Walter p. Phillips, A. B.
Chandler, the Associated Press, the
Electrical World, the Electrical Review,
the Electric Age, the E. S. Greedy COM
pany, j. IL. Bunnell IL Co., the Western
Clock company, and E. II. Johnson.
The first contest this afternoon was in
the ladies' class, free to all, first prize
$50, second $40, third $40. Miss
Kittie Stephenson, of New York.
won the first prize, sending PIT
words; Miss Belle NJ. Dennis, of New
York, second prize, PIP words: Miss E.
r. Vansclow, of New York, third prize,
2l0 words. Miss Tillie Y. Froschel, of
New York, won the special prize of S25
offered by the United Press for excel
lenee combined with speed. The sec
ond contest was that of
The Old Timers.
Albert S. Ayres, of the United Press,
New York, won the first prize of $50 for
highest speed (229 wordS). and also the
special prize of S25 offered by the United
Press for excellence combined with
speed. Fred Catlin, Of New York, won
the second prize of $40, sending 2l7
words. The other contestants were q.
NJ. Eitemille, of Pittsburg, 1871 words,
and j. ii. Dwight, New York, 13S
words. The next competition was in
Glass a, open to all operators. First
prize, 500; second. SO; third, $50, and
special prize of S25 offered by the
United Press for excellence combined
with speed, some of those entering in
this class during the afternoon and
some during the evening. The result
finally announced was first prize, B. r.
Pollock, Hartford, 260 words; second
prize, VIM. Gibson, of the United Press,
New York, 239 words; third, +. }. kim,
of the United Press. New York. 23S
words. Special United Press prize. W.
l.. Waugh, of the United Press, New
York, 229 words. The next and last
contest was in Class B, open to all ex-
cept those who have record of sending
500 words inside of eleven minutes. The
first prize of $50 was won by Frank l..
Catlin, of New York, who sent PSI
words in the allotted time of five min
utes. The second prize. S65, was won
by w. l.. Waugh, the United Press,
New York. 229 words. and the third,
$50. by Frank English, New York, 225
words. The special prize offered by
the United Press for excellence com
bined with speed was won by James p.
Bradt, of tile United Press. 220 words.
The prize of $40, offered by MesSrs A.
3. Chandler and Fred Catin, for the
cleanest transmission regardless of
speed. was awarded to Albert S. Ayres,
OF the United Press, New York, and a
similar prize offered by those gentle
men TO the receiving operator who made