Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-04-10
SNIPKINS' EXPERIENCE.
He was n P.c;;d Operator fur a Very Few
Minutes.

AHis Itt''iis 10 or iiI.i. says liic
Washington Post, an experience of i
young friend whom we viii cali Snipkins.
He was about 10 years Old, and undertook
TO learn teicgrapLy because he was fasci-
mated by it. He thought that to be 4 tel
e2raph operator was to be the most en-
Vlable creature on earth. So he obtained
permission to practice in a little way
office where not more than one or two
messages were received IN day. Thomas
Cleveland, vino WAS tie station agent, the
express agent, the operator. and every
thing else. showed the young man how tC
make the alphabet, and Snipkins set about
the task OF Learning with proud heart.
For an hour or more he pechei away at
the key, mastering one letter after an
| other.
''lou are making fine progress" said
Mr.. Cleveland, encouragingly: land say.
Snipkins, whenever aay body comes in to
send message you just pretend that you
are the operator, take the message and
the pay for it. rattle the key SO rs to
make believe you are sending it, and then
hang tie message On the hook. When
get around to il will send it,
This pleased the young man very
much. 1t was the height of his ambi-
ton TO be deemed an operator, and he
ratified the key very e!oquen,ly whenever
any white-eyei y.llaser happened to be
looking. Pretty soon 4 gentleman came
in with message which he said must be
sent right away.
Il Will send it at once" said Snipkins,
and with glad heart he sat down and rat
tied away for perhaps two seconds. Then
he hung the message on the hook and
leaned back with an air that said: '.What
do you think of me -
''Why don't you send my messenger
asked the man.
81 have: it is gone,'' said Snipkins.
sorry for the poor, ignorant layman.
'Gonc! What do you mean? There
it is on that hook"
"1 on don't suppose we send the paper
that the nlesSage;is written OH, do you 2"
said Snipkins loftily.
''Don't yOu:" asked the customer.
Certainly not and Snipkins laughed
a little at the poor fellows ignorance.
''Well,' said the man, 'sthat's news to
me. How on earth do you send it, then -
"lou saw me send it. That's all there
is to it,
''Well, WE'LL" said the astonished Gus
toner. ''And how long before it will be
there ~
''Ifs there now.''
81 snum, is that so? Well, well, telc-
graphing is pretty quick business. isn't
it:''
''Ies, sir;" said SHipkins, condescend-
ing to be jocular for the moment; '.ii's rs
quick as Lightning
The Man came around inside the railing
and battered Snipkins by asking him
please to explain how the thing worked
what made the message go and how it
came to get there so quickly.
What Snipkins didn't know about this
part of it would have made coyerlet for
all time with some few Square miles
left to to lap over into eternity. He had
no sort of an idea how the electric cur
rent was created. He had never been in
PRODUCED to a battery and was not on
speaking terms with even ground wire.
But he had Il splendid Imagination and
with il he created Il scheme OF telegraphv
qiIite as wonderful as anything Prof.
Morse had ever dreamed of. He laid the
whole thing open TO the bewildered listen
or aHd made an explanation Us clear as
mud.
well, sir.'' said the Customer when
everything had been explained at great
length and with lofty condescension,
''tiist is the most wonderful thing l ever
heard of. Ny stars, what revolution
iias been made in biography in the las.
SIX months. Now, WHEN | quit opera
ting. last November. it was all done in
quite another way. When we wanted to
send a message we opened the key this
way, called up the other Office this way,
and (after all the other offices had an.
severely sent the message this way
The customer was Il. n. Wolcott, ons
of the Oldest telegraph operators in IL.
iinois.
When young Snipkins returned to cor
sciousness he saw Tom Cleveland stand.
ing behind the freight desk laughing
himself blue in the face. That is the way
old telcgrapners sometimes treat the cubs
in their Offices. Cleveland had arranged
the whole thing with his friend Wolcott.