Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-02-06


dences-Peculiar Abbrevlations.
Telegraph operators form strong
friendships over the wires. Metaphori-
cally they shake hands cordially twice
day-when they begin work and when
they end 1T. And when business is dull
they hold long conversations, with hun
dreds of miles-perhaps thousands
separating them, as two friends might
do over a dinner table. They tell of
their hopes and fears and ambitions
and impart very confidential informa-
ton to men whom they have never seen.
OF course, all these exchanges take
place between those who have been
in communication constantly for some
time.
There are pairs OF men who have
been in daily communication with each
other over the Same telegraph wire for
years, and who have never seen each
other. Each is we'll acquainted with
the others temperament, his moods, his
disposition, and his sentiments. Tele-
graph instruments and telegraph wires
are unfeeling and stolid-looking things.
Yet through them man Is able to con-
vey emotions of sorrow or joy almost as
plainly as they may be expressed ia
cially. The fact is perfectly palpable to
to the man at one end of the wire, while
no is receiving dispatches, that the man
who is sending them is i'll or we'll, Or
though the sender may make usaNof no
terms of friendliness or swear Words
that he is in good temper or bad.
When the feeling between two opera
tors in two cities, instead of being that
of gentle affection, is that of strong dis
like, the fact can be made just as APP
parent as though they were within q
few feet of each other. No personal
collision can occur, of course. That is
one of the drawbacks. But man can
call names and make threats over the
wire with almost the same facility as
by word Of mouth. One of the favor
tie resorts when two operators are
quarreling is that professionally known
as fighting circuit" Not much is &C.
complished by this, however, for when
call names over q wire, neither can sue
coed.
Telegraphers have an old story about
''fghting circuit" lis so very old, in
deed, that 1t is doubtful if 1t is ever
told nowadays. 1t is of one man who,
for instance, was in Albany, and an
other who, for instance, was in Syracuse
After successful exchange Of uncom-
plimentary remarks they began to
flight circuit" that Is, they both tried
to send epithets over the wire at once.
They fought for some time Neither
would yield. The man at Albany, who
was old and astute, saw that the man at
Syracuse who was young and stubborn,
was in for an all-night struggle. The
Albany man looked around for proxy.
He found it in the clock wire, which
was wire attached to the clocks
pendulum, the swaying of which acted
to open and close the circuit. He con-
nected the Syracuse wire with the clock
wire and went homo to bed, leaving the
Syracuse man valorously battling with
the tick-tick, tick-tick of the clock.
The old story concludes with the vera
cious statement that when the Albany
man reached the office the next morn
ing he heard the Syracuse man still
fighting the clock, and that when the
former disconnected the clock wire and
closed the circuit the latter snapped out,
triumphantly: 81 downed you at last,
did ~"
Fighting circuit" is probably the
most annoying occupation there is.
Tho very impotency, the very futility
Of 1t is maddening. Here is man
who has offered grievous insult YET
{As 4asSltee can not get at the insultel
tokick him. They may be separated
: uS.thousands Of miles-the practice Of
calling hard names is not infrequent
possibly, for that reason. Fighting
circuit has several times driven mer
to the verge Of frenzy. There is or
record in the archives of the Western
Union office, New York City, the tale
Of an excitable operator who, after {
long and unsuccessful struggle to say
something mean to man in Buffalo
whom he hated, and who at the same
time was trying to say something NEAR
TO him, suddenly rose from his chat
and darted from the operating-roon
down to the street. There he gazeC
wildly around, looking for some objec
on which to vent his anger. Near hin
q peaceable, mildmsnnered gentleman
was having his boots polished. TIT
unhappy operator rushed at him, strucl
him in the face and shouted: BLANK
blank you, you're always getting you
boots blackedr But that was in the oil
days.
Not always, however, have difference
arising over wire been without
bloodless termination. 1t has been tn
case on a number OF occasions that tn
insultee has boarded train for tn
town of the insulter, and that upon tn
insultcr bsing pointed out to him tn
two have come together in an ARRAY
Eut such instances are exceptions
Evoc Enough man may board trai