The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-30
TAKING TELEGRAPH"
HOW NEWSPAPERS ARE SUP
Piled WITH PRESS REPORTS.


Sending News From the Four
Quarters o: the Globe-Acquaint
ancss Made by the Telegraph Key.
Friends They Never Meet-Tales
From the Telegraph Wires Full OF
Humor and Interest.
From the Washington Stdr
How many readers comprehend and fully
understand the intricacies of the telegraph
business as a branch OF the newspaperl
Notmany, and yet it is full of interest and
OF the utmost Importance Wonderful
strides have been made in the telegraph
within the last five years looking to the
betterment of the news service, and now
hardly day passes without a startling feat
being performed In which Father Time
figures as the vanquished.
To illustrate this point the reporting Of
the recent hanging of Deeming In Australia
may be cited. He was hanged in the morn
ing in Melbourne at 1901 O'Clock, and yet the
morning papers in this country announced
the fact. This at first sight seems incom-
prehensible but the telegraph has anuihi-
lated both time aud space. Chronologically
speaking, the news of the execution reached
this country before the event really took
place. The difference in time between
Washington and Melbourne Is about ten
hours, that is to say, $50 degrees of longi-
tude. Fifteen degrees Of longitude are equal
to one hour. Suppose the news was flashed
from Melbourne Monday morning at 1910
aud that there was on delay over the land
l1nes OF telegraph from Australia and the
cable the dispatch would reach Washington
little after midnight Sunday, apparently
ten hours before Deeming was hanged.
few weeks back bright sketch ep-
peared in one of the telegraph papers
wherein Prof. Morse is pictured as coming
back to life and his great wonderment at
the marvellous development Of his cherished
discovery. He, of all men, would have the
most cause for surprise, as his crude instru-
ments form curiosities to-day, while the
compact improvements upon his original
ideas look bustness-liks all over.
INCREASE IN THE DAILY REPORT.
Five years ago the average news report
consisted of 5000 words to the afternoon
papers and 1000 TO those that came out in
the morning. To-day the press association
Is slow that cannot furnish 10000 words to
the evening payprs and IA, 900 to the morn
ing editions. The utilizing Of typewriters
in the press telegraph business is for the
most part responsible for this advancement
The taking of the regular service of news
from the wire when the machines were first
tried proved such an easy matter that ABB
breviations were introduced. This innova-
ton, while it improved the speed, did not
work the operators harder, and the "coden
was decided upon and is used to greater
or less extent upon all the news circuits to-
day. Walter p. Phillips, an old operator,
and now the general manager OF a success
full news association, is tho author OF the
code, and to him is due the speedy handling
Of news matter
To illustrate. An item starts out: ct is
understood that the President will visit New
York tomorrow evening" The sending
operator sends it over the wire: Ixu-It is
understood; ttt-that the; Pr-Presldsnt;
wl-will; visit: n. View York; tmp-
tomorrow evening. While the man at the
key is sending this item at forty-word per
minute gait, running the speed in reality
up to sixty-dve words a minute, the opera
tors at tho receiving point coolly write out
the words in full on the typewriter. From
this 1t can be seen that great advantage is
secured through tho use Of the code aud the
typewriter as adJuncts to the speedy tele-
graph.
Other useful abreviations in the code are:
K-out of the; Kin which; 6x-great ex-
element; Ckx-committed suicide; Hue
House committee; Utc-under ths clroum-
stances; Ogt-on the ground that, etc.
RESULTS OF INCREASED FACILITIES.
Expressions are often heard, coming from
the older generation, that the world is get
ting worse every day because they never
heard when they were young of so many
terrible crimes and daring robberiss. That
is it exactly. When they were young, or
even fifteen years ago, the facilities for gath
eging the news were very crude, and, as a
result, one-half Of the news of the world
circulated only in the immediate vicinity of
its origin. To-day the younger generation
is not only told on this same day of a train
robbery in the western states, a terrible
mine explosion up in the coal fields of Penn
sylvania, the doings Of the Canadian par
lament and the idiosyncrasies Of the royal
families Of Europe, but the fullest details
are flashed to his favorite paper and he
knows as much about the particular Incl
dent as those who were on the spot aud wit
messed the occurrence.
Another feature-R feature indeed-for
which all newspaper readers have reason to
be thankful for the Improvement in the
press telegraph, was the magnificent re-
ports received from Minneapolis and
Chicago. How many Thousands of words
of press have been created by the two con-
ventions will be a hard matter to get at
exactly, but the tolls therefor will not fall
far short of $3.50, 900.
OF the people VINO handle the kilograms
the operators-still less is known by the
koLAcA a. AeQOCA 1bCJ IOIul blTOuk
ships over the wires. Metaphorically they
shake hands cordially twice a day-when
they begin work aud when they end it.
When business is dull they hold conversa-
tons, with hundreds of miles, perhaps
thousands, separating them, as two friends
might do over a dinner table. Sometimes
they tell of their hopes and fears and am
billions and impart very confidential in
formation to men whom they have never
seen. but generally the topic is horse racing
or base ball 1t is a known fact that tee-
graph operators and printers are the
greatest crauks on the national game in
existence. OF course, all these exchanges
take place between those who have been IN
communication constantly for some time.
TALKING AT MANY MILES DISTANCE.
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 well
acquainted with the others temperament,
his moods, his disposition and his senti-
ments Telegraph Instruments and tele-
graph wires are unfeeling and stolid-look-
lug things. Yet, through them a man is
able to convoy emotions or Joy almost as
plainly az they may be expressed facially.
The fact is perfectly palpable to the man at
one end OF the wire, while he is receiving
dispatches, that the man who is sending
10 i'll or well, or-though the sender may
make use of no terms OF friendliness or OF
swear words-that he is in good temper or
bad