Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-22
GETTING ELECTION BULLETINS.
News From the wigwam Distributed
Through Washington TO 4 900 Point..

News From the wigwam Distributed
Through Washington TO 1000 Points.
But few people Of the many thousands who
read the bulletins from the Minneapolis con-
vention which were displayed by The star and
who have yesterday and today been reading
the bulletins from Chicago have any clear idea
o. to the tremendous extent Of the bulletin SER
vice or Of the way in which the information IL
distributed. Everybody reads the news. but
only minority knows how il Is gathered to-
gether n nd scattered abroad
Highly satisfactory was the telegrsphic
service from Minneapolis the Chicago arrange
ments are probably little better. The send
ing operator-Mr. Lester s. Fisher-was De-
tailed from the Western Union main Office in
this city for the important work. He has
table on the platform in the wigwam-
Two or three newspaper men are engaged TO
watch the proceedings. and the instant any,
thing OF interest occurs, or seems likely TO
occur, one Of these writes the bulletin and
hands il to Mr.. Fisher. Before he reaches
him the word bulletin" has gone over the
wire to this city and every operator in thou
sand offices is listening for the message.
WHAT ONE MAN DOES.
That one man with one wire should be able
to supply the news to so many people without
any other than electro-mechanical assistance IL
one Of the marvels which Prof.
Morse never foresaw. The repetition
is accomplished entirely without human
assistance. An additional relay or mainline
receiving instrument is inserted in the conven-
ton bulletin wire at the main Office in
this city. This instr ument works two local
''sounders," and on each OF them are
eight independent repeating attachments so
arranged that the signals transmitted bv the
operator at the convention hall are automatic
cally and simultaneously repeated into sixteen
different wires here, thus permitting all the
offices on each Of these sixteen wires TO receive
the bulletins direct from the hall An inter-
| ruption on any one of these sixteen wires does
not In any way affect the working of any Of the
others. Interruptions. however. are few. for
the warning-word bulletin" causes q general
suspension of business.
DISTRIBUTING THE BULLETINS
In Washington the news is received from this
one wire at a number Of central points. OF
course it is taken in the big operating room on
the top floor OF the Core oran building and in
fully a score OF the Western Union branch
Offices in various parts of the city, and
it rattles into The STAR building from Erecting
to adjournment, but the government depart
ments get ii also. There are operators at the
Senate and House, the government printing
office, the pension Office, the census Office, the
Post Once Department, the Interior Depart
ment, the interstate commerce commits
s s'H1, the War navy yard the IreI,ury
Departments. the Department Of Justice. the
White House, the National Museum. the bureau
Of engraving and printing, the weather bureau
and the press associations. At all these places
the bulletins are received simultaneously with
their receipt at the main Office and in many of
them they manifolded and distributed
throughout the building. There is no limit
to the number of repetitions that may be
effected. Automatically the news, for in
stance, is repeated to Richmond and Richmond
repeats to half a dozen minor points; these
minor points, in turn, have reporters which work
to still other places That one operator. with one
wire, could supply every city and village east Of
Chicago with the convention news and all these
places would receive the information stimuli
taneously.
Once in a while telegraphy does some strange
things. -Four years ago the correspondent Of a
Chicago paper desired the bulletins from the
Chicago convention. That paper had a leased
wire. The bulletins were sent into that
Washington Office, and on over the leased
wire into the Chicago home Office. 90 that the
newspaper received the Western Union service
from Chicago by way Of this city. The conven-
ton was in progress within gunshot of the news
paper building, yet its bulletins Travelled nearly
1000 miles before they were delivered