The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-21
The Great Operating Rooms Of
the Western Union Company.
- rvELAND AS A LAND BOOMER.
IA. Je6erson's Son Worked Him In
Good style-The Suicide Of Nor.
nile-PaIitzer's Employees.

sinent. is in touch with all the world. But
70 really realize that you are face to face
nth the electrical ganglions of the entire
robe one has but to take a walk through
this enormous establishment. No less
han 800 separate and distinct wires enter
he great operating room alone. On the
eoor below are the marvellous instruments
rhieh work the great stock-reporting
adckers" simultaneously and with abso-
,ute accuracy, and also the various duplex,
suadruplex and multiplex instruments
used on long service work. The great
operating room on the eighth floor en-
pioys day and night no less than ], 900
operators.
They are all under the immediate eye Of
the superintendents, and each operator
sits 1t his neat little desk with his instru-
ment in front of him. The room is di-
yided into switchboard sections represent
ing the Northern, Eastern, Southern and
Western divisions of the republic. All
these wires are under the special superin-
tendence of men held responsible for their
condition, and they are all spread out
before them like the keys of a piano.
The construction Of these enormous switch
boards is Is perfect as that of Jurgensen
wstch.
To the uninitiated these great spider
webs are absolutely incomprehensible, but
to the adept they seem as simple as the
four strings of violin. One thing that
struck me as amazing was the fact that in
MI this vast hail. with every instrument
humping and pounding away, each oper-
ator seemed Indifferent to all instruments
save his own. What was Babel to me was
no more to him than the distant sounds in
the streets. His mind was concentrated
on his own communication. In no estab-
lshment have ever seen the splendor of
system 10 well exemplified. There Is, l
beisye, nowhere in the world an operat-
ing room 50 thoroughly equipped and so
scientifically managed. l should think
that Mr. Gould would be very proud of
his achievement in concentrating and de-
yeioping this great Geographic center.
Some reference was made in these letters
recently to the peculiar bond of friendship
existing between Joseph Jefferson. the
popular comedian, and Mr.. Cleveland, the
leader OF the Democratic party. A gentle
man whose eye rested upon these COM
mentaries, informs me that the relation
ship between the student on the one side
and the statesman on the other was really
brought about by Mr.. Charles Jefferson,
son of the actor. Charles is very shrewd,
icvei-headed business man. Some years
ago he spent summer in the neighbor-
hood of Buzzard's bay with number of
members of the dramatic profession
among them George Boniface. Their
principal business was fishing and their
headquarters was located at Scituate
Young Jefferson stumbled upon the sandy
tract where now Gray Gables lifts
It's proud head, and there located
. fishing shanty. He found the fish,
ing in the vicinity very good. Suisse
quently he bought slice of the land and
built house. He invited his father to
spend the summer with him, and the ge-
NAL old gentleman was pleased with the To-
cation and the piscatorial pastime.
Charles then hit Upon the idea of the real
estate boom, and he proceeded to buy a
large tract of this sandy waste. The next
thing was to advertise it and call attention
to ii. Mr.. Jefferson had an acquaintance
with Mr.. Cleveland, and, as both were
fishermen, it was an easy matter to get
Mr.. Cleveland up to Bnzzard's Bay. The
remainder of the scheme took care of
it1cAi MI. AAtfttdnu WAS XVIII u
ing site, ana that attracted others. Young
Mr.. Jefferson is doing quite well. The in
tesest in this story turns chiefly upon the
point that Mr.. Cleveland was deity used
inemnection with the real estate move
nent in Washington City during his
tsfm as president. There is an effort,
luoserve, to use him in a sort of Red
Top" way at Greenwich. Conn. When a
nan reaches n place in public esteem
Which N, hin, naafnl ,at-
ing real estate boomer, he has certainly at
tanned one form of greatness. Ii was
present Of a house and lot to General
Grant thar made Long Branch popular
hummer resort
The recent suicide of Judge J. G.. Nor
nile, OF st. Louis. emphasizes in a marked
degree the sensitiveness of public men o
newspaper criticism. | lived in the same
hotel with Normile for several years, and
our ccmpanionship was very close. lie
was peculiar man, and among his pecu-
iiaritles was his excessive pride and vani-
". tie was proud of himself physically
and proud of himself intellectually. And
When he found himself in public life sub
lecied to the merciless criticism of n
senfing she same, his wounded van
lily az we'll as his sensitiveness
prompted doubtless suicide. With all his
eeeentricities and peculiarities. l was
very fond of Normile. He was quite a
student. and one of his peculiarities was
70 read himself full during the day and
TAX himself out at night. My profess
sionai duties in those days left me very
httie time for general reading, and Nor
niue was, 10 some extent, my library.
he Kept himself abreast of the freshest
literature. and / could always depend
upon him for an after-dinner disquisition
capital story gathered from his
eoFary. ] recall an evening spent at Ser-
vega few years ago with the judge and
telonei lngsrsoll
The judge always made point of going
% earatoga well stocked with anecdote.
Saosatton and recitation. Fer nj least
taree hours be and Colonel Ingersoli, on
We occasion referred 10, exchanged
ssoF'es aud comments until the porch OF
TIE Grand Union hotel in the vicinity
pore the appearance OF q lyceum in full
past, ana | may say that my old st.
Louis friend came OF with flying colors.
Toer Normlel He lived bachelor life,
ana has selhshness, l fear, grew upon him
Ne advanced in years. He made the
ms,aSe OF living too much for himself.
! nave been thinking that IL he
Asa surrounded himself with pleasant
family ne would have borne the slings
sad arrows Of outrageous fortune" with
more iogiitude.
The retirement of Mr.. Ballard Smith
.ioin the service of the World emphasizes
ue fact that Mr.. Pulitzer is rather a din.
S ss-s man 81 get along with now aiays HIS
ls-nealth and the fact that he is not in
ushs contact with his employers make j,
sAhesi impossible TO serve him. In the
dsys ~ the building up of the 81.
nflas Pest. isisfAGtch and the HoTld Mr..
s.ss~eF, while an exactlng man aud ahso.
ley anurlns in his energy, was. never.
..sasss. "a spprecIative and rather kindly
Neyer When his eyes gave out antl
,s aeaiEa became impsired he practically