The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-03-09
THE COMPOsING.ROOM

as before mentioned, are Associated
Press. q part of great system which
reaches from the coast OF Maine to the
margin of the broad Pacific and from the
very rim of the frozen North to the Gulf of
Mexico. with branches and subdivision
stretching ont like tho strands of spider
web to almost every inhablta6ie part of the
United States. The similitude of SPIDERS
web 10 especially apt for nothing worthy
the attention of men In any field of thought
can happen without being caught in
this wonderful network of wires and by
them transmitted to the readers of the
morning newspaper. Tho great cables
that span the oceans connect the ncwB-
gathering systems of this country with the
Reuter- system of Europe, which collects
the happenings not only OF Europe, but
of Central and South America. and over
vast area of Asia and Africa. Not only
these. but Australia and the islands of the
most remote seas are looked after. and
their happenings appear In the morning
paper TO be discussed at the breakfast
table.
THEY NEVER SLEEP.
In this country the press wire circuits
are never closed. The operators relieve
each other every eight hours. An average
of 3.C0J words an hour is received for the
morning paper, and in all tho principal
cities of the United States this is written
out upon type writer as received. a change
from the former lOng-hand system. for
which the compositor should be duly CRATE
full Eight hours application receiving
words from q telegraphic instrument and
putting the weird. wild dots and dashes of
the language of Morse into current English
10 sufficiently laboriOus for the operator to
enjoy the sixteen hours for refreshment
and sleep that follow. No telegraphio
work requires so high, an order of skill,
knowledge and accuracy as taking the
press report. which year after year is in.
creasing In volume and In the range of
subjects transmitted. A few years ago tho
entire revision of the New Testament was
sent by wire to number of metro
pOiitaD journals. 1t excited considerable
comment ut the time. out 1t 10 safe to say
that nothing the press lines may do now or
hereafter Will occasion surprise. 1t 10 ex-
pected to do all things.
The operator must be alert and quick
witted through all the dreary watches Of
the light. With editor. reporter and COM
position, should either mistake or misread.
there Is some time for correction. With
the operator. as the flood of words rolls in,
there is little opportunity for correction,
and he 10 held to standard OF iniallibllity
that amazes and confOunds the ordinary
wayside telegrapher. he receives with
the same degree of speed q dispatch
conveying news from Hong Kong. SantI-
ago. Siberia or Santa Re. and soon
gets to be skilled geogra pher and enough
of a linguist to know something of nearly
every tongue upon earth from Choctaw to
Hindostanee. 1t all comes to HIM like the
CHATTER of a halls storm on a tin roof-at least
10 appears as little intell BILE to the unin-
Itiated istener-but he knows what every
click anu CHATTER of that magical ar
rangement of brass and iron means. and
with the cool serenity that he can interpret
anything ii may say puhs away
upon his briarw God pipe with placid in
difference upon his brow that would do
credit to an Aztec idol. while his fingers
gallop over the key board of the ~ pc writer
with a speed that would discount Ruben
stems most disheveiied efforts upon tho
piano. Meantime the manifold streams
out from the cylinder of the typewriter
like the torrent that rushes over Niagara.
but cor tributing TO the world o power
greater than thousand Niagaras.
The operator however. is sublimely un-