The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-24
cAsLE MESSAGES IN CIPHER.
And an immense Amount OF Business ID
Done Under the Various Codes.


And an immense Amount OF BuslAess L.
Done Under the Various Codes.
The rules of the transatlantic casle
lines whereby they collect tolls not
only upon the address and signatures
of message, but charge double for all
words containing more than ten letters,
have evolved most elaborate system
of cipher codes for government, COM
mercial and private use. Probably four
fifths of the business handled by tho
able companies is in cipher, absolutely
unintelligible to the operator. Code
making is a recognized profession. and
special ciphers for any purpose can be
readily procured. Firms having regu-
lar correspondents abroad customarily
omit signing their cablegrams, saving
at least one word upon eacf message.
The minimum length of cablegram is
three words, two of which form the
address. To the initiated it would
seem impossible to convey any extend
ed idea in a single word, but this is
great mistake. For example. if the
worthy son of Lord Knowswho should
get stranded here with only a beastly
three bob in his clothes, there would
be vet hope for him, for he would have
the wherewithal to pay for the follow
ing message: "Knowswho London Bust
ed" which, in plain English, would
mean: ITO Lord Knowswho, London.
Please remit by wire as much as you
can possibly spare, and wire me when
and how much is thus sent"
It is an everyday occurrence for tho
leading mercantile and brokerage firms
of this city to transmit and receive
money by cable, the modus operandi
being that exchange is bought in the
usual way with the currency at any Of
the banking-houses doing foreign bust
ness, but instead of the ordinary draft
being issued the bankers cable their
correspondents to place an equivalent
sum to the credit of the person or firm
named. This system has been the
means of bolstering up many firm in
the hour OF. need. 1t is possible to take
advantage of the rules of the cable
companies regarding prepayment of
messages to transfer small amounts OF
money by wire. Cablegrams will not
be sent collect, neither may the sender
guarantee the payment of tolls upon
a reply to a message; but he can pre-
pay such reply to the extent of thirty
words by depositing cash to that
amount at the originating Office and
stating in his cablegram: REPLY, ten
words prepaid" or whatever number
of words he may mention within the
limit. When the message is delivered
to the person the cable company at the
same time hands him in cash the
amount of prepayment. The party
getting the money can use 1t to send
the reply wanted or otherwise, as he
sees fit.
Considering the fact that very few
cablegrams are ineligible to the oper-
ators the mistakes made are surpris-
ingly few and such as do occur are
quite as often due to the poor penman-
ship of the writer as to carelessness
! upon the part of cable employees. The
codes are arranged as far possible to
preclude mistakes. The rate per word
| from New York to South Africa is S. 40;
! to Cape Colony and Transvaal, a.43;
Mozam bique. SAL. and Zanzibar, So. 10.
To New South Wales via one route the
rate is s1.45 per word, and via another
line. So 81 To Burmah s1.27 is charged,
and to Beloochistan, S1.13. The rate to
China is s1.9 and to Japan, S2.21. The
highest-pu blished rate of all is s7.03 per
word which is collected upon messages
| for Guatemala, Honduras and San Sal
vador, the rou te being exceedingly cir
cuitous.-Philadelph Times.