Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02

IA NGXN& u por1ant bit of furri-
WA SSTS@ ture at the White
WEISE- House. By means OF
W%Nl- its key and sounder
HE INT m mae ca'ss a ssns,ss IT,
Interchange of intel
nsehee Win the OUTSIDE world. During
any excitement or trouble he receives news
olrect from the seat OF disorder and can
control affairs as IL himself OH the spot.
"a. tne time OF the Johnstown food Gen.
harrison and Mr.. Halford spent a Jay and
nisht beside the ticker, giving orders for
IurhisrihS tents. pontoons, supplies &c for
Ihe rellef of the survivors, Wires were
mrs. permanently introduced to the Excc,l-
i've Mansion just before the Inaugural ton
OF HAYES. He found use for them during
the railway strikes and riots of 1877. when
ne was daily and nightly in correspondence
WIN the troubled districts. After Garfield
was shot the telegraph was kept busy for
months distributing news about the diving
Fresidents condition all over the Union.
siost OF the routine daily correspondence
between the President and officers of the
executive departments is conducted over
the White House wires The same wire 10
the usual means of communication between
the White House and the CAPITOL while
1 30, IS sitting. The government owns
the INES which connect the White House
ana capitol with all the departments Con-
gressmen employ these wires freely in
seholng messages to and transacting BUSH
ness with the departments. by the cour-
tesy OF the telegraph companies and news
associations Mr.. Cleveland IS constantly
kept informed of the latest important in
tellgence from all parts of the globe. When
an eiectlon is pending he has the use of a
oirect wire getting the returns as fast "a
they come In. The clerk who operates the
telesraph at the White House is maid nv
uncie sam. He also acts as keeper of the
uHueuuue scrap books, in which are pasted
wnatever opinions respecting the Adminis-
tratlon are deemed worth clipping from the
columns of the newspapers
Secret Cipher Codes,
hacn department must pay it's own ex-
penses for telegraphing out of it's appropri-
alton. The navy has secret cipher code a
copy of which is kept locked in a copper box
on board Of every ship There are two KEYS
to this box; one of them is held by the COM
Inander OF the vessel and the other by a
subordinate officer. Both are instructed in
the use of the cipher. Thus they are able
20 send by cable to Washington any con-
ndentiai communication from any port in
IN. .he world without revealing the nature of
tiie message, even to the operators who
transmit 1t. The navy code stood the test
OF practice better than the State Depart
ments cipher during the recent Chilean i'm
Drosiio. Inc correspondence in that affair
was conducted by the State and Navy De-
partments together. the cost of the private
cablegrams exceeding 100000. The labor of
making and deciphering such dispatches
L. | H.
aNoidable errors in transmission made them
much more troublesome. Otficials EMPLOYED
IN the work at this end sat up all night to
translate the messages, in order that they
leaked out
Nearly all Of the important diplomatic
correspondence of the Department of State
is conducted over submarine wires, by
means or which Secretary Gresham main
tains direct communication with UrcIe
SANS representatives all over the world
Every minister has a copy of the cipher
coce The same mark of confidence is not
bestowed upon any other officials ordinarily
outside of Washir gton, though a CODY NAV
be given to a consul general in case of an
emergency. During the fishery dispute with
Canada an agent was sent all the way to
Halifax to dsl!Vrr the cipher to the United
States cons. general there. The latter
official was thus enabled to render his mes
sages secret.
The Capitol and White House,
The wires which connect the Capitol and
the White House with all of the depart
ments form one continuous circuit There
are two Of them, to cover the chance shat
one may get out of order. They are under
the charge OF the superintendent OF public
buildings and grounds. and 81 900 a year is
appropriated to keep them in repair. They
are strung in ordinary fashion on poles
and the thirteen operators who send mes
sages over them are all in the pay of Uncle
another at the Senate end of the Capitol
Both are stenographers, taking in short
hand kilograms dictated to them by busy
legislators. Many Congressman use these
wires largely for communicating with the
departments. The convenience costs them
nothing and is a great aid in the business
which they are obliged to transact with
various bureaus. They have appointments
to ask about. inquiries to put as to how
pension cases stand, questions to offer as
| to whether such and such papers are on
file, &c, ad infiritunl
The heads of the departments make a
great deal of use of the government wires.
Mr.. Wanamaker found them such a con-
| venience that he had his business Office in
Philadelphia connected with them by a wire
| leased at his own expense. Owing to the
| circuitous track taken by the wires. big
news from the White House has got out
more than once unexpectedly. Secret dis
patches have been overheard as they went
! clicking through the different offices, thus
| getting into print prematurely. The gov
| eminent owns system of telegraph lines
which connect certain military posts in the
west AS is we'll known. nearly all Con-
gressmen have telegraph frank books by
which they are enabled to send messages
| free of charge all over the United States.
| These books contain detachable stamps,
which can be torn out and affixed to tele-
grams. They are presented by the telegraph
| companies. with the stipulation that they
shall only be employed on messages of a
| private nature. and not for business pur-
poses. 1t is only rarely that legislator
| refuses to accept such favors. The temp
| tation which invites a man to get something
| for nothing Is wellnigh irresistible.
The War Department makes compare
lively little of the telegraph. 1t MAIN
| tains constant communication by wire with
the commanding generals of the various
military districts, who have their headquar-
| tiers in New York, Chicago, St. Paul. San
Antonio. Omaha, Fort Leavenworth and
| San Francisco. In case of an inroad on the
| Cherokee strip or an Indian outbreak orders
would be transmitted from Washington by
| electricity. The army regulations forbid Of
| fcers to employ the telegraph unless 1t is
| absolutely necessary. The treasury ut;liZes
wires to a considerable extent in the trans
action of it's widely ramified business. 1t
| keeps up telegraphic correspondence with
all of the subtreasuries and min IS in diff
| ferent parts of the country, directing trans
| fers Of money or bullion, etc. Also It is con-
| tinually receiving and sending messages
| from and to national banks.
The Agricultural Department.
The weather bureau Of the Department OF
Agriculture employs cipher code not for
| secrecy but for the sake of economy. The
predictions are made up each day from dis
patches sent to Washington from $50 signal
stations all over the country. The words
| composing the messages are so formed tina,
| fast as the kilograms arrive they are trans
| H. reads them aloud in a sing-song tone
eli cd Of oil