The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-10-15
CABLES GO In CIPHER.
IMMEysE BUsIyESs DONE UNDER
VARIOUS CODES.
Messages Go Cheaper-The Employment OF
Codes for Commercial Use Steadily
Growing.

The rules Of the transatlantic cable lines
whereby they collect tolls not only upon
the address and signature Of a message,
but charge double for all words contain
ing more than ten letters, says the Phiia-
delphia Times, have evolved a most eiaoo-
rate system OF cipher codes for govern
ment, commercial and private use. Prob
ably four-ffths OF the business handled.
by the cable companies is in cipher, abso-
lutely unintelligible to the operators. Code
making Is a recognized profession, and
special ciphers for any purpose can be
readily procured.
Firms having regular correspondents
abroad customarily omit signing their
cablegrams, saving at least one word upon
each message. The minimum length OF
cabegram is three words, two Of which
form the address. To the initiated II
would seem impossible to convey any ex-
tended idea in single word. but this is
a great mistake. For example, II the
worthy son of Lord Knowswho should get
stranded here with only a beastly three
bob in his clothes, there would be yet hope
for him, for he would have the where
withal TO pay for the following message:
"Knowswho London Busted" 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" The next morning II papa has been
prompt, his son will get notice from Drex-
els or other bankers that hundred
pounds or so is at his disposal Which
illustrates the possibilities OF the cable.
1t Is an everyday occurrence for the
lao nd
Of this city to transmit and receive money
by cable, the modus operandi being that
exchange Is bought In the usual way with
currency at any OF the banking houses
doing foreign business, but instead of the
ordinary daft being issued the bankers
cable their correspondents to place an
equivalent sum to the credit OF the per-
son 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 or tolls
upon a reply to a message; but he can
prepay 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 For this phrase
he pays usual tolls. When the message
Is delivered TO the person addressed the
cable company at the same time hands
him in cash the amount OF prepayment.
The party getting the money can use II
to send the reply wanted or otherwise, as
he sees tit. The smallness Of the amount
nv
being taken of this system, which has
been found Of great convenience In le-
Ultimate way, as even the sortest cable
gram is expensive, while prepayment rea-
sonably guarantees a reply
Considering the fact that very few
cablegrams are ineligible to the opera
tors the mistakes made are surprisingly
few, and such as do occur are quite as
often due 10 the poor penmanship or the
writer as TO carelessness upon the part
of cable employees. When mistakes do
Green I'm. however. the result may be Sc
rious If not detected, as an error In
single letter may radically alter the mean
ing OF a message. For example, cheaper
may be used TO signify Send 5000 bags OF
coffee to our care at Boston,, WhlIe
"cheapen" may stand for the same phrase
except the substitution OF Philadelphia
for Boston. A careless writer or Negligent
operator would here have an excellent op-
portunty TO make costly blunder Inc
codes are arranged as far as possible
TO preclude mistakes of this kind arising
through similarity of cipher words, but
risk cannot be entirely eliminated. Then,
too. many letters or combinations OF let
tiers of the Morse alpabet sound very
much alike in transmission and occas-
ionally errors arise from this source.
IL costs nothing to register an ADDRESS
with the telegraph and cable companies
in America and Great Britain WHEREBY
one word will stand for the full name OF
a firm. and thus reduce the cost Of cable
grams. but on the continent the various
governments impose yearly tax Tor the
privilege, small as 1t is In Great Britain
where the domestic telegraph companies
charge for the address, the custom or
having registered titles is almost universal
I'm business circles.
The average citizen has no doubt often
speculated how the cable people handle
messages written In foreign languages,
that is, how a native operator at say ot.
Petersburg or Mecca, can lntelilgehlly
transmit kilograms written In English.
The explanation Is exceedingly simple
The only requirement OF the cable lines
is that all messages must be written III
Roman letters. This being done, IL is as
easy for the operator 10 SEM oI ISSVifS
the French word "guerre' as its EnSlsh
eouivalent "war," etc. A telegram writ
ten in Russian or hen-track Turkish para
| ives the Morse alphabet until II Is trans
lated into equivalent French, Enghsh or
other Roman text when 1t can be tlc'.eu
off nerrily by an operator absolutely I'M
familiar with these languages, Dut VINO
| knows the Geographic signs Tor the let
tiers.
The tariff books issued by the cable com
NAMES make interesting reading. Inc
rate per word from New York TO South
Africa Is s2.49; TO Cape Colony and Trans
vaaI s24S: Mozambique. 2H and Fan
Thar 2l5. To New South Wales VIA
one route the rate is sl.45 per word, and
via another line. 1881. To Burmah SlA
Is charged. and 10 Beloochistan N.l5. Inc
rate 10 China is 1896 and TO Japan WI.
The highest published rate OF all Is N'uS
ner word. which is collected upon mes
saees for Guatemala, Honduras and SAN
| Salvador. the route being exceedingly cir
| cuitous. Tripoi. BOSNIA, Bulgaria, parts
| az Arabia and Egypt, Herzegovina, Servla.
| Roumania and Turkey prohibit the use OF
| cipher words in cablegrams.
| Messages for Zululand are maned at
| Greytown. for the Fiji Islands at sydney'
n s. w. and for South Persia at Jask'
| Cablegrams for points beyond Jask are
delivered by boatmen, for winch oi
| course. additional charge is made