Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-10-31
INCREAsEH SERVICE.
HOW THE TYPEWRITER HAS Ar
FEcTED TELEeRAPHy


Backed by an Extensive Code. tho TeIs- |
graphic Service 81 she Various BIs |
Pres. 4 ...,..s... 80. 49,. R.,.
....,., ~...,.
BY far the most important and vain
able improvement in the efficiency Of |
the electric telegraph in the past three |
or four years has been brought about BY |
the introduction into telegraph work Of |
a machine that has absolutely nothing
electrical about 1.-THE typewriter. II
has become absolutely indispensable In
several OF the more important branches
OF the telegraph service, necessity to
the complement OF every first class OPP
orator. and soon its lively patter will be
the unvary1ng accompaniment to the
brisk clicking Of the sounder In every
telegraph Office IN the land.
Inc most striking example OF the
vaiue OF the typewriter IN teiegraphy Is
afforded by the press service. In this
branch II has entirely superseded the
pen and stylus throughout the whole
country. and no operator IS eligible for
position on United Press or Asso-
GATED Press circuit, or practically on
any press wire, unless ne V typewriter
expert dc simply could not do the
work. The typewriter was first intro
duced into the Office Of the Associated
Press as an experiment about seven
years ago. and for the last two years it
has been used exclusively in all Offices Of
the United Press and the Associated
Press
The United Press has six circuits rum
nlng out OF New York. reaching all the
principal points as Tar west as st. Paul
and south to New Orleans. The number
OF offices on a circuit varies from eight
to twenty. The Associated Press serves
practically the same points by substan-
tally similar circuits. Over these wires
the special dispatches from the various
points are received, and the main volume
OF news collected in New York, the great
collecting and distributing point, is sent
out Tor service to the newspapers In the
associations. Before the introduction OF
the typewriter the might report" aver
aged about 5000 words on each wire.
and the whole days work amounted to
about lS,O0o words. Now the night re-
port runs TO about l4,0O0 words and the
whole day service averages about 10000
words.
Benefits The OPERATOR
a nrst CLASS operator can SEND ABOUT
lorty WORDS q minute. continuously and
weii' ~. experience mas SHOWN tnat II ID
very oiincuit TOT man 70 write WIN q
pen OF Stylus more IMAM tnirty or thirty
nVe WORDS minute, steadily and con-
''iuousiy, ior NUMBER OF hours. Inc
service oi the press associations IN new
YORK requires from twenty to thirty
copies 70 DO taken OF every aispatcn. In
otner Clues Inc NUMBER varies from rour
or nVe copies upward Ihey We're
formerly made with an IRON or agate
Stylus on tissue paper interviewed with
car ponateo sheets. Inc labor OF pressing
through so many tnlcknesses OF paper IN
oroer 10 make a ieglble copy on each Is
enormous
Inc strain' muscular ana mental, OF
wrltlng thirty-nve words minute IN
TINS manner Tor eight or nine hours
nlgntiy' ioiiowing the dictatlon OF 1.
sender VINO could always greatly excel
tue writer III speed, mas oeen responsible
LOT tue nervous ana physicai breakdown
OF hunoreds OF operators. On the type
writer speed OF seventy words min
ute Is easily acquired and maintained.
ana Win silgnt mooincatlons IN the ma
cnlne tnlrty copies ana more can be
taken with as mucn ease as one. There
Is no cramp and little fatigue in the OPP
eration OF the typewriter, for eight TN
gers 90 what was the work OF two, or
practlcally elght motlons take the place
OF one.
With the introduction OF the type
writer the sending operator dropped
away IN the rear. Then the practice OF
abbreviating came into use, and the
sender in his effort to keep up to the
machine clipped his words and dropped
out their yowels. Walter P. Phillips.
general manager of the United Press.
has devised and compiled code of alb
breviations and logograms, skillfully ar
ranged with view to the best utiliza-
ton of the shortest and most convenient
signals in the Geographic alphabet. II
is very excellent system of telegraphic
shorthand, and is now in general use fol
press work.
EXAMPLES OF THE CODE.
A few excerpts from the code will
show its character and scope and give
an idea of what may be accomplished in
the way of speed with its aid. Short
phrases that occur frequently are reDre-