Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-04-02


GENERAL kcAAHl' mand, gladly made
the young telegraph superintendent an
aid -de-camp, and Secretary OF war
| Stanton, who, as an ambitious ana not
too sweet tempered young lawyer prac-
ticing in Columbiana and other OHIO
counties, had known young Eckert at
least dozen years before, was pleased
to make him captain and assistant
ouartermaster. He subsequently be-
came Assistant Secretary OF War, with
| the brevet rank of brigadier general,
| having meanwhile attained the regular
rank of major and assistant quarter
master.
Having performed his semi-military
duties with distinction, General Eckert
retired from the public service soon
after the close Of the war, carrying
with him into civil life the title by
which he is still known, and devoted
himself TO the development OF the tele-
graph in the United States. IL may
| have been his subsequent feat Of build
ing 1874 miles Of telegraph line between
the adjournment Of court on Saturday
afternoon and It's reassembllng on Moa-
day morning, under stress OF threat
ened Injunction from his rival, the
| Western Union, that made the value OF
| his services known to that company.
General Eckert at his desk in the
Western Union building, white haired,
but hale, rudy and carrying we'll his
sixty-eight years, presents curious
contrast to the slender, energetic youth
ia Central Ohio whom j. II. Wade, the
early telegraph builder, chose from
among his operators to make a superln-
tendent
lam reticent man, especially about
! my personal affairs" said General Eek
ert, pausing amid the work OF busy
morning in his office to answer QueS-
ton concerning his own youth and that
OF the electric telegraph. Il was born
in St. Clairsville, o." he continued, "but
I left there a child in arms, and was
| living at Wooster, in that State, when |
| first became interested in the telegraph.
l began as an operator in 1S4S and soon
worked into the executive department.
| took to the telegraph business not as a
youth looking about for something TO
! do, but because it had interested me. l
had watched the passage through Con-
gress of the legislation asked In the in
terest of Professor Morse and learned
operating as 1t was then done.
SIN lS49 was appointed postmaster
at Wooster, and | believe" he added
with q smile, that l was the very first
man in the United States to hold the
| Joint offices of postmaster and telegraph
operator. We were not very wei paid
in those days. My salary as operator
was Just $40 a month. As superintend.
ent it was not much better-in fact, /
| think only $50 a month-but In those
DAYS the president Of the telegraph
company received no compensation for
his services,
ut was In 1852 that Mr.. Wade made
me one OF his perintendents. There
were only three or four superintendent
in the United States then, and all the
lines were east of the Mississippi, pretty
far east. The chief line was that from
| Pittsburg to Chicago. Fast operating
was then unknown, and everybody read
by tape. The business was new and I'M
known to those engaged In 1t. Every
body lad to dig in and learn for him
self. Some men who remained opera
tors longer than l did made experiments
in the line of their work. BY 1855 there
were a few sound readers. As the
knowledge OF sound reading grew the
other was gradually abandoned until
only sound readers could hold good
places. Operators learned the peculiar
tiles of the business, sound reading in
cluded, gradually and tentatively, al
most as children learn to talk.
YES" pursued General Eckert In an
swer to a question, - the war developed
the telegraph as business and as an
art. When ! took charge Of the mill
tary telegraphs OF the Union army, |
got all the best operators l could ind
throughout the North, but the demand
was far beyond the supply, and | had to
accept some who were far from skillful.
Most of my assistants have since been
highly successful men. IT is not
true, however that the money
order system now so large fea-
ture OF the telegraph business orig
mated during the war. l knew OF tele-
graphic money orders long before the
outbreak Of the war. As l recollect,
Emory Cobb, then superintendent at
Chicago, was the first man TO send tele-
graphic money orders. l don't recall
the date of the first, but the company
did not adopt the system until 1870.
Mr.. Cobb sent money orders by private
arrangement with the sender. as the
company was not yet ready to assume
the responsibility for the business. As
10 the growth Of that branch and OF
other things in The telegraph business
in IS years, the story IS told in the fig
ures Of our annual report. One Of our
former superintendent has made
book Of it,"
EDWARD ". VALLADINGHAM.