The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-30
THE MORNING NEWS: SATURDAY, JUNE 80 1894

ular occurrence. Thus, with the novels
and about ten consonant, the fullest re-
ports can be sent IL would be cheaper TO
use only the actual word signs. which
would reduce the reports 10 about dozen
letters each, but as this would cause con-
fusion in sending over the wires, the let
tiers are woven into words. as in the case
OF the Harrisburg dispatch just quoted,
and the significant letters are indicated
oS the arrangement of consonants before
them. There are, of course, minor rules
to the code, wind velocity words begin
ning with + TO indicate velocity below
nVe miles, wards for the morning obser-
walton beginning with c and afternoon
words beginning with H or l.. But the
above gives an idea of the general work.
ing of the cipher system that annually
saves the bureau hundreds of dollars in
telegraph tolls.
The reports begin to come in about $50
and promptly at 8 the translator picks
up the first of the slips and reads OFF the
full text of the message. Opposite him
are seated two operators with outline
maps of the United States before them.
The maps are marked with small circles
at each of the observation stations, and
as the translator reads the temperature
one OF the map-holders marks it in its
proper place on the map, and glancing at
the map of the previous day hanging be-
or minus between the latest temperature
and that of the previous day. For the
barometer reading the operator does the
same, while over on the other side of the
room third man, with a brass map be-
fore him. sticks the wind arrows into the
proper holes as the direction is read out
BY the translator.
SETTING UP THE WEATHER.
But the men who have the liveliest time
are the compositors who, have TO set up
the slip half yard long giving the ba-
rometor and temperature and the differ
ences from the previous day, the rainfall
and cloudiness, the wind velocity, and
weather conditions generally for every
station from which a report is received.
Their type fonts are not like the ordi-
nary printing office furniture, but have
the barometer and thermometer readings
in the varying whole numbers and deci-
mails each cast in a single type All Of
| the other figures and phrases of the re-
ports are likewise cast in solid slugs, and
there are hundreds of them. In the front
alone from which the forecasts are set
there are l,005 varieties
The comps, who are expert men picked
from the old staff when the signal SER
vice was part of the regular army are
too busy TO bother with ordinary print
ers' stic9s to hold their type, but have a
stick that looks like centipede with
spaces for the type between the legs. AS
fast as the observations are read off they
pick the type and set it,
1t is hard to give an idea of the rapid
ity with which the work is done. To, an
outsider it sounds like a senseless tumble
of figures and plus and minus marks. 1t
sounds like Atlantic City, 9,9SS, south
east, light, fair strato cumulus minus ten
plus two, $685., plus three, minus nine, plus
nine. minus three. minus, minus, plus, plus
minus, plus plus, minus" and just about
that time the listeners head begins to
swim and he goes out. But the opera
tors are case hardened. and they pencil
and scratch and scratch and pencil and
stick type, and might perhaps get In a
little conversation on the side if that
were permissible.
In an hour or two the whole of the re-
ports are in type, then they are printed
directly off the galleys without even read
ing proof. The instrument readings oc-
cupy one sheet and the forecasts another,
while the weather map with the wind
currents and accompanying data is printed
off the brass sheet that the third young
fellow has been industriously sticking
tell of lead plugs.
The mailing edition is gotten off before
midnight to all points within the Wash
ington district, and the next morning sees
the reports on exhibition in the capitol
and hotel lobbies And in the meanwhile
the automatically recording instruments
at the stations all over the country are
working ceaselessly grinding out records
for the next twelve hours report