Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-07

HI E&AM its working has been
.I IflIlh N TM made. Through this
VI ElWUI system messages may
ml - be sent between the
large cities at the rate of about $50 words
minute and a speed of 800 words a min
ute has been known to have been made in
test cases. That 1t has not come into more
general use is on account Of it's elaborate
machinery and a demonstration of real
speed when the occasion demands.
1t will be remembered that the apparatus
that Prof Morse set up at the very in
ception Of telegraphy was a printing ma
chine resembling somewhat in miniature
the lately patented threshfng machines
paper tape that had been prepared
was run through the machine and the char
acters were registered thereon by indenta-
ton. The telegraph operator that could
register a speed of 35 words a minute in
those days and then read what he had sent
was wonder. At that time all that was
necessary to fit one to act as receiving OPP
orator was a knowledge of the telegraphic
signals and their meaning, which, at most,
was matter of a few hours study. Then
by transmitting the characters at a very
slow rate of speed the veriest student of
telegraphy could make a correct transla ton
CT the message sent. This mode of tele-
graphing was in vogue a long time before
receiving operators began to find out that
they could distinguish the telegraph signals
by sound alone. The idea OF a receiver con-
filming his attention wholly to the sound,
however, was not entertained for some
time as such a proceeding was consid-
cred too risky, though operators were al
lowed to copy messages from the sound
and then compare their copies with the
signals registered on the slips.
When it had been conclusively proved
that operators could interpret the signals
by sound as we'll as by sight the instru-
ment was abolished and communication
was carried on entirely under the new
system. Although the Pennsylvania rail-
road is considered one of the most pro-
gressive In America they had the paper
slip register in use on their main line up
until about ten years ago. This was no
doubt done to keep down the salary list of
the operators, as a new man could learn
to read by sight inside of four months, and
as consequence the waiting list was al
ways large.
Taking Advantage of the Morse Al
phabet.
The mode of first registering the Morse
alphabet by indentation was no doubt taken
advantage of by Sir Charles WheatsUone,
who, some thirty years ago, perfected the
system of telesraphy bearing his name,
of course going further by sending and
receiving automatically. This system is In
general in the British empire and upon
the continent and no doubt hts TO nicely
the ideas of speed held by the members
OF the business and social world of the Old
country. Some years back a set Of Wheat
stone instruments was placed in the big
Western Union building up on 10Th street,
but Manager Marean quickly comprehend
- l. Of An1 md
they were removed about three years ago.
This VIII appear strange to those not ac-
quaintel with the business of the WASH
in ton office, as, of all things, the Wheat
stone idea would seem to fill a long felt
want on account of the press matter going
out from that office. But Mr.. Marean has
had dealings with press correspondents
yea, these many years, and no one knows
their impetuous ways better than he.
Imagine a press correspondent With the
knowledge in his head that his matter was
being delayed about ten minutes upstairs
to be perforated. Then collect dozen of
them in the office under the same circum-
stances-Sitting Bulls brave warriors in
the height OF war dance would not be a
marker to 1t. The press correspondents
know the value of time, and also know that
a frst-class man at both ends of wire
will handle his matter in such style that
It will be in the Office for which it is in
tended while another mans copy is being
perforated for the Wheatstone instrument.
Some years back when the system was
in use between Baltimore and Washington
a trial was made between those two points
on a press message of five hundred words.
The copy was given to the lady perforator
and the sending Morse operator at the
same time. The item reached Washington
over the Wheatstone circuit just ten words
ahead of the Morse circuit but the time
where the beat counted was while the
perforated message was being written on
a typewriter in the latter office. This delay
became known 10 customers and type
upon with much disfavor This was es-
pecialiy noticeable among stock brokers
and it was known among the telegraph
craft that Wheatstone messages were fire.
quently written out with a pen So as to
deceive.
The Wheatstone system has been in use
on eastern circuits for about fifteen years,
and about six years ago was put in use on
the long western circuits. On the latter
circuits a speed of about 100 words a min
ute is registered, but this is not considered
an exceptionally high speed for the system.
In France, Germany and England, where
the intervals between stations are compare
lively small in comparison with distances
in the United States, the average speed on
unabbreviated matter is between $50 and
800 words a minute, while 1t is asserted tina
in France the 1000 mark has been reached
with abbreviated words. In the transmits
sion OF dispa tches by the Wheatstone sys-
tenn abbreviation may be practiced with i'm
punity, as the signals are inscribed on a
roll of paper at the receiving station and
Ine Receiving operator or copylSt, may
study the characters at his leisure The
characters are registered on the slip and
may be referred to frequently, so there is
much less danger Of abbrevia tions being
| incorrectly interpreted than in the Morse
sound system.
source of Amusement.
1t used to be a great source of amuse-
ment, up in the Western Union office.
watching the lady Wheatstone copyists
going around amongst their companions
carrying a couple yards Of tape messages
and beseeching them to help out on a more
than usual difficult problem in the abbrevi-
alton code. More work was done on the
Wheatstone machines in this city in the
way OF sending out messages than receiv-
ing. Washington is about a three-fourth
sending office and one-fourth receiving
This overbalance is due principally to the
enormous amount of press matter sent from
this city to all parts of the country An
operator receiving by sound. especially on
the press circuits, must be man of quick
judgment, and must bend every energy to
the work in hand and then fill out the alb
breviated words the sounder rattles them
off. 1t seems almost an impossibility but
there are men on the press circuits that
will go through a whole week and some
times two, without having a single break
registered against them. That means that
they have received on an average OF 600
words day without mistake and with a
full understanding of the context of the