St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-16
ANOTHER FRA.
The Dawn of Telegraph Service
AID Nun a.a1s " L.. ia ,itulas


newspaper field at st. Paul was when
telegraph communication WAS estab-
lished. j. M. Winslow raised bonus
for building a line of telegraph down
the river bank to La Crosse The pe0-
pie were SO anxious TO secure communi.
cation with the outside world that
residents along the line largely contrib.
uted the poles and IN SoHie cases helped
to erect them. The line was finally
erected. though III very Indifferent
manner, and was very precariOus
means of securing news. The first
indication that news could reach st.
Paul by telegraph was given in the
PIONEER and Democrat Aug. 90, 1860. 1t
seems that the line was incomplete, and
consequently the frst report was part
steamboat and part telegraph. The
Pioneer Of that date, which is the first
Issue OF any Minnesota paper contain
ing news by wire. had this announce
ment over its telegraph columns:
The steamer Favorite was at Lake
City at O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
and we are in rece pit of the following
dispatches. for which we are indebted
to Mr.. Gallup, the operator in this
city,"
The kilograms occupied less than one
half column. One OF them contained
Liverpool news up to Aug, 9; another
had reports from st. Joe, Mo-, up to
Aug Is. only five days old, while New
York did very we'll by furnishing an
Item up to the Goth, which was two days
in the rear
The beginning of the first telegraphic
services took place week later, and
Aug 80. 1859. the Pioneer and Democrat
mad the modest headline: 'sBv tele-
graph to st. Paul" Following this head
line was this announcement:
by the politeness of Mr.. Gallup, the
operator in this city, we have tile pleas
ure OF LAYING before orr readers this
morning dispatches from all parts aof
the country. received up to late hour
last night. The wires not being strung
over the Mississippi at Winona, the
operator at that place crossed the river
IN skin and received his dispatches on
the wisconsin side, and wrote them off
pY moonlight with the paper on his
knees. amt then crossed to the Mime
sofa side and forwarded them to st.
raui. MT. Gallup now wishes to inform
the people of st. Paul that the line is
open Tor business, and he is prepared
10 SEND messages 10 any part of the
Union.'
FIRST TELEG RAM TO THE EAST.
Perhap5 OF even more interest than
transmission Of news from the East to
the st. Paul papers was the record
made in that same Issue of the first
telegram ever sent from st. Paul to the
East. Judge Goodrich was great ad
inirer OF Gov. Seward, of New York, and
lion. Nj. ). Wilkinson, who was buried
at Mankato few d ays-ago, joined the
Judge in the CORE spondence. The fol.
lowing IS copy of the telegram sent:
10 Gov. Seward, Auburn, N. Y
Through the courtesy of Mr. Winslow,
proprietor. we are enabled to send this.
the first dispatch Transmitted by light
ming from St. Paul to the East, as COM
plimentary to you. Signed,
IN. S. WILKINSON,
"AARoN GOODRICH.
Sent at 7 :45 p. m
The reply of Gov. Seward, in view of
subsequent events, showed his pro-
phetic spirit, aud it was as follows:
Auburn. N. Y, Aug 90. 1S6O.-To
NJ. S. Wilkinson and A. Goodrich, ST.
Paul: You have grappled New York.
now lay hold on San Francisco.
''WILLIAM Ii. SEWARD.
Received at $3.50 p. M"
| The time taken in sending the mes
sage, at 10 p. m, and the receipt of
the reply, $3.50 in the evening, was Ger
tainly doing very we'll for the telegraph
accommodations at that date. when the
poles had to use their shadows as braces
10 keep them from being Frustrated by
| the falling dew. The news kilograms
which followed this correspondence
were as follows:
Telegram from Worcester, Mass, ID lines
Telegram from Philadelphia. :. lines
Telegram from Montreal. .... lines
Telegram from Washington. :. 3 lines
| Telegram from New York. 49,. lines
| Telegram from Prairie du Chen lines
| Telegram from Milwaukee Omar
ketS)...... ........... .........l2 lines
| 10 TAI. ................. AZ lines
The Washington telegram of three
| lines contained the highly importante
| information that Macmillan was
abont to visit this country: and the
| FOUR liner from New York said that the
! firemen were arranging to have torch
| light procession in honor of the visit of
| of the Prince OF Wales. The remaining
| items were even of less Importance. so
| tn at the EaSterntelegraphic news Can
| not be said to have been as thrilling as
I an Indian massacre, but it was sufficient
of novelty to be somewhat exciting.
| Ga Sept. the announcement was
made that Tin consequence of the vio-
lent thunder storm no dispatches were
| received last night" On the next day
| their poles were still falling over them
/ selves, and there was not line OF tele-
graph, but the paper said nothing on
the subject. Words probably failed to
express their feelings-at least polite
| words.
/ On the 9th of September they did re-
/ ceve some actual news, which
! was the memorable loss of the
1 Lady Elgin. containing an excur.
sion party of Nlilwaukeeans, returning
from Chicago to Milwaukee. That
wreck, in which there were nearly 400
lives lost, was given nearly half
! column of space. The 10th was Mon
day. and there was no paper Issued on
| that day, but on the 18th there was no
| telegraphic report whatever relative to
| the Lady Eigin or anything else, the
announcement being made that the
lines worked very bad, and that there
were SO many private kilograms con-
corning the great disaster that the tel
egraph company could not find time to
take i'll news reports.
Another evidence of enterprise (and
the papers were really enterprising for
the times and conditions) was the print
ing on Thursday, Sept. 20. 1860, of
column and il half report OF GOV. Sew
ARDS great speech made on Tuesday