Morris tribune., 1895-09-18
Hood,o Dill, easy to buy, easy to take,
AAOOO > + lAAS easy in effect Csc.
TELEGRAPHERS' BLuNDERs.
Some of the Most Common Ones and HOY
They Are Made.

Some of the Most Common Ones and How
They Are Made.
"There are many errors made in
the transmission of messages which
are entirely uncalled for, but even
with these there is not one blunder
mado to every 5, 900 words passing
over the wires" said 6 telegraph
operator. THAT is of course in the
main Offices, where the most expert
operators are employed. I don't
think the same can be said of all the
branch offices. An error which has
cost the business man many dollars,
and yet for which we can find no
cause, is the mixing of the numbers
Is and So There is no excuse for
the error, yet it occurs more fire.
quently than anything else. They
seem to be the fated numbers of the
telegrapher. We have notices post
ed above each instrument concern
ing it, yet such mistakes will occur.
Words ending in tn are frequently
rendered ty, which is very serious
when numbers are being sent. For
instance, sixty might be rendered
sixth, Or vice versa This is caused
by the similarity in the telegraphio
characters for 81 and y. The for
mer is four dots, while the latter is
made of two dots, space, two dots.
A stroke of lightning or the wind
bringing the wires together, Or per-
haps the unsteady hand of the oper.
ator, who sooner or later is affected
with photographers paralysis, might
separate the four dots and changs
sixth into sixty
Sometimes the dotsstick together
and make a dash. Thus a seven,
which is two dashes and two dots,
may become a five by having the
last two dots stick, making the
character three dashes. Losses of
considerable amounts have frequent /
~ been caused by dots sticking
Some operators who are afflicted
with the paralysis cannot make the
letter h, which is four dots. They
either make five dots, p or six
dots, So. I have seen some opera
tors try to make six consecutive dots
to represent the number and would
not be able to stop short of 10 or IL.
This, of course, is caused by disease.
There are many errors that the Gus
toner must take the blame for. Two
and ten are most often mixed on &C
count of careless writing. Then the
word can't frequently has the It.
left off, which, of course, changes
the whole sense of the thing. Can't
Dhou1d never be written in a te1e.
gram. Itshould be spelled out can.
not
Perhaps the most ludicrous error
which ever came to my notice, "
said well known operator, was in
a telegram from Atlantic City. Tt
was the record of the drowning of a
man, and after detailing the piteous
scene and the brave efforts to save
his life it said: just as brave John
Smith reached his side he threw up
his hand, and, with look toward
heaven, cried out, Ninety mine"
It was rather startling exclamation
for q dying man, and the operator
sent back to know what was meant.
He, was told by the sender that it
did rot mean 'ninety-nine, bat
Lulu, the name of his sweetheart.
The character for III is a dash, two
dots anu a dash, which is the same
for the number 90 No wonder no
made mistake. '--Pittsburg Dis.
patch.
The family with the largest known
pedigree is that OF Confucius. which
forms the aristocracy of China. Con-
fucius lived $50 years B. G.
Children CYv for