The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1896-12-10
a TRIUMPH OF THE TELEPHONE.

A TRIUMPH Of THE TELEPHONE.
How Election News Was Distributed
by Means Of the Telephone.
The telephone. which has long been
superseding the telegraph for the
transmission of various classes of COM
mercial and domestic intelligence, has
probably never scored more telling
coup than the demonstration of its SUI
periority for the dissemination of cleo
ton news, which was given on the
night of Nov. 3. This was rendered
possible only by the very complete ar
rangements which had been made by
the long distance system for the col
lection of the returns and the prompt
forwarding of them in all directions
from and to other cities. The plan con-
ceived and carried out by the New
York local telephone company was to
supply the presidential election news
gratis to a. the clubs and hotels of
the city; C2 all persons having tele-
phones who expressed beforehand
desire to be so served, and 60 to an
Ny1ng III the inquiries OF persons VINO
q Eny time Of the evening might wish
to know the progress of the count. To
this end a special draft Of about 500
men was made on the staff of the COM
pony. This extra corps was ordered to
be on duty from p. m. on the day Of
election to 2 a. III. the next day. There
Was to be no interference with the reg
ular work of the exchange. The news
was to be received over the long dis
lance wires and then distributed en-
tirely by the iMprOvised contingent,
which was divided between the Cort-
1andt street and Thirty eighth street
exchanged. Some Of the instruments
were devoted exclusively to the news
papers, while others were reserved for
Individual communication with many
prominent members of both political
parties, including Mr.. Mckinley him
self. The result of the service was
revelation. 1t was early seen in hotels
and other places where both telephone
and telegraph bulletins were being
posted that the latter were in nearly
every case from twenty to forty min
utes behind those of the telephone, and
before long the people flOcked to where
the telephone returns were being given
out, and stayed there. One very no
ticeable feature was the greater clear
ness and authority of these returns,
from which the element Of error in
transmission was practically excluded.
The ordinary New York subscribers
and other temporary participants were
grouped together, each twenty tele-
phones being connected at the ex-
change end to a single telephone, from
which bulletins were read, and in this
way the interest and value of the re
turns wer, UNNECESSARILY increased.
For instance, on one up town circuit,
almost every member had some paEtic-
ular knowledge or experience Of the
section from which the returns came,
or had possibly recently visited the 10
cAlity, and thus some one was con-
0tAntly able, for the general benefit, to
supplement the returns by detailed in
loFMati ton or timely comment, which
added Immensely to the significance
Of the bulletins. On one Of the circuits
was a piano factory, the proprietor of
which had a clever performer making
music for the rest of the group in the
intervals between bulletins. One We'll
known ex-cabinet minister. who was
giving a large dinner party ut his Long
Island home, was able to furnish his
guests all the evening with the latest
returns Even while the party was ut
dinner the most interesting or import
ant bits of intelligence were read out
from time to time. About IL O'Clock
there came over the wires a r1lmOr that
Mr.. Mckinley had been shot. He was
Immediately asked from the COrtlandt
street exchange as to the truth of the
report. His only reply was: WHO
shot me?' In many large apartment
hOuseS-the bulletins often coming in
at the rate of two or three 4 minute
were hung up in the entrance hall,
which WAS made the scene of an eX-
tempore Conversations that was par
ticipated in with the greatest enjoy
ment by the house residents Of both
sexes. The service, which included
over 800 bulletins. was not confined to
New York city, but was extended to
many distant points in the country.
The complete success Of the scheme
will unQuestionably lead to the adop-
ton Of the telephone for the main
Transmission of all future presidential
election returns, and on every occasion
where important news has to be dis
seminatec speedily throughout the en-
tire community.
Making Diamonds.
1t has been said that the French pro
lessor, Moissan. is the anti.hesis of his
English fellow scientist. Prof. Dewar.
They work at opposite ends Of the
fhermometer. While DeWar delveS in