The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-15
THE OPERATORS EAR
1T DOES THINGS THAT ARE MARVEL
GUS TO THE UNlNiTiATEO.
An Old Time Photographer Tells Some In.
eerestins Stories on This Point-Rccog-
mixing the Touch of II Sender Jim

MIXING the Touch of II Sender Jim
Waite's Experience During tho War.
1t Is wonderful how tho ear may DO edu-
Gated An old timo telegraph operator re-
lated some OF his experiences with sound
telegraphy. There is no reason to doubt
his stories, and they nro worthy of being
repeated in his own language. Said no:
Inc car becomes to an experienced teleg-
rapher so acute that the slightest varia-
ton In time or sound is as plain to him as
u dropped note to u musician. Any good
operator isable to distinguish between the
sending OF operators, and can tell by the
sound OF the instrument any man with
whom he has worked for any considerable
length OF time. You know am out of
the business, and have been for number
or years. Still 1 occasionally drop into
telegraph offices, and like nothing better
than to got on n busy wire and be roast
Cd by fast man for an hour. It keeps
my hand In, which needs almost constant
practice In order that 1t may not lose it's
nlinbleness whom working tho koy. The
ear, however, never loses It's sensitiveness.
While in Newark, N. J., year or two
ago was called to the Western Union Of
fee by telephone. When arrived there,
the manager said, There is O man in Phil
adelphia who wants to talk to you, point
Ing out the instrument which was to
use. 1 opened tho key and called Philadel-
phia. Tho operator answered, and made
myself known. How are things, my boy?'
came back in answer, with no namo at
tached
"'Joe Gettler, by gum said, and SO
1t was.
NOW, mark you, had not seen or
heard from my friend Gettler for three
years, and had not heard him send word
by telegraph during that period of time.
Ho and had worked on the same limo for
year or more, and his sending was as ia
miliar to mo rs is your voice. recognized
his touch, and yet supposed no was Mt
that time in n Chicago telegraph office.
Yes, there Is clearly as much difference be-
tween the sound of different photographers
sending as there is betweon tho handwrit-
ing of any two men in tho same line of
business. In fact, there is much clearer
distinction between the sound of the in
strumont when differont hands aro work
ing the key than there is between the PEN
manship of two tolegraphers, because there
is u marked resemblance in all good oper-
ators' copy.
1T is stated, and have no reason TO
disbeliove tho story. that during tho civil
war Jim Waite, an old time New York
operator, was sent to the front by tho gov
"a w WIN WlTCb I1O OHb
day got on to wire over which very i'm
portant secret messages were being sent
by Confederates, and the result would
have been funny had it not been such
serious matter. 1t was in Tennessee or
kentucky, l forget which. Waite, with
his pocket instrument, got inside the Con-
fcdorate lines, and, having learned that
messages were being sent over q certain
wire from Richmond to the general in
command Mt that point, he tapped the
wire and copied several valuable messages.
This was nothing new, for operators on
both sides did tho same thing time and
time again. But Waite was overanxious.
There WAS an interruption In the middle
OF dispatch, and Jim was anxious to got
the remainder. To urge the sender ON he
opened his key and simply said, g. A.
commissary.' The g. A meant go
ahead, and 'commissary' was the last
word that had been sent. What was Waite's
surprise to hear, instead of n continuance
of the message: Jim Waite, what are you
doing on this line? Get out, or there will
be trouble Jim didn't even wait to find
out who was the man. He said afterward
that the sender had very familiar sound,
but he couldn't for the life of him tell who
tho operator was.
''.Jim found out four or five years later.
llo ao- anu WIS clnplOyCu
in the old Broadway Office of the Western
Union Telegraph company, New York.
One day young man walked into the of
flee and asked for jim Waite. Tho men
met and looked at each other, but there
was no recognition of the visitor by Waite
In fact, they looked upon each others
faces for the first time. So you're Jim
Waite, said the caller. Well, I'm glad to
meet you. My name is Mosely, Charley
Mosely, and 1 used to sign sc r." in
Charleston Waite remom bered him in an
instant. The two men for long time had
worked different ends Of n north and south
wire before tho outbreak of the war and
had become fast friends without ever hav-
ing met. Still Jim Waite didn't know
Mosely was the man who had told him to
got off tho wiro inside tho Confederate
line. Where did you go after stealing
those dispatches was sending during tho
war; asked Moscly, and then Waite I'M
derstood it oil. Mosely supposed that
Waite had recognized his sending even
while stealing the dispatches, and .sS ne
thought 1t strange that Waite had not rec
ognizcd his sending as quickly rs he had
tho touch Of Waite. I knew Waite we'll,
and ho declares that the story is absolute
ly true.
"Any operator who is accustomed to
work by sound with mon every day can
tell in an instant just who is working the
key. There Is something peculiar In tho
way each operator opens and closes his
key. OF course, it is entirely matter of
education of the ear. Another evidence Of
the susceptibility of the aural nerves to
education Is the fact that an operator can
receive and copy q message and at the
same time distinctly hear and comprehend
everything that is being said by others in
the room. Ho can be very busily engaged
at anything, and yet his ear will take in
eyorythipQ that is snid nonr him Another