New-York tribune., 1896-10-25
TELEGRAPH TALES.
SOME EXPERIENCES OF OPERATORS.
From The Detroit News-Tribune.

From The Detroit News-Tribune.
On the morning of April 8. 1855. the most important
message that ever flashed along a wire came to the
office Washington. 1t was the news that Rich
mond had fallen. and that the War Of the Rebellion
e nt sna s
orators along the line Of the Fortress Monroe and
demand Cm
down for Richmond. quick:
never more promptly Then came the question:
DO you get me we?''
'AIl right. Here's the first message for four
years"
The message was as follows:
Hon NJ stanton, Secretary % Of War, ar. o,,,,.
G. wEiTZEL. Brigader- General Commandns
The operator who took this message was William
N is sod anHn in @ Of telegraph tales
w Johnson Kettles said that ne rememoered
and Instrument, kicking over tin that sat at the
fireplace in order to make a noise: OF rushing for
and Mr.. Tinker the cipher clerk. talking in a low
tone. AS Kettles was about to hand the message to
the words. and with one motion and two strides
message and President disappeared out Of sight on
minutes later rumors OF the fall Of Richmond had
far and vide de % ass hs Press
operators in the city. tells interesting story to
the railway GM lines Occupies the in the
small and lonely stations. where no train stops ex
People who travel the cars" he said, have no
idea what close shaves the trains have every DAY:
located at a little station twelve niles from Ba-
tavia called Byron. Eight miles east Of Byron was
the station Of Berg n. This was or the New York
Central II happened that just beyond Byron there
high hill; it difficult for trains to mount.
train to come along and help them over the hill:
one night received a telegraph message from the
operator at Bergen that. as the train was pass
ing, ne noticed from the sound that one OF ne ne
on bn Gne Of sae e be fnrS rs IN DAD
"Xcting upon his suggestion. put out my dag
and stopped the train. The engineer was pretty
know what In hades had stopped them there tor.
| told them the message | had received. They
cursed and started out to look for the broken
wheel
that hiI " th the possibility OF pansine tns train
off the track and rolling /, down the precpice ~
%a d as Gns Se ae sd Of @
train, and We looked down the other with without sue; S.i
a bad light and so, taking the light went down
again. and found quarter OF one Of the wheels
We'll. sir when the conductor came up and saw
that wheel he picked me up in his arms m sd and be
kissed me, he glad I speak Of II as illus
trating, how important the operator may become to
one of the most remarkable incidents connected
Spraors S,sn t 'aiesMih at Mnneapos November 90 Il
when The Tribune" building burned @ down; IA:
baSns Se number persons
in the budpf 9nd M smSnE o shsm ! is0 the
all along the line from Mlnneapous 10
New-York City almost witnessed the death OF their
companion.
Mr. Pearce. who was taking the Associated Press
at the time. remembers the circumstance we'll =.
at was about 10 O'Clock at night as remember.
, he said "and it Saturday night. we were
crowded Igoe was a good OPERATOR and seldom
broke connection. But he stopped us this night,
SAYING that there fire. and he thought he
would go to what t amounted TO- He came %
back presently saying that he guessed II did not
amount to anything and he would go ahead we
This time he said as remember 1t: Hold on, fellows:
l. The fire Is all around and have got TO get out
sam said in Jest, Save the machine meaning the
typewriter ,
Then we did not hear anything for quite a while.
We supposed that he would go directly over TO- the
Western Union office. When we did not hear from
him again began calling up He had left the key
open and We called him up repeatedly. and there
was no answer BY that time we began to think
that the fire was something serious we waited q
little longer and then called up the Western
Union and from them we learned that The Tribune
buildng was on fire. We still waited for him. but
! as he aid not come the conviction began TO grow
| unon us that he had been killed little later We
| learned that ne was among the dead lie had tried
| 10 make his escape from the building by hanging
on TO a wire stretched across the alley from M ths
! wire he called the bystanders what disposition
he wished to make Of his family Miles was burned
| In he building"