The sun., 1896-10-18
AQUEER TELEGRAPH LINE.
THE INC GENUITT OF -FOUR TOUN9
MEN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
How n Telegraph Line "a Mile and Half
Long Was Buiit and Equipped for S8s-
CuriouA SubStitutes Employed Each or
the Owners Became m Expert Operator.

| How n Telegraph Line Mile ana q Half
Long Was BUTT and Equipped for SSs =
Curioua SubStitutes Employed Each OF
the Owners became m ESpert Operator.
When one thinks about the operation Of the
electric telegraph he is apt to associate 1t with
thousands of miles OF wire, countless cedar poles,
| and n big ten-story building filled with busy OPP
| orators For persons who are not mtllionaires
bondholdvrs, or Wall street sharps the possibili-
ty of constructing a hrst-class outdoor telegraph
| line. having intermed late offices complete to tho
smallest detail and expert operators. might seem
| too remote for serious consideration. Good tel
| egrRph poles are valuable and galvanized wire
sells high, while the cost OF instruments with
| finely wound magnets and Of batteries that are
strong and trustworthyis is by no means trihing.
| Aside from that there Is the labor of setting tho
| poles, strnging the wire, properly insulating it
to avoid n leakage of the current, bugying
| ground plates for a return circuit, and, finally,
| putting the delicate batteries in working order.
Young men who have become fascinated with
| the idea OF expressing aud communicating their
| thoughts by means OF dots and dashes tapped
out OH electric instrument have strung wires
| from one room In house TO another, and some
| times from one window OF the house around
| through the yard. and back to another window.
| But 1t Is doubtful II there could be found any
where a better built, cheaper, or odder outdoor
teleErapn line tllau one WHlCn was COHstTuCtcu
| about twelve years ago by four young fellows in
| New Hampshire. II was good milo aud half
| long, had four offices, four good instruments.
| four brass lightning arresters, three sets OF
| batteries. four private cipher code books. and
| four energetic linemen. and its entire cost in
| cash was just S3s.
| This bare statement OF fact may seem incredi-
! BILE. but It comes direct from one OF the stock
holders OF the line, now an expert teieGrapher.
| who show receipt for the $3.50 which he
paid as his share OF the capital stock. His story
| of the queer enterprise. as told to a SuN re-
| porter. is vouchrd for by two Of the men who
| were fellow operators with him and also part
owners In the line. ono OF the four having died.
I'm the fail of 's4." said he, II was boy OF
sixteen and lived at my home in Hampton, n.
| II. Two OF my chums. who were younger than
| and were brothers. lived about half q mile
| from my homo In the same town and another
| lived mile away In the town OF North Hnmp-
ton. In summer 1t was easy for us to visit each
other, but in winter the snow was deep and the
roads were often impossible for davs at time.
At such times we wouldn't see each other for q
week perhaps. One day my two young friends
brought home a couple OF telegraph instruments
| which were known rs learners sets. They had
been studying electricity and were anxious to
experiment with ita little themselves. So they
set the machines up and used them in
| signalling to each other between two rooms
In the house. With the aid OF pamphlet
| OF instruction they were able in about months
time to understand each Others writing as
| telegraphers say, quite readily, but, OF course.
each word had TO be transmitted very slowly.
One evening my North Hampton friend and
were at tho brothers house ard saw them talk
to each other through the fifty feet Of wi:e that
stretched between their rooms. They communi-
Gated slowly and accurately. but it was Greek
to every body there except themselves What q
curious thing, we thought, and what a scheme
It would be to have a wire running up to my
house, half mile away. We could try that dis
tance first and. II the venture proved success
ful. the line might DO continued a mile further.
to our other friends house: then we would all
be connected. At any rate. we were agreed on
one thng-we would all become telegranhers
None OF us had more than money enough to buy
| connections with the batteries and the ground
plates. but that TACT didn't discourage US. From
that time we saved every cent we got hold or.
ment for him.elf. Mine cost So. and consisted
OF brass key and a sounder. But practising
alone soon became monotonous. The line must
be built. Then the fun began.
"Large.sized wire. such as the big telegraph
companies used. was expensive and difficult to
PVT up; so we 6arSalned for lot Of small wire
ton ot what to do about poles. " There re, We're were
several tall elm and oak trees near the road way
ass ps"psn TO OF b lns %Grh mEh,
get permission from the owners. This set
out TO do It required good deal Of arguing TO
convince some OF the farmers that their lives
would not he endangered by lightning striking
the wire and coming into their houses. One oh.
place hal: tho night couldn't r!ppp wink
hum, and buzz continually and disturb his
family. .li II yoS ,S . run =, e wire near my
ntrar il down An equally sIc!ted but TIES; less
practical neighbor threatened to sit on the
everything we .aid II we dared to put the wire
within hundred yards Of his place. After
ak trees. In addition. the wire would need at
least l0nr or hve other supports. and II was de-
1t happened that my father owned a Wood iot
IN @ which M grew plenty Of young trees that would
poles il the other fellows would trim th. trees ,r
along the road Of all the branches that were
Liable ans h.1 to S with ,hs wrs This they did
ready, All four Of us helped to set them.
Only one thing now remained to be done be-
insulators and attach them To the trees and |
poles so that tho wire conld rest on them, there
ing into the ground. man In the neighbor- |
hood said he could get us dozen pony insu-
ators from an electrician he knew. They had |
hand, but that didn't matter. lie arranged 10 |
think it WAS. and SO We were fixed for insula. |
tors For brackets on which to fasten them we |
spiked IN place on the trees and poles every. |
thing wa. in order for houting the wire:
THAT was an exciting job Our enthusiasm |
was so great that We couldn'tworE fast enongh. |
One end of tho big coil was first made fast to a |
fence. and then enough wire was unw0und to |
reach the limb of q big elm tree In front of tho |
house. One of us took the strand on his shoul- |
der, cl mhed up long ladder ~ far as he could |
60. and then Skinned up the branches till he |
came to the wooden bracket. Having attached |
the wire to the insulAtor in such way that 1t |
would slip through. the other fellows. who were |
down on the ground, pulled with all their might |
TO draw it as straight as possible. When they |
had Sutiicienty lessened the sag the wire was |
made fast. Then VIC proceeded TO the next tree. |
That was across the road and down In n swamp |
about two hundred yards away, All went wei |
until we came TO do the stretching. The three |
hoys tugced away like good fellows trying TO |
raise the slack wire. but they mnne about as
much head way as "A goat would IL hitched TO a |
locomotive The wire must som chow be got |
high enough 10 clear tho roadway by dis |
tange tange OF twenty feet How TO accom-
struck us. We would ask the neigh bors to |
come to our assistanCe. Eight OF ten OF them |