The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-06-12
Letter in Sunday Republican.


Brattleboro's FIRST telegraph operate
was James IL. Capen, who, If not thu
first, was certainly one of the first, to
use the telegraph in Vermont. His frs
message was sent from little room
hardly of enough Importance to b'
called an office, in Halls long building
which stood on the present site of thu
Hooker block on Main street. 1t wal
in the spring OF 1851, two years after
the Vermont and Massach ussetts rail
road had reached this town. Mr.. Ca
pen is clear as to the circumstance. fol-
the late "Squire" Bradley came rouno
in sort of curious way and dictated
the first message. 1t was to the OPP
orator in Boston in the form of an in
quiry as to who had been elected di'
rectors of the Vermont and Massachu
sets road at the annau meeting held
there that day This was about
O'Clock in the evening, but the answer
was not received till the next day.
I"And had it come the next week, "
said the old operator in describing the
event, it probably would have been
just as sati sfactory to Mr.. Bradley"
The telegraph line began at Spring
field and f5lowed the Connecticut as
far as White River Junction, thence
by direct line to Montreal, while an
other branch turned off through New
Hampshire to Boston. 1t was built by
the late George Benedict of Burlington
and some POO shares of stock were
owned by Brattleboro People. The sys-
tenn was known as 'the Vermont and
Boston telegraph company, and its
construction was largely due to the
efforts and public spirit of Mr. Ben
edict, who wanted line to Boston
and believed in its ultimate financial
success. The operators used the old
Balm system, then much in use or in
struments being somewhat ingenious,
consisting of metal disk about 10
! inches in diameter, covered with seal
/ ing wax, on top of which was a small
er brass grooved disk. From its centre
protruded a post sustaining a brass
arm with wire pen which followed
the grooves as the plate revolved. The
telegraph wire was connected with the
post Underneath the table, contributing
the current to the pen, which threw off
little of the metal and left the char
acters on paper covering the disk. The
key was similar to those now in use, as
was the relay, though the relay was not
SO distinct as those of today. When
Mr. Capen took charge of the service
here he was a job printer, and occa
sionally issued little paper under the
h cad of Capen's Independent, an adj
vertising venture.
People knew little of the telegraph
then, and. no wonder, were somewhat
afraid of the my sterious fluid. Final
ly everything was ready, the wire hav
ing been quietly run into the business
b lock on the corner of High and Main
streets. when the lessee, Joseph. Steen,
"caught on" and ordered the internal
thing removed forthwith He declared
it would attract the lightning and alb
soutely kill his insurance SO Capen
moved across the street into back |
room where he rather timidly began |
business. So strong was the local pref |
udice against the new invention and |
so general the fear that some of the
oldest citizens refused to receive a |
message till il had first been opened |
and read by the operator himself, who |
delivered all the messages. The late
Charlie Waite was the operator in your
city, but he used the old Morse system
on the line between New York and
strong enough to get message through
to Boston on wet days, so it occasional
" became necessary to use the clothes
line, " as the Vermont and Massachu-
Sc it's line was called. This, says Mr..
Japen, could always be depended on,
or no matter how hard it rained. the
I'D Balm would work, though it was
mighty faint at times, and the only f,
yav the operator, one at Brattleboro,
mother at White River and still an ;
'ther at Nashua, could tell, was by ,
lose watching.
Waite would call me up, said Ca
zen, and ask if the cloth esline' was
working, and j invariably answered
Yes. 1t was necessary to call me,
his being the centre of the line. and | |
you'd stand over my repeater, con
family adjusting it, until the message
'as finished, II it took all night. When
springfield said good night, then | \
'ould get out. The repeaters were al |
rays used in sending messages from {
TO Boston. Some days when I
could not hear the machine click, (
ould get the message just the same. T
or the pen would make a green mark I
n the blue paper no matter how weak e
he current. The operator was in his I
flee from a. m. TO 8 p. m. though he \
las able to carry on his printing bust {
ess in connection with the telegraph. 4
lr. Capen was paid $50 year, his sal !,
ry for several years exceeding the re- "
sipts of the office. This tariff for 10 a
lords was 81 to New York, so cents to /
ostoD and 40 cents to Springfield and Il
reenfield. There was no press to ian {
lie then, and the daily average of mes Al
lges received would not exceed three, III
nd there were any number of days g,
hen there were none. nj
The longest message ever received by n
n. Capen was one of 1900 words from n,
resident Lincoln to Gov. Holbrook. II
his was in answer to letter from in
lie governor, recommending the Pres g,
lent to call for 500, 600 volunteers. 1t ef
as the dark summer of go, and the ex
,vernor's suggestion was to have the +
yal governors pledge themselves to +
vor the CALL the Vermont governor in
lding that the Green Mountain state p
Duld quickly respond. This resulted "
call for 300, 600 three years men, is
id 300, 900 nine months men. Gen. T
raper came TO Bratteboro to confer W
it'll Gov. Holbrook, and the paper was
epared here for the signatures of the
Thus Gov. Holbrook was g.,
ven credit for having suggested the ~.
heme, so quickly approved by Lin ~
In. After the long dispatch had been III
ceived and read by the governor,
ung Capen's heart almost failed ro
m, for il was repeated to Peter Il. ON
ashburn, adjutaEt general who left .
attleboro for his home in Woodstock
short time before its receipt here.