Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-06
MORSE CYCLING CLUB EVENT
BRILLIANT SUCCESS.
MAYOR SWIFT LED THE MARCH.
HUNDREDS OF GUESTS FROM ALL
OVER THE COUNTRY.
Two Large Parties Present Frors
KANSAS City-Bail Room Encir.
cIed With "Soundcrs,, So
Dancers Might Keep Up
With the Times.

Chicago. ILL.,. Feb. 5.-From all parts OF
the country, men who wiring their Iivings
from the lightnings gathered at the Medina
hall this evening at the Telegraphers' ball,
| under the auspices of the Morse Cycling
Club, of this city. The affair was q bril-
liant success. from the grand march to the
''Home, Sweet Home
Numerous committees had been at work
on the arrangements for weeks, and the
success of their efforts was demonstrated
in the character of the event, which was
generally conceded to have eclipsed any
similar previous effort on the part of the
masters of the bolts of Jove
Special cars from all of Chicagos neigh
boring cities brought parties in to-day and
guests in smaller numbers arrived from
more distant points. The Chicago & Alton
| brought in fifty guests in special from St.
| Louis. The Santa Fe brought in a large
party from Kansas City and twenty-five
| other telegraphers from the same city
came in over the Chicago, Burlington Sc
| Quincy. A party OF eighty came from st.
Paul and Minneapolis over the Chicago
milwaukee ST. Paul and Northwestern
guests from Milwaukee. A group of six
teen operators from Ptttsburg and twenty
nye from Cincinnati CAME over the Penn
sylvania, and forty arrived from Detroit
by way of the Wabash. Smaller parties
came from Winona, Mimi. Lacrosse, Wis,
st. Joseph, Mo-, Peoria, ILL.,. Dubuque Ia
and number of intermediate points, and
almost every other important city in the
country was represented by one or more
guests.
The kansas City party comprised the fol.
lowing: Mr.. and Mrs. J. i. Brackep, Mr..
ana Mrs. NJ. E. Edwards, Mr.. and Mrs. II.
and Mrs. Sam Knight, Mr.. and Mrs. ]. c.
Pyle, Mr.. and Mrs, F. D. Howe. MIR. and
ders MRS. n a 8 Hggins gins MISS Anna E2srs
Miss May Miller. Miss Nellie Mcconnell.
W. Murphy. Mr.. Joseph Eshman. Mr.. NJ.
T. Evers, Mr.. Ernest Cowie, Mr.. L. r.
Voorhees,, Mr.; F. l.. Marshall, Mr.. Joseph
D. Murphy, Mr.. Hugh Evans, Mr.. Frank
Staley.
Wires had been run into the building
and the ball room was encircled by a Sc
rieS of saunders" adjusted so to make
their clatter easily hearu and understood
in all parts of the hall. Over the wires
the main offices Of the Western Union and
Postal companies kept going stream OF
messages and bulletins of the news of the
night. The rattle of the instruments
sounded shrill above the music OF the or
chestra and the patter of the gliding feet,
and added much to the occasion for thoss
TO whom every tick of the sounder had 4
significance. Bulletins of double murders
and Cuban battles, messages of regret
from far of telegraphers, kilograms OF
greeting from well known officials and
doubtful jokes from struggling Morse hu-
moriSts mingled with the music of the
two step, the polka and the time honored
waltz.
A number of prominent men of Chicago
were present, among them Senator-elect
Mason and Mayor George B. Swift, the
latter being an old-time operator. The
women of the profession were well repre-
sented, and they, with the sweethearts and
wives of telegraphers of the sterner sex,
equalled the men in number.
The grand march was led by W. r. Hoi-
lgan. chief operator of the Western Union,
| assisted by Assistant Superintendent W.
]. Lloyd followed by Charles W. Potter,
night manager of the Postal Telegraph
Company.
Chairman A. z. Morelock, of the COM
mittee on arrangements, with his assist
ants, had answered 5000 letters regarding
transportation within the last ten days.
Mayor Swift. with the other operators,
erdeavored to renew his youth and recall
the mysteries of the deserted profession.
but complained of the swiftness of the
pace and his inability to break" and was
compelled to secure an interpreter
During the progress of the dance pro-
gramme numerous fiashlight photographs
were taken, giving various views Of the
hall and the merrymakers. A collation.
was served at 1880 o'clock and dancing
continued until late.