Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-20
CODES COME HIGH.
$4,000 For ONE AND $1,000 1T IS
SAID, FOR ANOTHER.
Cable Code Experts I'm Every Big
Shipping House Nowadays-The
Money Which They and the Code
Save shippers.


graph enters into the transact on OF busi-
ness at the close Of the century Is in some
measure indicated by the fact that
prominent shipping house Of New York Ia
recently paid $4,000 for a cipher code TO be
used in the transmission of business
messages, and that the cost of this code
Will be more than made up In the saving
effected on telegraphic messages in enc
year owing to the rapid extension of
land wires and submarine cables within
the last few years, all parts of the globe
are now connected by electricity, and the
bulk Of the worlds business is done by its
hid through the medium of codes which
have been constructed TO meet the re-
quirements Of the commercial and finan-
ciel world Where formerly the mails
were used for the transmission Of com
mercial messages. their business use Is
nowadays chiefly limited 10 the vertical
ton and elaboration of communica tons
previously sent by wire. The telegraph
account on a merchants balance sheet
Is. therefore. an important item. and IL Ia
for this reason that cipher codes are in
vented. The function of code as en-
ployed in commercial transactions has re-
ference less TO secrecy tnan 10 economy,
though both results are accomplished at
the same time. Codes having particular
reference 10 concealment and privacy are
used extensively by governments and in
dividuals, but these Topographic systems
are simple and lucid as contrasted with
the elaborate and complicated forms that
serve the purposes Of economy in the bust
ness world.
To such an extent has the code system
of to-day been perfected that the ma
jority of the cablegrams passing between
New York and the uttermost ends Of the
earth contain no more than two or three
words in addition to the name and adj
dress, while large numbers contain but
single word each Names and addresses
are also condensed into cipher to reduce
the cost of transmission. For example,
message addressed to Clarence Mum
roe. Paris" would be delivered to Mr..
Clarence Eddy. organlst. care of Munroe
& Co.. Rue Scribe. Paris. France-a saw
ing Of eleven words out OF fourteen.
The executive departments Of the United
States Government are each supplied
with different cipher systems, and these
are used both for secrecy and economy.
1t Is easy TO see why concealment Is
necessary when the Treasury Department
Is transmitting directions or information
which might be used for stock jObblng
purposes. and that secrecy would be es-
sential i'm sending out the announcement
that a train loaded with gold bullion
would on a certain day and hour start
from the Mint at Carson City for San
Francisco. The Navy Departments ci-
pher is a very expensive and compli-
Gated one, and Is used I'm all cortespog-
dence pertaining to the movements Of
vessels and fleets. When the Trenton and
Nandalia were lost i'm hurricane off
the Samoan Islands nine years ago a
cipher could not be used I'm advising the
department at Washington of the catas-
trophe as the code book was on hoard
the Trenton. and went TO the bottom
with the ship. The message was sent I'm
full. and it's transmission by way OF
Auckland cost the United States nearly
81 900. The Weather Bureau uses a eli
pher code for economy I'm the transmits
sion Of reports from the $50 signal stations.
Arson Stager devised the first cryptogra-
phic code for the use of the War Depart
ment, early In 1861. and the first key to
it was intrusted to Allan Pinkerton. the
detective. Wilkes Booth. the assassin OF
President Lincoln. was captured by
means OF cipher message sent to
Washington. and the operator who tee-
graphed the message received $500 out OF
the reward offered.
1t is a rule OF the cable companies that
no word shall contain more than ten
letters without an extra charge and that
In cipher messages coined words shall
not be used. An official code vocabulary
for universal use was adopted by the
International Telegraphic Convention sit
ting al Budapest in June and July Of
last year. and steps were taken toward
making the use of this code compulsory
throughout the world. commencing with
January l. 1895 This measure called out
a storm OF protests and remonstrances
from merchants and commercial bodies
in the United States, and the plan of
making the new vocabulary compulsory
was abandoned The convention decided
not to enforce the use of the first edi-
tion of the new vocabulary. and ordered
the International Bureau of Telegraphic
Administration at Berne. Switzerland.
to prepare and issue a second enlarged
and modified edition. 1t was also decided
that the date of the compulsory use Of
this second edition should be fixed by a
convention TO be held i'm London i'm 1901
Ii Is one Of the requisites of a salts
factory cipher code vocabulary that there
should be a topographic and Geographic
dissimilarfity I'm the words used, and that
each word should differ from every other
word by at least two letters. and three
elementary Morse signs. Otherwise the
error of a single letter or the similarity
of telegraphic signals might convey a
word totally different in meaning from
that handed In by the sender. For eX-
ample, "generalize" might be rendered
"mineralize," "acetyle" might be made
TO read "actyle." and so on. 1t was
found. on examination. that the official
vocabulary as adopted at Budapest did
not meet it's own requirement, and that
out OF its 25600O words over 10000 words
were given In which the dissimilarity OF
at least two letters and three telegraphic
signs did not exist.
John c. fairfield. a New York COM
pler OF codes, was the first one TO weed
out the faulty words by a system OF
double checking. 4 force of women in
New York and another In London were
employed 10 make the search. and their
labors were then compared. In this way
10000 words were eliminated from the
official vocabulary and its total reduced
to 22s,0O0 words II IS understood that
the enlarged vocabulary TO be adopted
at the London conference in 1901 will con-
tain nearly 10000 words. and in order
10 obviate as far as possible the objec-
lions urged by persons already posses
sing codes obtained at large expense. the
International Bureau will introduce into
the new collection such words now found
in private codes as shall meet the general
equirements-namely, that they shall be
dictionary words in either the English,
French. German, Spanish. Portuguese,
Italian. Dutch, or Latin languages, and
shall be dlssimilar in letters and tele-
graphic signs, as already stated Owners
OF such codes have only TO send them for
collation. 10 the bureau at Berne. which
then charges itself with the execution
OF the work