The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-07-08
CHEAP TELEGRAPHlNG.
How Barbed Wire Fence Was Success
fully Pressed Into Service.

three young men in Wilmington,
Mass, who made up their minds to
become telegraph operators. They
&ere. George Frost, a farmers son,
who lives about mile north of Will
mington Junction; Elmer Batchel-
Ter, station agent at the junction,
and Willard Lowe, son Of a foreman
on the Boston and Maine railroad.
Their first ambition was to be able
to click out words and sentences on
an instrument, and having learned
to do that they were determined to
have an outdoor telegraph line of
| their own.
Many persons learn to make and
understand the dots and dashes used
in telegraphing, but perhaps net l
in 100 knows what it means to equip
and care for a line over mile long.
It is commonly supposed that an
outdoor line is expensive, and that
it's construction and management
require a degree of skill not pos
sessed by the average telegrapher.
The scheme of the three young
men, who made a line over mile
long out of a barbed wire fence,
shows how cheaply, easily and sat
isfactorily communication by tele-
graph may be effected for cOnpar-
atively short distance. How that
scheme was carried out, the line
insulated, provided with batteries,
three sets of instruments. and put
in complete working order for about
$40, was explained to reporter.
"a barbed wire fence" said Mr..
Batcheller, "may be an odd substi-
tute for telegraph line, but it is
far from being a poor one. Our plan
worked perfectly, and the fence
wires that were used couldn't have
given better service if they had been
of the best copper and strung 30 feet
above the ground. The fence was
used for the sake of convenience
and economy. There were three Of
fees on the line, two being over
mile apart, and to have stretched a
wire between those points would
have cost $75 or 800. Before using
the fence we had to overcome one
serious difficulty, that of insulation.
Unless the wires were well insula-
ted at the points where they touch
ed the posts the electricity would
be likely to escape, and in rain
storm the circuit would be complete
ly destroyed. Putting glass insula-
tors on the posts would be tedious
job, and so would lacking on pieces
Of rubber or any other noncOnduct-
or. Paint is a good insulator. Why
not use that9' we thought. So with
a brush and pot of thick paint we
tried the experiment, applying a
good coat where the wire was fas-
tened to the posts.
Batteries were next required.
Twelve glass battery jars, the num-
Der needed, would cost more than we
could pay, and we gave up the idea
of buying them. Paint had already
been useful to us, and there were
plenty of paint pots to be had. We
wondered if they wouldn't do in
stead of glass jars. A dozen were
selected. Then it remained to sup
ply the pots with zines, coppers and
blue vitriol Railroad companies
frequently renew the batteries on
their line, and there were enough
secondhand zines and coppers at
hand to meet our wants. The blue
vitriol we bought. For instruments
we procured three SO called learn
ers' outfits. One set was cheap, cost
ing US only 81. so. The magnets on
that instrument were not suitable
for use on an outdoor circuit and
had to be reWOund with finer wire.
But the rewinding was an easy mat
ter, and when the instrument was
ready for use it had cost us less than
50. Each of the other sets cost So.
The amount Of covered wire neces-
sary for making the indoor connec-
lions was not great, and we got tnat
for less than 81.
Before pronouncing the line
complete we carefully inspected the
fence wires to see if all the spices
were well made. Wherever there
was a bad connection we cut and re-
spliced the wire. When everything
that we thought necessary was
done, the unique battery jars were
filled with water, and the instru
ment at each of the Offices respond
ed with promptness and satisfaction.
The line gave US absolutely no trou-
BILE, even during heavy transforms,
and was the means of making three
good operators. Our use of the fence
in no way interfered with it's origi-
nal purpose, and it is doubtful if the
Western Union Telegraph company