The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-22
LOSS OF ONE DOT.
Cause of Hostilities Between Two Tel
egraph Operators.

Chicago Record: Sherwood, a tele-
/ graph operator, recently told of a feud
which came in existence because of the
less of such small thing as a teIe-
graphic dot. a good sender can make
ten or more dots in a second, so you can
imagine how Indefinitely small one is.
Only a trained ear is able to distinguish
the dlffersnce between a dozen dots and
20 when a batch is rapidly made, and
yet one poor little dot nearly killed
one man, and brought the other over
worked and overwrought, into a hos
D;tal.
Sherwood was at the Chicago end of
New York wire at the time If the ed
venture. 1t was not good wire even at
its best 1t had poor battery, and
some other ailments which made re-
ceiving a woe. But first-class operators
were expected to do high grade bust
ness with ii, end they usually did if
they worked in harmony, and did not
get into quarrelS over the responsibility
of the cluttering and mixing of the
faulty circuit. After two or three men
had resigned in disgust, and had de-
clared that they would rather wheel
gravel TO d stone-crusher than try TO
copy from that line. Sherwood was put
on at Chicago, and some stranger to
him was given the New York end.
They seemed to suit each other i'm
mensely well, and pounded away with
out the least bit of friction for a week.
They were sensible enough to take it
easy, and neither tried to rush the
other.
Sometimes. between whites. they
would have minute or so for CONVEX
sation, and these little spells made
them feel even better disposed each to
the other. One evening Sherwood
thought business would proceed with
greater satisfaction if he knew the
name of the good fellow over in New
York, so. in the course of a rest, he
asked:
What's your name. old man?"
Quick as a flash, and to Sherw Ood's
utter amazement, the other operator
hurled back at him the curt monosylla-
lie:
Rats"
Sherwood was thundeIstruck, and he
was also warm.
"All right he said to himself. Very
well, you fresh sucker. If that's your
kind, I'll let you alone and give you
a little taste of hot work just to make
you do some thinking on poIiteness
over q line
So he turned in and fairly made even
his own arm whiz in jerking streaks of
lightning at the New Yorker. He put
ragged wire to help to make things un-
Ineligible, he considered that he was
giving his associate a very ardent |
chase to COPY him.
He knew that the stuff must be get
ting into New York in an Outlandish /
shape. but he felt outraged, and didn't /
care.
The next day the worm turned. and /
the New Yorker began to give Sher- /
wood correct imitation of lust how
evilly an angered telegraph operator. /
assisted by a bad circuit, can send /
Morse across the country.
The matter came like the clatter of
musketry in battle. like the jangle of
tin roofs torn up by cyclone, like a nail
mill working overtime. but with very
ndistinct and imperfect sounding.
Just once in a long time Il perfect
etter was distinguishable in the rattle
If the rubbish of sound. bat Sherwood
vas a naughty man, and refused to
break" Cor interrupt the sender to
isk what he was trying to do. He
would catch as mucn as "He-y