The times., 1898-04-26
KEEPING THE WIRES HOT.
Unprecedented Rush of Business n
the Local Telegraph Offices.

The beginning of the war with Spain
and the events that have transpired in
the capital of America leading up to it
have caused an unprecedented rush of
business at the local offices of the two
telegraph companies.
The long period of delay before the
sending in of the Presidents message,
the extended debate in Congress over
the recognition resolutions and the rush
of naval and military orders from the
Government departments have caused
the sending of thousands and even mill
ions of words over the wires.
The greater part of this news is sent
to the great dailies of the country from
their special correspondents here and
each local office is averaging about l00,-
600 words a day of strictly news matter
The local force of telegraphers became
fairly inadequate two weeks ago and eX-
pert men had TO be ordered here from
other parts of the country. An addition
Of about thirty men have been added
to the force of the Postal Telegraph Ca
bic Company from New York Balti-
more, Philadelphia and other points, and
have joined in the great work of trans
mitting and receiving the engrossine
news Of the day for the benefit of the
puDilt lESC men are not only expert
telegraphers but were picked with a view
to their ability as copy readers" Press
matter passing through their hands is
thus treated with both speed and intel
ligence and the many little errors that
are liable to creep into the COPY of the
best reporters are avoided.
Newspaper correspondents are very
busy mortals at such times, and usually
spend more time delving for news than
in inc
mistakes of spelling. punctuation, etc, are
many. This also happens frequently
when an important official announcement
is made. and when there is a rush of cor
respondents and messengers for the
nearest telegraph office.
Mr. William H. Allen. general mana
ger of the Postal Telegraph Company
during the course of a conversa tion with
a reporter for The Times last night. said
that the work at the office had suddenly
taken on bulletin phase. Nearly
every correspondent in the city now
sends bulletins to his paper as fast as
anything happens, preparatory to the
longer stories, which are sent in detail
afterward. This is a growing and i'm
portant branch of the service, and re-
quires quicker work than any other class
of news matter. Mr.. Allen has about
sixty men working at his main Office
alone, and this gives an idea of the work
that is being done in order to keen the
people in touch with the pulse of the
period. Mr.. George w. Ribble has charge
of the day men, assisted by Mr.. Slater
and Mr. j. p. Gooch looks after the night
rush, assisted by MeSsrs. Burriss and
Terrell
The business of the Office is now double
what it is in ordinary times. Washing
ton is more of sending office than re-
ceiving, and for this reason such large
body of expert cOpy-readers and fast
"senders'' are employed. II is the focus
of the eyes of the civilized world, and
most of the news that is read so vora-
ciously in the metropolitan extras and
every paper of the country that is large
enough to run a war column, passes
through the hands of this efficient corps
of expert telegraphers.