Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-06-02
TELEGRAPH BUSINESS.
The Journals Wire Probably Does
Most Work in Augusta.
Figures Showing Some Of the Great Business
Skilled Labor Required.

| II is very Sale 10 assume that the great
est amount of telegraph business done in
the city of Augusta, is done over the wire
ihat leads into the Journal office: tho
| WIRE mat supplies all the Journal read
ers with the latest news from all over tho
world up 10 the time of going to press in
ne morning. This wire is owned by the
| os'ai oh1on Telegraph and is leased nv
! lhe Associated Press of which the Jou-r-
' - d stockholder, and is operated by
me Associated Press own men.
Inc amount of matter that Is sent over
'''ese wires IS almost incomprrhenslble
ana the number reduced to words and let
ters seems like some fairy tale.
for a starter, perhaps ii would be well
10 state that the little sounder ON the M,
chine in the Journal office probably ticks
out over @,O00000 letters in the coursa AZ
the year. This seems to be quite a lot bur
II IS even 50. as the proof of the computa
ton will show
Inc average number of words sent
each night is 1900. That is setting If
low, too. For it is known to The Assoc
GATED Press employees that they are sun
posed 10 take that number and II Is sci
doin a night passes that they do not ex-
ceeu TINS by far In The Associated Press
work there is not the close counting thar
Is uohe IN the Ordinary Geographic work
bulletin announcing that an article of
about 500 is to be sent from some wav
point, VIII mean anywhere from 500 IN 70l
as they go on the approximate rule in This
business.
With the average number Der night
with six nights a week ana 80 weeks \
year one has the basis of the communal
TONS. Then reduce to letters by multi
plying by the average per word
Just think Of the operator who has to
receive this amount each night and all
the working nights in year No ordi-
nary operator can do this as the man
must be skilled typewriter to receive
The words are sent in skeletonized form
and as they come over the wire in their
code of telegraph shorthand that can be
read only by these operators, they spell
out the words on their machines. ana
at the same time the trained ear is alert
in catching the next word that is coming
with lightning rapdity over the wire.
The Journals operator, Mr.. Stephen J.
Hegarty of Hallowell has long been in
the business, both in Western Union
| offices and for the past 10 years taking
/
known by ALL is one Of the most skilful
men in the business. and makes easy
work of the creased chain lightning, turn
ing out almost perfect copy the wonder
Of visitors and the delight of the editors
1t is safe to say that his Remington
! typewriter does more work than any
one other typewriter in the city, consid-
ering the ABOVE figures. From p. NJ
the time when the night press service be-
gins, until IL o'clock, Mr.. Hegarty has
but little time to leave his seat with the
sounder on his right side and his type
writer on the desk in front of him. AT
II there is a half hour given for the pur-
pose of eating lunch. and then comes the
work again until the early hours of the
morning, from 80 to 3 or later.
The work is hard, and, as before STAT
ed, requires a skilled man The senders
in the Boston office are among the very
best in the country, as they must De both
quick and accurate, and acquainted with
the style of skeletonZng words. A man
may be a good receiver and yet be good
for nothing in this office, he is likely
to become ratified. The items of news
are prepared in the Boston office as they
| are received from the New York general
Office and from other parts of the coun-
try ready for the compositor and the OPP
orator must take all the Fluctuations
properly, SO that the editing will be of as
little trouble as possible. Then as the
| words come in code form, the operator
must be a good speller.
on the wire with the Journal are the Of
| fees in several Of the Massachusetts cities
| this side Of Boston, the New Hampshire
| cities, Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, and
| ST. john where all are receiving. In
! case a man loses few words he has II
| break in and have it repeated, and as
| these breaks are counted in the Boston
| office there is little Of it done on account
of the close application to business by the
| operators.
1t is indeed marvellous TO see the oper-
| ator in a busy night. He will receive the
words Dy sound. will type them on
| his machine, as fast as his fingers can
| Nv ana at the same time can follow the
! drift of what others are saying to him.
This is extremely difficult though, as the
whole attention is needed on the press
| work.
The telegraph operator is man VINO
keeps Of a necessity in touch with all that
| is going on as every word that is from
foreign climes and cities, has to pass
through his ears to his fingers, before 1t
goes into the paper, consequently all the
news passes through him on its way TO
the people.