The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-04-11

Strange Words Used "a save Expense ans
Time In Telegraphing.

Strange Words Used ta Save Expense ans
Time In TeIegraphing.
indianapolis Befall p Bugbolt =
Gown Bufority Clubfoot II Fade
-Yaf." This Is the message sent out
from the Weather Bureau on the last
day Of February The message trans
lated reads Barometer 30.14. temper.
ature 32-afternoon report, snowfall
.1S-southeast winds with snow-ve-
loeity Of wind ten miles an hour
maximum temperature 3S-nimbus
clouds entirely covered blowing from
the east-total amount of precipitation
1.60 and mean temperature 24-two
inches Of snow" This is the weather
report for last Thursday, which was
placed on the wire and sent to Wash
ington and other weather observator-
les throughout the United States. The
condensation Of the report into cipher
aeeomplishes two purposes-it reduces
the cost of transmission and saves
time.
The intricacy Of this code can only
be conjectured when the great vocabu-
larry 1t has to- cover is considered. The
system is so arranged that the vowels
each have a certain value. representing
a decimal unit Of ten, similar to the
metric system of circulation, and their
power is denoted by their relation to
cons0nants placed before OF after the
vowel This cipher does not apply to
all the code, as certain expressions
have their individual word The code
for these words is alphabetically class
ified for the convenience Of the clerks
and observers, as their infreQuent use
does not allow a familiarity that
makes 1t possible to read at sight, but
they have 10 be translated by the aid
Of the key. In the message, "yaf'' rep
resents two inches of snow. and anOth-
er combination Of letters beginning
with "" designates a different preclp-
itation Of snow.
Few messages are alike. large
sheet is received at the Weather Blu
reau each evening shortly after 8
O'Clock, bearing the reports in cipher
Of observatorles in various parts of the
country. A code message from Mem
phis received on the same day that the
above was sent from indianapolis
reads, in cipher: Barmaid-Lyden-
Mean-Barnable - WinnOw-Centaph
Perfect Forgave Translated it
reads: Barometer 3012. temperature,
52-afternoon report. "A inches pre-
cipitation fell during twelve hours
from a. m TO s D. m.-south wind and
cloudy weather-velocity Of wind ten
miles an hour with maximum temper
ature thunderstorm beginning at
? p. m. and running for three hours
clouds from the southwest
west wind blowing thirty miles
an hour-total month precipitation.
100 inches; average temperature. A."
In many respects the message is sim
liar to the first one. but the cipher is
entirely different showing no apparent
likeness. SO the messages read all the
way down the page, and clerk can
talk each Of them of without hesita.
lion. except when the rare code Is
and then If the translation IS
not accomplished after moments
study Il requires but a few seconds to
ind It in the key to go on. The OBJ
servers and clerks regard the reading |
# these cipher messages as trivial |
matters and recognize the tempera-
ure in "barmaid" OF the amount of |
precipitation in "clubfoot' at a glance. |
indianapolis Journal.