The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-16
LONG TELEGRAPH CALL.
Message Crossed the Ocean Twice to
Arouse Crosby, the TeIegrapher.
From the Boston Globe.

Message Crossed the ocean twice TO
Arouse Crosby, the TeIeErapher.
From the Boston Globe
Out among the beautiful green groves OF
Northampton lives DR.. c. II. Crosby, who
once was the champion telegraph operator
of America He is an M. d. with large
practice, member OF two or three clubs
and prominent secret society man. who
has quite outlived the days when the
key" was his constant companion.
Once In awhile, however, of an evening
when cigars are lit and the company is Of
the right order he can be induced to tell
good story. Perhaps the rarest of the
lot, one that has never been printed, al
though lots OF them have found their way
about, is about the time when the French
cable people telegraphed 5000 miles to
have him walked up when he was asleep
in the next room, not twenty feet away
from the operator who received the mes
sage.
The French line from this country to
France was the second OF the transatlan-
tic cables. The line stretched from Dux-
bury by way of Newfoundland to Brest.
IN France. DR.. Crosby was the RESPONSE
BILE night man in the lookout at Duxbury.
1t was a night in October and the future
disciple OF Galen had taken his usual sta
tion at the key. Between the hours OF
and /, when the foreign news known in
those days as Reuters cablegrams used
to come over the wires, there was usually
very little doing. To sleep at his post
was death or equivalent to it, and this
ne well knew, but the winds OF autumn
bowling around the lonely little house.
crooned a melody that reminded him Of
his mothers lullabies. and he fell forward
ON the table and was soon past two con-
tinents in his dreams. This happened, on
his own recollection, and he is the only
witness. about $50
At Q o'clock the New York Office called
him. They had a private message for
transmission.
Tick" went the little tormentor under
his nose but the operator heard IL not
After hammering away I'm vain for sew
eral minutes the New York operator gave
II up and thought a minute. There was
but one waR out OF II. The receiving
end Of the line was in the next room to
that OF the missing operator, and there
was a man IN charge who could undoubt-
eddy tell what was wrong. To reach him
an inquiry would have. to be sent the
whole length Of the company's circuit.
a matter OF 5000 miles or so. So cafl-
ing up North Sydney at Cape Breton
he began his task.
From Cape Breton the inquiry was
flashed TO Hearts Content, on the bleak
coast OF Newfoundland. thence across the
Atlantic ocean 20 Valenta on the south
west coast OF Ireland, and SO across
the England Channel TO Brest. From the
end OF the route Il was doubled back TO
St. Pierre ct Miquelon, and so slanted
down to Duxbury. The whole matter
took only about fifteen minutes
AT about twenty minutes past the man
in charge OF the French end OF the wire.
whose table was not more than twenty
feet from the stepping operator IN the
next room, began 10 get intelligence. He
IN a few seconds had recorded this some-
what surprising message; Go into the
next room and wake the man there"
CROSBY was aroused az once and the
position explained 10 him, when he pick
ed no his key and the business Of tho
| two hemtspheres was resumed again.