The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-30

from an adjoining room. Any three
messages received that day may be
picked out for the trial, thus avoiding
the possibility of an operator learning
a set of test messages" by heart.
Not long ago an unlikely looking APP
plicant asked for a job at the Broad
way Office of one of the biggest COM
panies in town. He was a tall youth
and slim, with not a hair on his chin
to help a rather sheepish expression or
to speak of the years of experience
which perhaps might have made him
a valuable man, sheep or no sheep. As
usual the applicant was put to receiv
ing, three dispatches picked with care
being sent at staggering clip. Then
the head operator came to see the re-
suit.
"How are you getting on?' he asked.
Here you are, sir.
yes but here are only two mes
sages. / sent you three the man pro-
tested.
"II give you the third in a minute"
said the applicant sitting down to his
typewriter There he hammered out
word for word the 100-word message
sent him. relying only upon his mem
ory-and by that is meant back read
ing"
About the most remarkable story OF
back reading and clever telegraph work
is one told by Tom Flynn. himself a
veteran newspaper telegraph operator
| and at one time one of the best men in
| the business. Said the old war horse:
IT was in a Pittsburg newspaper OF
| flee those days when one cold winter S
! night there appeared the most disrep-
utable looking chap, who asked for
| Job as an operator. This was in the
| DAYS of the tramp operator when those
| fellows had headquarters here in New
| York in Spruce street, and similar
| housing in every other big town. But
| this fellow looked the father OF all
| tramps An old brown overcoat tied In
| the middle with sash cord. SLOUGH
| hat pulled over the ears and beneath
the brim of which appeared, like bow
| spirit, a red pug nose, and shoes with
| the poor toes sticking through the
| front of them were the first impress
| sions obtainable.
"EIe stood in the door smiling at the
| prospect of being kicked down stairs
| and down came the old brown collar
and off went the hat adding to the
other attractions a stubbly face, small
eyes and a shock of matted hair.
HE said he wanted job Wen, one
| of the regulator operators happened TO
night was slow for business, 1t was
as we'll to have a man on hand. Be-
sides, there was fun ahead in the
chap.
I'VE had one fellow sending into the
Office and he was CREASED lightning
Chambers of Buffalo. Every new man
was run up against the Buffalo wire
and the Buffalo man knew 1t and used
to have fun. There was not a man in
the Office that could receive all Cham
bers could send him in an hour If he
wanted to, and Ii was the Buffalo
chaps delight to fire at any new man
until there was cry for mercy.
"Well, Pagan took his place at the
wire, peeled off his old coat and pulled
a pad toward him. Then he opened
the key to let her go, and Chambers,
with a quick, nervous touch, sending
the most beautiful of Morse, began
fairly to rattle in the stuff, for he had
been tipped off that there was VIC
tim. Every one on the staff that had
nothing better to do stood about the
ornament, and snickered audibly and
prepared for the downfall. In came
the message. The ornament searched
one pocket after another for a pencil.
He found a stub. But the stub would
not do, and he located a more pointed
butt.
"By that time even those who did
not know key from a hayrake began
to snicker and some one laughed OUT
right when the new man searched his
vest pockets, and this time brought
forth a cigar butt. He reached one
hand over for a match, got one, light
ed the cigar butt and then, in the
most beautiful copper-plate hand, be-
gan to hurl off the message, back
reading what had come in and listen
ing to what the instrument was tick
ing out. In less than five minutes he
had caught up with the instrument and
was loafing over his smoke, giving the
Buffalo man a chance to get ahead,
so as to make writing worth while.
For fifteen minutes the Buffalo man
stuck out the furious clip. Then he
opened another wire and: