The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-05-13
VETERAN OPERATOR.
Jos. w. Kates, Bsauregard's suderin-
tendent Of Telegraph.
AN INCIDENT OF FORT SUMTER
When He First Took Up the Key, the
System Was Very Crude, and
the sounder Was Not in

The Columbia State says Mr.. Joseph
w. Hates Monday retired from the
service of the Postal Telegraph COM
pany after having served as general
superintendent Of the southern divis-
ion OF the Postal since 1889. The an
nouncement Of his retirement was re-
ceived with regret over the lines. for
he had managed the construction of
the great system from Richmond to
New Orleans, and he leaves the ser
vice to get we'll earned rest.
Mr.. Hates did some work with the
key in this State at time when the
telegraph instrument was just coming
into use. He commenced his work at
Petersburg, Va, in 1858 Al years ago
before the 'sounder" was used.
The messages were received on re.
cording paper register and he was one
of the first to take messages by sound
alone. There were but two men in
the office at Richmond at that time
and Mr.. Hates and another handled
all the exciting news Of the John
Brown raid.
lie transmitted the famous mes.
sage of President Jefferson Davis or.
dering Gen. Joseph e. Johnson at
Winchester to make q juncture with
Gen. p. G. Il. Beauregard at Manas
sas Junction. 1t required over an
hour to send the message, the new
wire being imperfect and the receiv-
ing operator quite inexperienced.
Had the message been 'buled" in
transmission the Confederacy might
have met with disaster in the very
first battle.
In the fall of 1861 he was assigned
to duty at the headquarters of Gems
Polk and Beauregard, and at the
memorable battle of Shiloh and the
preceding campaigns he shared the
dangets and privations of the soldiers.
All Of the wires IN the south at that
time were owned by the Southern
| Telegraph company
In 1868 he was appointed by Gen
Beauregard to superintend the mill.
tary lines around Charleston. lie
connected Forts Sumter and Moultrie
with the land batteries. AS told il
The State recently, Mr.. Hates re.
manned i'll charge Ut Charleston until
1864, when he was given u more i'm.
portant assignment at Richmond
Gen. Beauregard and others gave hin,
autograph letters congratuating him
on his services to the Confederacy
After the war Mr.. Hates went north
where news of his distinguished ser.
services had preceded him and Inc
found no trouble in securing employ.
ment. The following incident OF the
terrific bOmbardment of Fort Sumter
by the land batteries on Norris island
shows the nature of Mr.. Kates' ser.
vices to the government OF the Con
federate States:
at one time when the fire on the
fort was very heavy, the cable con.
Meeting it with Charleston was broken
by shot or shell and communication
ceased, much to the dismay Of the
brave defenders OF the fort, who, as
long as the telegraph instrument. con.
tinued ticking" knew they were not
entirely cut Off from the outside
world.
THE approach to Sumter from
Charleston, altogether impracticable
in the daytime, was dangerous and
exceedingly risky even in the darkness
Of night. The succeeding night the
broken cable was examined by Mr..
hates, who went over its route in a
small boat. He found that it was
deeply imOedded in the sand, and the
whereabouts Of the break could not
be ascertained. Gen. Beauregard then
directed that new cable be laid,
which order was successfully executed
second or third night after the break,
10y MIR. Hates, and communication re-
established before daylight. and with
out the knowledge Of the Federal
batteries at Cummings Point, only a
few hundred yards distant. For this
work he was warmly commended and
complimcnted by Gen. Bauregard and
his adjutant general, Thomas Jor-
dan"