Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-09
THE OLD TIMERS.
Men Who Have Worked the Key for
TWenty-EiYe Years.

To most people, the mental picture of an
operator IS young man in his shirt
sleeves with a pencil behind his ear. But
while there were young men at the con-
vention the majority were gray headed.
There were directors of big financial COM
panies who had come UP from the ranks
and prosperous. ser.ous-iooking old gentle
men who had speed in their time and can
still read the mystic clicks. for telegraphy
is like swimming, once learned, not to be
forgotten There were men who had served
in the first telegraph company that ever
operated. Pres uent Young was one or
them, for he under Morse and Henry,
first in the capacity of messenger boy.
There were men who were field operators
in war time and knew what ii was to send
and receive messages under fire. and men
now directing thousands of employees in the
big companies who knew what it was to
20 S. for the railroads in their youth and
to hold down dinky little offices in the far
W. Ids of the west.
Notable Figure.
One of the most notable figures of the
convention was c. A. Tinkerman of New
York, ex-superintendent of the Western
Union He is also one of the military
telegra piers. and was Lincoln's personal
operator in Washington during the war.
He has gray side whiskers, and looks Ike
an active banker. not by any means as
though he ought to have been in ac.ve
work during the war. He and p. V. De-
Graw, assistant postmaster general. were
telling stories. De Graw is an old operator.
used to be the head of the United Press in
Washington and is as good sender now
as the average company would want to hire
if he was out of JOB. He said that when
he was a kid in the business one of his
first jobs was In New York. Among the
first nights messages he received was one
signed &C. A. t. and when he inquired
who it was in Washington who signed
Cat he was told it was Mr.. Tinkerman.
the then superintendent.
Col. Wilson's Medal.
A remarkable souvenir which was shown
around among his old cron!es was medal
presented to Col. Wilson by the state Of
Pennsylvania. 1t is PROBABLY the only medal
presented by an individual state TO pri-
vate citizen. Col Wilson had the dstinc-
ton of being officer of scouts and an
operator well during the war, and the
reverse of the medal briefly tells the story.
1t says: I'm remembrance of his delicate
and valuable services telegraph off1cer
and scout during the raids into this state
during 1S62-3-4. Presented by the common
wealth of Pennsylvania to Col VIM. Ben
der Wilson, March %. 1903.
Col. Wilson and Gen. Palmer, now re-
tired millionaire of Colorado Springs, were
companions in this hazardous work. Will
sons ability oper tor made him the
more valuable as a scout, LOT lie TAP
the wires and get information where Others
could not Col Alexander Mcclure says
that he and Palmer did more than any
other two men to furnish Mcclellan with
the Information that brought about the bat
tie Of Antietam.
Old Military Telegraphers.
J. E. Petit is another of the old military
telegraphers He is about sixty-fve. but
does not look the part He was one of the
Of and through
some of the most exciting times of the civil
war.
Charles Selden. an ex-operator OF the
Western Union and now superintendent Of
the B. and o. railroad telegraph lines Is
another of the party, as Is J. c. Barclay
assistant general manager of the Western
Union. He Is one Of the men from the
ranks. So is Col. r. G. Clowry. president
of the Western Union and well known and
liked among all the men now serving at the
key. One old operator and newspaper man
attending the convention is ]. B. Taltaval.
editor of the Telegraph Age.
Some OF the others present are:
W. J: Dealy. Superintendent Gold and
throp and wife. Philadelphia; Col. William
B. Wilson and wife. Hoimesbury. Pa: c. H.
Schemerhorn. New York; e. P. Griffith.
New York: w. T. Westbrook. PHILADELPHIA
Pa; ]. n. Creamer and wife, Baltimore: ].
J. Clark, inventor of the first repeater.
Washington. D. G.: J. B. Yeakie and w'te,
Baltimore: p ]. Feeney and wife. Bangor.
Me-: H F. Shelley. New York: c: X. Hunt
and wife, winsted. Conn: J. F. Howell and
wife, Englewood. N. j.. NJ II. Kerner. New
York; c. A. Martini Chicago: F. c. Hackett.
Cleveland. Ohio: w. A. Case and wife.
Pittsburg Pa: T. Scherrer. New York: r.
@. Davis, Chicago: George F. Macdonald.
Ottawa. Canada: John F. Knapp. Los An
geles, Cal; Henry Taylor. Cresson. Pa; @.
Z. Long, Chattanooga, Tenn: c. w. jacques,
Ashtabula. Ohio: WiHiam Allenbaugh and
wife. Pittsbuzg. Pa.
=