Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-08
OMAHA'S EARLY OPERAT S
ReOOllsotions Of Pioneer Workers al The
Telegraph Key.
EFFECT OF THE SPEEDING YEARS
Finest Bunch Of telegraph Talent
Ever Gathered in the west-sOme
stilH fn the Harness, some
Drift Into other Professions.

A reminiscent article by J. w. Hayes,
Looking Backward at Omaha" published
In the Telegraph Age, recalls by name
and incident the splendid band OF Morse
alphabet experts, who worked the keys in
the gate city some thirty years ago. IL
is eloquent OF the fact" comments the Age.
that the telegraph has proved a valuable
stepping stone in the lives of hundreds OF
operators who have graduated from the
key into the larger possibilities Of life. OF
the. little band employed at Omaha in the
late seventies, It will be observed that a
number Of them who left the service have
since acquired success and large wealth"
MIR. Hayes articles follows:
1t would have been hard to flnd outside
of New York, as fine a lot OF operators and
gentlemen as were collected in the Western
Union office, Omaha, In the late EOS The
work of the office was of such an expert
nature that only the flowers Of the pro-
fession was eligible for service.
Frank Lehmer, the manager, was well
liked by the public and popular with his
employees and was a good company man.
His father. William Lehmer. was receiving
and delivery clerk and was a genial disciple
of the old school. one Of the best operators
in the country at that time was Frank &.
Knight, who was the day chief. Mr.. A. G..
Drake was night chief. and, like Edgar b.
Beecher, the all night chief, performed
his duties to the satisfaction of all The
operating force. as nearly as 1 remember,
was as follows: Willis ]. Cook ('Bif'D,
whom Walter p. Phillips has immortalized
in picture and story; Court M. Cunning
ham, p. J. Tierney, George w. Gardanier,
George McMahon, Judd S. Thompson. Levi
g. Wild, James II. Largay, Edward j. Full
lum, Nicholas c. Burke, George +. Stewart.
Clifford E. Mayne, Edward Rosewater,
o. H. Gray Frank p. Williams Timothy
Collins, John Kelly, H. NJ. Goewey, Dad"
Armstrong, John L. Norris Harry Nichols
Thomas F. Kehoe, Crosby ]. Ryan, Henry
Smith and others whose names have passed
from my recollection. George Gardner,
whose generous nature is of fragrant mem
ory, was our lineman.
The employees at the Atlantic & Pacific
telegraph office were: L. M. Rheem man
ager; Aaron b. Hilliker, j. w. Ellsworth
and Miss Fannie Wheeler. operators;
George NJ. Myers was operator in superin-
tendent J. ]. Dlckey's office and L. H.
Korty was Colonel Dickey's chief clerk.
Changes with the Years.
OF the little band OF operators that were
in Omaha at the time 1 write Of there is
not one remaining in the old capacity
Colonel ]. ]. Dickey, who was superin-
tendent of the Western Union Telegraph
company at this point for a quarter of a
century, died on December %, 1903. George
M. Myers is now and has been for many
years past, one of the leading capitalists
engaged in electrical enterprise at Kansas
City, Mo- William Lehmer was gathered
to his fathers some ten years ago at a ripe
age 'Bif" Cook succumbed to the Pan
anna fever fifteen years ago. James H.
Largay and T. +. Kehoe died of consump-
ton. II. Milton Goewey was a victim of
the dreaded fever scourge in Memphis in
rs. Harry Nichols died in the south many
years ago.
Frank Lehmer has become a successful
banker in Colorado Frank B. Knight tied
up to the telephone service early in it's ex-
istence and is now abundantly reaping his
reward at Dallas Tex. A. G. Drake is
with the Postal Telegraph Cable company