The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-07-23
FIRST SOUND OPERATOR
kilograms Read by Sound for First
Time in Bennington


he and his friends may once more
have another good laugh
William Hamilton Phillips attract
ed public attention when, in 1850 he
was the first telegraph operator to
send messages by sound, seven years
before others mastered the system.
He was serving as assistant post
master in charge of the telegraph Of
fee in Bennington, Vt. One day he
startled A. p. Lyman and others by
jumping up with the exclamation
President Zachary Taylor is dead.
They thought the boy must be era
~ or playing them a trick. But 1t
transpired that he had read by sound
the message as is passed by on the
wires, something never before
thought possible.
The explanation was that Phillips
! and George Harrington, the Troy OPP
orator, had been using the wires for
personal communication. Becoming
alarmed lest they should be found
out, Phillips devised the plan of tick
ing off the works in the spelling book
from ok TO antedeuyian" until they
could recognize them all.
Then they talked as much as they
pleased without fear of detection and
Phillips soon formed the habit of lis
tening to the through messages Of the
Associated Press. So when he heard
that the new president of the United
States was dead he betrayed his long
hidden secret. The announcement
was the sensation Of the day.
Colonel Phillips gained his title af-
ter the manner Of the South. He
tried three times to enlist in the I'm
ion army but his public services in
Berkshire county prevented him from
leaving home. But after the war he
served three years in Company | of
the Ninth regiment, New York mil
tia.
AS a business man he became the
friend of Jim Fiske, the colonel. One
day Fiske was astonished to find out
that Phillips was one Of his soldiers
and as a result of the conversation
Phillips was ever after called the col
onel.
Colonel Phillips was born in Lanes
boro, November l6, 1890, the son OF
DR.. Henry p and Cecilia H. CTaylor)
Phillips. His mothers grandfather,
Samuel Tyler was sergeant of the
| Berkshire minute-men. fought at Bun
/ ker hill, where he was found insen-
! sible between two burrows ploughed
by British cannon balls. Afterwards
he led the minute-men to the battle
of BENIN ton and guarded Hessian
| prisoners 'H the old church.
Philip rMllips the great grandfath-
er OF Colonel Phillips was one of the
pioneers CT Ashfeld who received his
lands for services as captain in the
French a ] Indian wars. He was the
father OF nine sons each over six feet
high, all Of whom were members OF
his company He was a great hunter
but escaped French, Indians and wild
beasts to die from the bite of spider
The boy William Phillips attended
the public schools and fitted for col
lege in Drury academy In this city
where his parents lived after leaving
Lanesboro. He spent freshman and
a part of sophomore year In Williams
college in the class OF 1855 but on ac.
count of pecuniary losses in 1852 was
obliged to leave college. He learn,
ed the printers trade In Northampton
in the Courier Office with II. S. Gore
who still lives as editor OF the Hamp
shire Gazette.
When the telegraph was invented
he hung around the office until the
operator let him learn, to act as his
substitute and to master all that was
known about electricity So when a
man was needed at Bennington he sci
| up the instruments and took charg,
OF the office.
In 1857 he founded the Hoosac Val
ley News here. In 1880 he consolida
ted the Transcript with IL and pub
lished It as the republican organ un
til November %, 1865. He was call
ed the war editor" and was
staunch supporter of Lincoln's admin
istration. In 1866 he set up jol
printing establishment In Bridgeport
Conn. In 1863 he was city editor o
the Worcester Evening Gazette.
For nine years from 1862 TO iS7
and from 1850 to 1885, Colonel Phil
lips was associated with Philip Phi
lips. the singing evangelist. He man
aged his tour through the Unitel
States and Canada, editing the "Sina
ing People" wrote the "Biograph
and History Of the Song Travels o
Philip Phillips" and conducted tn
business Of his music store In Ne'
York.
August ,, 1872 he purchased tn
Pittsheld Sun, which he edited unit
December 26, 1877. During this pei
Tod he supported Greeley for pres
dent and became a democrat servin
on the democratic state committe,
the Pittsfeld school board from 1S7
to 1875 and as senator In 1875, whe
the democrats carried the district ia
the first time in 30 years. In 1877
he founded the Holyoke News an
managed il until 1850. Going Yves
after completing his work with Phil
Phillips, he engaged In newspap,
work In st. Paul. Mimi. for tire
years on the daily Globe and for fiy
years on the Pioneer Press.
Coming back to Massachusetts, Co
onel Phillips established the Pittshel
Call which he sold to the Oatma
brothers. Associated with Harvo
NJ. Burt on the summit OF Mt. Was
ington he edited and printed "Amon
the Clouds which had n clrculatio
among the summer hotels In n
White mountains.
He represented the New York He
aid in Springfield and the Springfield
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