Evening journal., 1910-04-14

ecdote or incident is fresh from Mr.. Ed
wards notebook, and, either IA whole on
YESTERDAY. garnered from the men
who made the news-the history-or from
equally authoritative sources; AS I'M
lportant contributions OF the Human m
terest' sort to American history, these |
arucles nave a distinctive value all thelr
own.
Ezra Cornell is known in history as the
father OF Cornell University. as one OF
tho men who helped to build the first teie-
graph line. and as an ardent organizer Of
telegraph systems I'm the early days be-
ing instrumental in tho formation Of the
now famous Western Union Telegraph
Company. His son. Aonzo b. Cornell, be-
came ultimately vice-president Of the
Western Union and governor of New
York state-high commercial and politi-
cal honors. Yet he once confessed to me
that he felt he should be credited with
the additional honor of having made the
discovery that telegraph messages could
be read by ear, and he seemed TO take
moro pride in his part in bringing this
about than lie did I'm any of his other
achievements.
'I was trained as "a telegraph operator,
"said Mr.. Cornell, in telling me the story.
I suppose / took TO telegraphy naturally
because Of my fathers deep and large in
terests in the then new mode OF commune
cation. Any way. I learned the Morse key
easily. and 1 was in fact. very fond Of
telegraphlng from both the practical and
the scientific standpoints. I can say with
out boastlng that in my day / was regard
ed as one Of the best operators in all New
York State That was when al messages
were received IN dots and dashes on tape,
and from this tape We transcribed the
messages into English Because OF the
tape. it was impossible to send messages
with anything like the speed of the pres
eut day.
lone afternoon, sometime in the early
hftles, when I was stationed at Albany, n
". there was an unusual inrush Of news
paper dispatches was I'm charge Of the
press key-and in the midst Of the task Of
receiving them I found to my consterna-
tion that / was out OF tape Before taking
my seat before the key had neglected TO
replenish the tape reel. There was a boun-
tful supply of tape in the cellar of the
building. but tt was a long trip there
there were no elevators in those days-and
I knew that to go there ! would waste
precious time And there were those an
xious newspaper men hanging over my
shoulder.
suddenly. as I fished about mentally
for the quickest way out of my dilemma,
this thought popped into my head: You
don't need any tape. Half the time you
don't look at 1t when the dispatches are
coming in before you write them out
You trust TO your ears to tell what the
instrument says Why not do so now.
Instantly, I determined TO see whether OF
not / could take the dispatches by sound
alone.
81 put my fingers on the key and brok,
IA on New York, whence the dispatches
were coming. Send rather slowly anc
very distinctly I asked the man at TN,
other end Of the wire. He at once begar
TO do so--not without some curiosity as t,
, my reason. 1 found out later. But 1 dldn
think of that at the time, for was glow
ing all over with the knowledge that
could write out the dispatches-and writ.
them correctly-for they made sense-bl
simply listening to the sounds that thu
? key made.
Thus I continued taking the dispatohei
to the very end. Then the New York oper
ator called me What are you doing NJ
there? he asked why did YOU want ms
to send slowly and distinctly
, II answered that had said goodbye t,
tho telegraph tape forever and told him O
the discovery had made. lie was immedi
/ ately interested. send me slowly and Yer,
b distinctly nfteen or twenty words, and IL
see whether or not ] can do the same
thing he requested.
''I did so. full Of confidence, and a lit
tie later there came to mo this message
I've done it. too. Some OF the other boys
also say they can. 1 predict that within
month there won't be an inch Of tap'
used in the New York office
Years later" added AR Cornell, = wai
told that about the time that I discovered
for myself a new and revolutionar!
method Of receiving telegraph messages
the same method was discovered by al
operator in the main office in Pittsburg
Pa. 1 have no doubt that this Is true
Sooner or later, tho discovery was boun,
TO be made not only in one but several OF
, fees. But I have always felt that wa
the first 20 make the discovery and shou',
!, be credited with It I'm telegraphic history
: Copyright, 1910, by E. j. Edwards)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
&c. p. Huntinston's Dream Regard
ing Rubber"