Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1910-09-14

nell to AttomPt s"~~ -
49,. Code BY Ear-The Discovery
rh.. Abolished the Use OF the ape
FRA Cornell Is known IN history as
-. Gather OF Cornell university. m
~, ~ the men who helped TO build
~, FIRST telegraph line and ms an mr.
Scnt organizer of telegraph systems In
a., carly days. being INSTRUMENTAL IN
~ formation OF the now famous
western Union Telegraph company.
his son. AIonzo b. Cornell. became
ultimately vice president OF the West
.rn Union and governor or New fors
s,ote-high commercial and political
honOrs-
yct he once confessed TO me that he
al, no should be credited with the
additional honor OF having made the
discovery that telegraph messages
.orid be read by ear, and he seemed
- take more pride In his part In bring
inc this about than he did In any or
his other achievements.
- was trained as telegraph opera
,o-" said Mr.. Cornell In telling me the
s,orv II suppose took TO telegraphy
,o,urally because OF my fathers deep
o,1 large interests In the then new
mode OF communication. Anyway.
learned the Morse key easily. and
was in fact. very fond OF telegraphlng
from both the practical and the scien-
slhc standroints.
zone afternoon. sometime in the ear
IL ffties. when | was stationed at AL
hanv. y. Y. there was an unusual In
rusb OF newspaper dispatches was
IN charge Of the press key-and In the
midst OF the task Of receiving them
,ound 10 my CONSERVATION that WIS
out OF tape Before taking my seat
before the key had neglected TO re-
pIenish the tape reel.
There was bounuful supply or
tape in the cellar OF the building. but
II was a long trip there-there were
no elevators I'm those days-and l knew
that 10 60 there | would waste pre-
cious time. And there were those anx-
ious newspaper men hanging over my
shoulder
suddenly. rs / hshed about mental
" 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 ut Il 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 nowT' Instantly I de-
termined 20 see whether or not I could
take the dispatches by sound alone.
81 put my fingers on the key and
broke In on New York. whence the
dispatches were coming. Send rather
slowly and very distinctly asked the
man at the ether end OF the wire. He
az once began TO do so-not without
some curiosity as to my reason.
found out later
But | didn't think OF that ut the
time. for was glowing all over with
The knowledge that I could write out
the dispatches-and write them cor
revtly. for they made sense-by simply
listening 10 the sounds that the key
made
Thus continued taking the dis
patches 10 the very end. Then the
New York operator called me. What
are you doing up thereT he asked.
why did you want me to send slowly
md distinctlyT
Il answered that l had said goodby
10 the telegraph tape forever and told
him Of the discovery had made. BE
was Immediately interested. Send
me slowly and very distinctly nf;een
or twenty words. and I'll see whether
or not can do the same thing he re-
Quested
Il did so. full OF confidence. and a
little later there came TO me this mes
sage: I've done IL too. Some OF the
other boys say they can. predict
that within a month there won't be an
inch Of tape used in the New York
Office
Years later" added Mr.. Cornell, y
was told that about the time that 1
discovered FOR myself new aud revo-
lulonary method OF receiving tele-
graph messages the same method was
also discovered by an operator Ia the
main Office in Pittsburg. have no
doubt that this is true. Sooner or
later the discovery was bound TO be
made not only In one. but several
ohces But ! have always felt that
was the first TO make the discovery
and should be credited with IL in tele-
graphic history Boston Globe.