Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-04
CLICK OF THE KEY.
The Reading Of Telegraph Messages
BY Sound.

Ezra Cornell Is known in history as
the father Of Cornell university, as
one of the men who helped TO build
the first telegraph line and as an ar
dent organizer of telegraph systems IN
the early days, being instrumental In
the formation of the now famous
Western Union Telegraph company.
His son, Alonzo B. Cornell became
ultimately vice president of the west
ern Union and governor of New YORK
state-hlgh commercial and political
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 more pride in his part IN
bringing this about than he did In
any of his other achievements.
Il was trained as a telegraph oper-
ator," said Mr.. Cornell in telling me
the story. Il suppose 1 took to
Itelegraphy naturally because of my
fathers deep and large interests. IN
the then new mode of communication.
Anyway, 1 learned the Morse key
easily, and l was, in fact, very fond
of telegraphing from botn the prac-
tical and the scientific standpoint.
"One afternoon, sometime in the
early ffties, when l was stationed at
Albany, y. Y, there was an unusual
thrush of newspaper dispatches-i
was in charge of the press key-and
in the midst of the task OF receiving
them | found to my CONSERVATION
that | was out of tape. Before tax
ing my seat before the key l had neg
lected to replenish the tape reel:
There was bOuntiful supply OF
| tape in the cellar of the building but
| it was long trip there-there We're
no elevators in those days-and knew
| that to go there l would waste pre-
cious time. And there were those anX-
ious newspaper men hanging over
my shoulder
"Suddenly, as I fished about men
| tally 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 II
when the dispatches are coming in
before you write them out. You
trust to your ears to tell what the IN
strument says. Why not do so now
Instantly determined to see whether
or not | could take the dispatches by
| sound alone.
II 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 other end OF the wire.
He at once began to do so-not With
out some curiosity as to my reason,
| found out later.
But | didn't think of that at the
| time. for / was glowing all over with
the knowledge that | could write out
the dispatches-and write them cor
rectly, for they made sense-by sim
no
key made.
Thus | continued taking the dis
patches to the very end. Then the
New York operator called me. what
are you doing up there" he asked.
Why did you want me to send slowly
and distinctly"
II answered that / had said goOdby
to the telegraph tape forever ana
told him of the discovery | had made:
He was Immediately interested. Sehd
me slowly and very distinctly fifteen
or twenty words. and I'll see whether
or not | can do the same thing. he
requested.
Il did so. full of confidence. and a
little later there came to me this mes
sage: I've done it 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,
II was told that about the time that
discovered for myself new and
revolutionary method of receiving
telegraph messages the same method
was also discovered by an operator in
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
offices. But I have always felt that |
was the first to make the discovery
and should be credited with it in tele-
graphic history. Boston Globe.