Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1910-10-20
CLICK OF THE KEY
The Reading Of Telegraph Mes.
sages by Sound.
STORY OF THE FIRST TRIAL.
A Lack Of Tape Caused Aionzo g. Cor.
nell to Attempt interpretat.ne the
Morse Code by Ear-The Discovery
That Abolished the Use of the Z ape.

That Abolished the Use OF the ape.
Ezra Cornell is known 10 history as
the father OF Cornell university. MS
one of the men who helped 10 build
the first telegraph line and as an ar
dent organizer of telegraph systems In
the early-dnys. being Instrumental In
the formation OF the now famnrs
Western Union Telegraph. company
| His son. Alonzo Is Coruell BECAME
ultimately vice president of the West
ern Onion and governor OF New York
state-high commercial and political
honors
Yet he once confessed TO me that he
felt be 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 bring
! Ing this about than ha did, In any of
his other achievements
II was trained as telegraph opera
tor. said Mr.. Cornell in telling me the
story IL suppose took to telegraphy
naturally because of my fathers deep
and large interests in the then new
mode of communication. Anyway.
learned the Morse key easily. and |
was. in fact. very fond Of telegraphng
from both the practical and the scen-
tific standpoints.
One afternoon. sometime in the ear
~ fifties. when | was stationed nj Al
bany. n. Y. there was an unusual in
rush of newspaper dispatches-l 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 taking my seat
before the key had neglected TO re-
plenisb the tape reel.
There was a bountiful supply OF
tape in the cellar of the building. but
1t was a long trip there there were
90 elevators in those Gays-and | knew
that TO go there ] would waste pre-
cious time. And there were those anx
ious newspaper men hanging over my
shoulder.
Suddenly. as ! fished about mental
ly for' the quickest way out Of my
dilemma. this thought popped into my
head: 'YOn don't ueed any tape. Half
the time you don't look at II when the
dispatches are coming in before you
write them out You trust 10 your
ears to tell what the instrument says
Why. not do so now?' Instantly de
90 xrrh or rof I rnttl1
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 without
some curiosity as TO my reason.
found out later. w
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 simply
listening to the sounds that the 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?
Il answered that | had, said goodh?
to the telegraph tape forever and told
him of the discovery l had made. He
was Immediately interested. Send
me slowly and very distinctly fifteen
or twenty words. and Ill see whether
or not | can do the same thing he re
quested.
Il did so, full of confidence. aud "A
little later there. came to me this mes
sage: I've done 1t 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. Il
was told that about the time that
for myself new and revo- 4
Iutionary method of receiving tele-
graph 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