The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-05-25


old ways was the invention Of the
telegraph. The writer we'll remem-
bers the first wires he ever saw. 1t
was many years ago before the civi
war. 1t was when he was small
boy, he accompanied y relative, a
young man full of life, to prosper
Gus neighboring county seat. They
arrived at this neighboring town in
the afternoon. Driving along the prin-
cipal street Of the town, it was no
ticed that number of poles were
placed along this thoroughfare strung
with wires. With the innate curiosity
possessed by childhood, my relative
was asked about the use of these
poles and wires and the answer was,
that 1t was the town clothes line"
1t was a revelation to our young mind.
The town of my nativity had. 10 pGblic
clothes fine, but after Illuminating in
mind about the subject It was finally
concluded that our home town was
perhaps less progressive than this
county seat and the question was not
pursued farther.
The Gate City Office has a leased
wire running right into the office
building and during the busy working
hours of the day there is a reverend
ing misunderstanding, bringing the
news fresh over the WIRES from all
lover the country, to be quickly furn-
ished to its thousands of readers.
The Gate City was the first newspa-
ger in this locality to introduce this
innovation in rapidly gathering the
news from all parts Of the country to
be quickly distributed 20 ITS patrons
and readers. These readers frequent
lily visit The Gate City and the work
ing of the telegraph right in the Of
fee is a marvel, as much so as the big
press which takes in the white paper
lat one end and comes out full print
ed and neatly folded newspaper at the
lother end. This is another innovation
which The Gate City introduced few
years ago and is the pioneer In this
particular progress and the only news
paper in Keckuk or very nearby which
/ is thus provided the efficient means of
rapidly distributing this news after
1t is gathered from the wires under it's
roof
But this is depression from the in
ttention of telling about the first tele-
graph wires in Keokuk an important
event in the history of old times in
Iowa
The first telegraph wires We're es
tablished in this city in 1851 or 1852
IT Is told that at the time, old Isaac
johnson at Fort Madison attached {
string to the wire and tied an Irisl
potato to 1t. He mt a bae3ze. filled will
> water, by which arrangement he sal,
r he would catch the news as it wen
whizzing over the wires. The po
tato at the end of the string bobbet
up and down but not word of news
came to him.
On the hill on the bluff in Keokuk
where High street approaches the
river, a tall telegraph mast was put
from the top Of which the wires com
municated messages over the river
to Illinois and it kept up an eternal
buzzing and whizzing day and night
Colonel Crockett was Tennesseean
a fidgety nervous old man who had
been for a long time a bachelor. The
noise at night disturbed him so he
could not sleep. In the day time il
never troubled him as he was most
of the time out of town. He was at
outs with the telegraph company and
swore vengeance upon it.
One very dark night, SO the story
goes, when the winds blew and the
storms ragged, he took his axe and
ventured out while all was still, ex
lcept the whistling winds, resolved to
settle with the telegraph company
His actions on that heroic occasion is
thus described in writing by an old
resident who died in Keokuk mum
Der of years ago:
He listened but heard no one, and