The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-11-26
SWIFT TRANSMISSION OF NEWS
DEMONSTRATION MADE WITH
LONG-DISTANCE PHONE.
Dispatch Read from Offices of The
News and Courier Direct to Limo
type Operator i'm the Composing
Room OF the Columbia State-Ed'-
tors and Associated Press Officials
Attend Demonstration.
News and Courier.


From the Offices Of the News and
Courier a demonstration was made
yesterday of the speed with which
news can be handled over the tele-
phone, the dispatch being read direct
TO a linotype operator in the COM
posing room of the Columbia State.
The dispatch was read by Mr.. E. j.
Wehrley. of the American Bell Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company. and
received by Operator Davis, of the
State. The dispatch contained about
400 words and was in type ready for
the press in a trice. The demonstra-
tion was arranged on the new news
paper long distance wire, and was de-
vised to prove the efficacy OF the tele-
phone for carrying news dispatches
at great speed.
a group of editors, Associated Press
officials and telephone officials were
present in the offices of the state dur
ing the test. They saw the dispatch
directly transmitted to a linotype ma
chine over a telephone falling" cir
cult and produced in type ready to
print without the use by the linotype
operator OF copy" 1t was the first
practical use to which the experiment
has ever been put in the South. and
one OF the first in the country.
In addition TO the practical demon
stration of the idea, the circuit was
operated the entire length Of South
Carolina, and while Mr.. WHEREBY was
reading the dispatch from the offices
of The News and Courier, and the
linotype operator was putting it into
type in the States composing room. it
was simultaneously being copied in
the offices of the Spartanburg Herald
| and the Greenville News, and in a
second office in the State building.
This method Of direct transmission
, of news matter over talking" cir
cult to linotype machine eliminates
so per cent of the time heretofore
required TO handle such matter. elm
mates the "Morse CODE operator and
serves the news in the quickest pos
sible time. The idea of the test was
conceived by John w. Hammond, of
the Augusta Chronicle. On. the oc-
casion of it's trial telephone officials
A IN In tIA ht,.th he
newest rapid news transmission.
| Editors OF Southeastern papers
were in Columbia for the Coast Circuit
meeting of the Associated Press. and
the time for the demonstration was
chosen so that they could attend.
Several experiments, with Mr..
me .ers being copied on typewriters
at Columbia and Greenville. All in
terested I'm the demonstration were
agreed that the test showed the won
derful possibilities of the telephone
for swift. transmission Of important
news. news that should be given the
public without n seconds delay.
Mr.. Wehrley, OF the American Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company, said
he was surprised at the speed with
which the news matter was copied on
typewriters. and still more surprised
at the speed OF the typescting ma
chine. He said that the demonstra-
tion convinced him that the telephone
was going before long to play a much
more important part in the carrying
| of tho news.