Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-30
War and the Wires
BY Frederic J. Haskin

| telegraph facilities were put at the
disposal Of the government by the
American Telegraph & Telephone Co.
In order to show it's ability to take
care of government messages in time
of war. This company has estab-
lished a preparedness station In the
navy department which is to cooper
ate with the government wireless sta
tons In perfecting a system of com.
munication Of efficiency which no
country has ever had before. All the
latest telegraphic and telephone de-
vices are to be placed in this station.
For example, one machine permits
the sending and receiving simultan-
eously of eight messages-that Is,
four outgoing and four incoming
over single wire.
One man after viewing this apara-
tus and hearing the result of the con-
versation by wireless telephone said
that absolutely nothing could aston.
ish him in the future. II he we're
suddenly handed an excursion ticket
by aeroplane to Mars, he said. he
would accept 1t with perfect equani-
nifty.
l IOIt ~ AaS why ,UCCA q AA"sNSA ~
about seventy years that the telegraph
has been in existence, and acquaint.
ances of Professor Morse were GER
tain Of his insanity. In 1874 q New
York newspaper offered prize OF
81 900 for the first copy of the gov
ernor's speech to reach its office, One
Of the first telegraph lines had just
been completed between New York
and Albany and was the subject OF
much conjecture In these commune
ties. The majority Of the people were
frankly of the opinion that 1t was sim
ply waste Of money, SO that when
the New York paper made its offer the
people unhesitatingly provided relays
Of horses with which to carry the mes
sage and beat the telegraph. Great
crowds gathered along the roadside
to see the messengers gallOp past. Az
they rode at furious pace into New
York the newsboys were calling "Ex
tra-full copy Of governors message!
This was the first complete victory
Of the telegraph.
Since then we have had no more
historic rides. Paul Revere's record
has never been effaced, and individu
ais who might be guilty of such an
offense generally live in too prosaic
proximity to telegraph Office. In
the old days California was admitted
to the union one month before a
breathless messenger brought her the
news. I.s...I
At the beginning of the European
war. the belligerent governments i'm
mediately got into communication
with their battleships in different
parts of the world by wireless, giving
them orders of procedure. Also, many
merchant vessals, unsuspicious Of
such a calamity, were apprised of the
declaration of war by wireless mes
sages picked up by their operators
This is the one disadvantage Of wire
less as compared to the oceanic cable
system: namely, any ship with wire
less apparatus can pick up messages
not intended for it. The only way to
overcome this dificulty is the use OF
secret code.
In most of the European countries
the telegraph and telephone compan
les are either owned, regulated OF
supervised by the governments. In
this country they are entirely private
enterprises, providing a service for
which the government pays the same
as anybody else. 1t Is therefore q
great satisfaction to the government
to know that the telegraph and tele
phone companies have constituted
themselves a third line Of defense ia
be put at its disposal in case the ma
ton should be involved in war.