Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-12-30
81 YEARS WITH WESTERN UNION
Tuily ID. shaw. Manager OF the Rutland
OFFICE to Retire Under Compnny's
Pension System

Rutland. Dec. 29-After being con-
tinuouslN in the employ of the Western
Union Telegraph company for 80 years
81 of which he has been manager OF the
Rutland office, Tully d. Shaw of Kingsley
avenue, this city, is to retire January I
under the company's pension system. Mr.
Shaw took up telegraphy at the age Of
eight years when the dots and dashes
were marked on tape for the benefit
OF the operator. He has seen. during his
half century of service. the methods i'm
prove from the single Morse system
under which wire could be used for
only one message at n time. to the Duplex.
Quadruplex and Multiplex Inventions
under which wires capacity is almost
unlimited.
When Mr. Shaw took charge Of the
local office he was manager cashier.
bookkeeper, operator and sometimes, his
own messenger hoy. AS there were no
telephones then, the telegraph was more
extensively used than now in proportion
to the business done in the country. It
was customary to deliver messages for
points outside the city. where there were
no offices, by team. Once Mr. Shaw drove
to Middletown Springs with livery horse
| to place message in the hands of the
person addressed.
mont operated the Rutland railroad train
| dispatching was from st. Albans and
| messages were sent through Rutland all
conductors and trainmen getting their
| orders from the Western Union office
| as they passed through this city. The
| office was then kept open during the en-
| tire y hours of each day. From the
| manager and one operator the force has
| grown to 10 persons
1t has fallen to the veteran managers
| lot to do many other things for the COM
| pany. besides looking after the affairs OF
| the local office. Once he was sent to Lake
George to close an office. He transferred
an office at Brandon on another occasion
| Such work Is now looked after by experts
| from the main office.
| Mr. Shaw was born IN Weston, n sor
of the late DR.. Heman Shaw. who
Dracticed medicine in various Vernon;
| towns. and whose father. Ichabod Shaw
was ~ Revolutionary soldier His ancestry
also dates backs to this period on his
mothers side, she being Sophia Smith
whose grandfather, capt. John Smith, &
native Of Clarendon. was an officer in Col
Seth Warmers regiment of Green Noun
| tain Boy fame.
| When hoy OF eight. Tully Shaw wen
TO work In the Western Union office az
| lJHnDy- f1r QlU various xmas or WOrK am
| learned wlat the dots and dashes meant
| Later. while going to school at Walling
| ford. he became proficient an operatoi
| and when Il hoy of II was sent tt
Lebanon Springs, X. V, to take charg,
of an office at Columbia Hall. summer
hotel. He was later transferred to Man
| chester and to st. Albans and spent si,
years in Chicago, doing telegraphy.
| He returned East I'm 1852 on July o.
that year succeeding Frank w Gary
afterwards IA Rutland grocer, as operator
AT tho local telegraph office. In the sprin'
| of 1899 he became manager and has hei'
office continuously since then.
| Mr.. Shaw will continue his residence
in Rutland. He has son. Raymond IL
shaw who is greatly Interested u
electricity and who takes up wireless
tclegraphy ms a hobby. During the Worl'
War he was abroad with a signal corp
composed largely of telephone compan!
employees. Another son. Edmund p Shaw
is teller of the Clement National Bank
Mr.. Shaw's successor has not been ap
DOinted