THE OMAHA DAILY BEE : IWRSDA'Y , SEl'TEMNEll To , 181)2-'TWELVE ) PAGES , Is the torr of how ho telegraphed ono on oc- CMloti rvlthnut Instruments. In July , 180.3 , ho hpcatno serlnuslv sick ns tbo result of cxpoiurcs. In October , It ft ! , ho was mndo superintendent uf the Depart ment of'i'cnnc.sico with the tank of t'jptnm nnd niklst&nt nunrjormnster. Mlur his Jurisdiction WHS oxtunued to Nou Orleans nnd nlone tno gulf. At tna close of iho wnr ho assisted in repairing dnmagnt to Bouttiern linos. Ho nnd hi * sucwssur In ihn Don- imrtmenl of the Gulf nlono thus restored : ilKi ( miles of southern telegraphs. Captnln fuller Is said to hnvn conRtruclcd ns many miles of telegraph during the wnr as nny man onga.'Cd In the wont , and his si'rvlro hai received the most II ittering encomiums. MAKINO IMSTOKV. Iiivalunhto Srrtlri ! nf ilin Corps In .Sa\lng ( Illlclnl ItccoriN. Novnr In history loft such an abundance of authentic record of its operations ns the American rebellion , and this wns largely the work of the military telegraph corps. ICarly in the cohlllet operator * and manager * received - ceivod nn order thai "thb original copy of every lolugrntn soul by nnv military or olhur povci-nmont nfllcor must bo retained and carefully Hind and at the end of ihn month bo mnllod to the War department nt Wash ington. " General Grant objected to giving origlnnU of his dispatches , and the rule wns not en forced itgnlnst department roiiimnnders. The operators rotninod copies , however , nnd nnd It Is bv vlrtuo of that order that the Wnr department has been able to publish volume after volume of nftlclal tnlcgiams covering cve.ry Imnnrtnnt movement in the \vnrwlth a fullness novcr betoro possible. i\iiinpln : t Ailiiptnlilllly ol thn Tulr- u-rnpli tn ClrriiinstiinrpN W. II. Wilson was ono of Iho llrst op erators In the tolcgraohlc service of the army , having boon detailed from nn Ohio regiment for that purpose. Ho was assigned to van- uus posts in Virginia , nnd was nt Bermuda Hundred for bomo time. Later ho wan at tached to General Hancock's headquarters. Whllo In this position ho was ordered ono evening to open nn olllco nt n pontoon bridge across the .lames river , and ho established himself alii o'clock at night. Ills ofllco was an empty cracker box stand- Ill ! ' on cud. His Instrument unil paper were In ski o , and to use cither ho had to lie Hat on the ground nnd reach Inside the box to do his work. His ground wire was Inserted in a hole tnndo with hU poclict Knife. In this manner Grant , who had directed the opening of the ofllcc , was advised for hours of thu movement * of the army in that vlclnttv. This Is but a mild sample of the dlflleultios under which tbo npurutors labored , to sav nolhliiB about the danger. Wilson was with General Wright of the Sixth corps when thn news of Lincoln's assassination was Hashed over the wiro. Sr.COND 111)1,1. ) KUV. Dnrlni ; Oprnitin-H ( ialhrr Ihn I'lrHt Aiilhriu tic llppcirt Spnl \Vii4lilimton. . Operators J. II. Nlcholls nnd Ed Couway lipd n magnificent view of the second battle of Bull Hun for a couple nf hours and sent Iho llrst conncctod report received in Wash ington for a day or t.vo , receiving a well dp- served compliment from tbo secretary of war. Alter watching the llht long enough to got u tolerably clear Idea of the situalion they rode hack to Fairfax station , when ) 13 , Hose- water was working the wire with the Wnr department. An account of iho balllo nnd the disposition of the union troops as scon by Nlcholls and Conway was at once tele graphed to Washington , greatly relieving the anxiety of the government , ofticinls. The daring operators again started for the batuo- tk'ld to gather more Information. Darkness overtook them , and they wan dered about all night , avoiding camn fires nnd pickets n best they could , but having frcqupjit collisions with trees nnd stumps. Kany In the morning they neiiroil Fairfax courthouse and were arrested by a German plcitot , but were released by a federal olllccr who was satisfied of their character. They gathered such in formation ns they could and started again for ICosuvvator's ufllco nt Fairfax station. They had barely reached that point in thy evening nnd wired their report when iho confederates were seen getting uncomfortably near. Then the depot wi.s lircdnndtheoperamrs , who had been ordered to remain as long as possible , pulled out on the last train. The party Included Klcholls. ConwaHosowater nnd Flngp , Iho Inner from Burkes station. An army lolcgrnnber In relating the circum stance says : "Kosewntor had loft his bag- uago to the watchful cnro of the enem" about Mamissas. That enemy , clad In cnr- potmgs , quillings , blanket clo'ib , anything , iwcr.vtlnng , well knew the uti.Uy o'f such clothing ns Kosow.itcr wns ucciistomea to adorn his person \\lili.1' AVANT-COt'KIiit : OF lVIMV5ATIOX. \n Omaha Hey tit tlu > Ki-iuil In Crusting thu CUIllllUMlt. Mr. Frank Len in o r , secretary and treasurer of the Morse Dry Goods company of Omn'ia , wns living In Omaha in ISW.nndln the fall of tbat year entered the ofllco of the Missouri & Western T o 1 c- graph company as n mosBongor boy. This company had a line from St. Louis to Omaha and employed ono operator at this ond. Business was not very brisk and early in the winter Iho messenger hey was lot out on the plea that it was necessary to economize. The operator then delivered Iho messages himself. * Inthosummor of IWH the Crolghtnn line reached Fort Kearney by' an overland route along the Plntto river , and in the following winter young Lnhtnor went out us assistant operator. That was the jumping-off place. From Kearney westward telegrams were fcunt by the famous pony express to Mnr.vs- vlllo. Cat. At distances of tun miles across the plains were stations with relays of horses. A rider started out from Kearney at u pace of ten miles nn hour , At the next station he throw his snddlebjgH over a fresh horse- und started out on another ten- mile race against time. This bo kept up for ten hours , during which hu used tun horse * ana covered 100 miles. U now seems almost incrcillblo that this could have been Jono day after day , but > > o well had the sp * ed and ouduranco of man and beasl boon tested that thu pony express had a lognlar time table. table.When When the war brnko out all thu oftlcar-i at Fort Kearney with but ono exception sym pathised with the bouth und thro.itenuii to decamp with the munitions and other gov ernment property , which happened to bo of extraordinary value at lhal tiuui. There wire rumors of the approach of a body of Tiixnu rniigoiv , nnd the settler.uboul tha tort Hocked to it for protection nrmud tviih Mich guns us they could pick up and nrgan- licd ; a volunteer company. Among these who enrolled thmnsi'lvc.s in this nil ) romptu homo guard was the boyish iiH istnut opera tor , who bhimldorod a musket to light the e.xp"eetod Irvadors. Ono day Judge WnUli , a prominent man In ( hu llttlo siiUloineni ol Kuarnuy City , two miles wckl of iho tort , catno in uon hastu wnh the report thnt thn Johnnies were stir : ly coming , homo distance behind the Judge rose a cloud of dust , evidently inadn by a mounted party of roiihlilcnvlilo tizc. it wes assumed , of course , lhal iho approaching party \vus a troop uf rebel ciwalry , and the dlslojnl oftlfciH spiked the gunn with rat tall Him. The loyal ofllctr , batkcd : by the BoldTerh nod thn settlers , took coinmund mid Joli'nnlnt'd thnt the nuppo cd confed erates should not up allowed in iho forl without a light. Ono of the oilluors who had turned traitor was compelled at iho point of u revolver to go outsldi- , meet the troop and warn It off. Hu did no ordered und reported the strangers to have been n body of Indians. It wus not known where they hud coma fmm or why , mid iluiro are people wno Mill believellie. HtriingurH wont rebel * , who loft quietly for fiiar of putting the disloyal onicort. ' nvrks In jeopardy At any rule , thu union people muuo it to warm for the traitors that they dotorlvd the fort thut nighl and tlixt l the Bouih , taking u number of ambu lances and a quantity of other property. An the telegraph Huu wiu extended 'west ncrnss the Great Amonnan ilojort , the Konrnoy operators worn sent out to tnko Iho ktattons at the front , Young Lchn.ur thus beonmo nn nvant-cuurlor of fivlilratlon , m.d he went ns far west ns Horseshoe crcckforty- ( lovon mlles bovond I.nramle. In the Miring of 18(12 ( , nt the ORO of 10 , ho wont to St. Louis nnil enlisted In the military rorp under Col onel 11. C. dowry. Ho served In Missouri for two jcara , Doing shitted about at fre quent intervals a < needed. 'J ho plucky lad wns In a country infested with guerrillas nnd had ranii.v a dangerous mission to perform. Homo- limes he was sent out to rcpalrllncs.nnd Ilko many another telegrapher ho know ho wns taking his llf.i In hit hands. Men were shot by sneaking bushwhnckers just In front of him and just behind him , and ono liitut hu pulled Into a station to ilnd nine dead section men Ivinjjon a hand car. Thov were picked off by guerrillas , und had Just boon brought in by a fquad nf federals. Many litllo tuads of union soldiers were loomed In dirt forts along the Hues of railroad to guard thorn from raiders , and these northerners , knowIng - Ing the woods along the Ir.ick to bo Infested with rebels , olten urged Lehmor to como Into their defenses , but ho had a duty to per form and trudged on. His heart was In hU mou'h , but there wns only ono thing for him to do nud hn did it as bruvcly as many an other American boy did his duly. Ho was novur molested ; und ho accounts for ll on Iho theory thai thu bushwhackers weronshamed lo Hri ) on n mere bov. Anxious relatives llnally secured his trans fer to Atchlsuti. nnd shortly afterwards , In July , Iwil , hn ramn to Oniiiha ns operator for the Pneitlu Telegraph company. Altur serv ing two yours in that capiclty ho was made manager of the ofllce , whii'h position ho retained - tainod until IS * * , whuii hu aoandonod the business. i. . .11. IHIIIM. : : Sliptrli of the District Tplr.gr.ipli Malinger AVltli Oimilm L. M. llhosni of O naha , mat ngor of iho Amoricon D strict telegraph , liugan his telegraphic - graphic career with the Chicago , IJ u r 11 u P t o n & Quliicv railroad ntChnrlton , lu.,111 ISO" . Ho picket ! up his II rat knowl edge of the busi ness whllo acting-as n railioad dork. In 180 ho wonllo Council Bluffs lo : nko Iho Associated Press report , and three years later ho wus made manager of tho'onice. In IbTf hi came to Omaha , nnd after a few months In .1. ,1. Dickey's ' ofllca ho was ap pointed manugor for the Atlantic ft Pa cific. V/ith the exception of a foxy months In DoQvcr In 18" ( ! , ho remained hero until the company wns nbsoroed by the Western Union In 1S7T. After a year in the hotel business ho hecamo manncor of the Ameil- rnn Union oHIce. He transferred his sor- vicei to tlin Western Union in 1SS1 , romain- Ingits manager until lSS."i , when ho em barked In the American District Telegraph. In 1870. according to Mr Hhuom's recollec tion , there worn lifteen oper-Hors in Omaha , and they were uald $100 a month and-10cents an hour for extra tune. Everything went by single wire , there being uo duplex or quad- ruplcx. There were only three wireg to Chicago cage , and the Western Union had three west on the Crelghton line. One of the peculiar phenomena of that , time was an electrical storm accompanied by a line dry snow , which came without warn ing and rendered the wires usole s for the time being. Thcrovas a superabundance of olectricltv , for the switch boards were alire. Bui llioro ivas uo evidence of lightning nnd the electricians were puzzled. In 1SS2 this disturbance lasted four days. U came each season a few days Inter than in the preceding year until it ran into the springtime and dis appeared. It hns since Deen declared that the phenomenon wns simply the mnnifestn- tion of a urora borenlis. Dining ono of Ihcso seasons Chief Onernlor Currv telegraphed to Chicago without using a batlery. TirKcuAriiKKs AS PKISONKKS. ChuriitttcriHtlc Kxiimplrs nl tlio Klslcn or rupture They I'rei-ly Tiiok. Frank Drummond was in the Winchester efllco when .lacksoon undertook lo drive the federals out of the place and break their communication with Harper's ferry. Ho wus nearly oxhausiod from a rush of work forseveral days and nights , but re mained at his key an hour after tbo union retreat had begun. lie saw that his horse was ready to mount , nnd sent his orderlies to join their rculinents. Tno rebel yell und the crack of the musket ry were coming lu at the window. His dts- .1. \ \ novn. patches were on his person. His hand was on his inslruinent ready to tear il from its bold. A moment moro and ho would bo off. Thnt instant an orderly rushed In with a teleeram for Harper's Kerry about reinforcements. With OHO hand Dru'iimond burned his dispatches , nnd with the other called for Harper's Ferry. The operator at that point happened to bu talking with Washington , und of course wns blissfully unconscious of that ominous yell ut Winchester. Drummond started out to get his horse up to the door ready for n dush. Some soldier hail stolen it. Ho rushed back and called "H. F. " several times without imponse. Ho snatched up his instrument and sinned after the lleulng army with the , ! ohnnv Hobs llrinir down the street aud in hot pursuit. Ho dashed down n side street oulvlo run Into a troop of confederate cavalry , und barely hud lime to smash his Instrument on the stone pavement before ho was captured. Ho win sent to Libby with Kernor und after wards paroled. M. H. Kornor was stationed at Martins- burg , W. Va. . when the war broke out. Ho was urged to Join a rebel company organized at thai point , hut. being , a unionist , refused and wan made a prisoner. Throuith the in- lorcesflon of Hello Uoyd , afterwards u noted confederate spy , and another ptolly young woman , ho was released on condition that bo should return to his olllco and telegraph for the con federates. The length of such sor- vlco was not sllpu'aicd. ' and ho soon escaped to the federal army across thi > Poiomao Tno rebels olTorea { 1,01)0 ) reward for his capture , but ho subsequently returned to the oftico at Summorvltli * . A party of confederate cavalry made a dash Into Summorvlllo and captured the federal force , including the operator , The wlru was cut on both sides of thu olllco and a soldier WHS stationed at the door to keep ICerner a prisoner. During the excitement , however , Kcrnur wranpod his Instrument In a blanket and passed the guard wilh Iho statement Hun the Yunlicns hud kept him u prisoner with Nnnoy Hurt , a phi who hau guiued rebel guerrilla bands through the mountains at iho risk of being snot. Tlio operator mudo a dash down the road , hoptnir to attuch hlb Instrument 10 the severed \virn and bond the now * of the situation to the Union ofll- ctM' , hut hia irlck wu.s discovered too soon. Four rnouiui-d mini blurted niter him with carhltif * und persuaded him to return. Kcrner was bent to Hello Ulaiul and then to Ijlbby prison , nnd several months later ho and other operr.tors were exchanged They reached Washington nl nluhi nnd wcio re fused lodging nl ilui St. James hotel because they looked so shabby. Those men never received a cent for the tinm ihoy were in iho bunds nf thu onem.v because there wus no law providing for sueh payment. Tno first claim of lhat kind which tno government paid wus thut of George Al. Hush , who was captured in the west In the full of ISH3 , About one hundred of tlio union operators were taken prisoners and sent to rebel pens. Most of thnm were paroled or exchanged , but fcnmo buffered from hunger nnd iilmmno and hove niivor recovered from thuterrlblo hardship ) of their prison llfo , No-HI of thuie bus received a pension or beer , permitted to outer one of the homos provided by the nation for its disabled soldiers aim sailors , who were no n ore patriotic , no biaver , no grander In achievement than the keepers of the mystic , omnipresent electric current. J , A. Ftagtr was In charge of on ofllco nt Uurku' * , lu Virginia ; not new * of u party of robot rnldert nppioichlnc : . I In wlrad two I union trnitii down Urn railroad , enabling thbni to croM ii Ijriitao to snfotv before It I was burned On liN wnv through the woods ho met a valuable wagon train nnd found ihn ncuro driver * nhoiit tn do crt It for thewoods. Putting hit Imnd intn his lireust pockntns llinttRii to Jr.nv n revolver , ho comm'tlt.tho ! ! darkles to hitch up their hordes nnd ilrivo birk to Fairfax Courthouse , thus saving Ibo stores. Kliiys vua by this net-Iota ) PI ! so lone .In atteiiiptitig his own escape tbnt hu was too Into. Ho wns can- tnrert by the rnluon nnil sent to LlhDy prison , DM : or TIM : TIUST. In Ihn Ntirlims IrotnVlucli the TrtoRiiitli | Corjn ( IriMv. Klchnnl O'Brien was a telographar In the ctcploy nf tlio Pennsylvania wlion thn wnr bro < < o out mid was ono or tha llrst four operators raters culled Into the survlco of the govorn- tnont bv thu Wnr donnrlmcnt , thnt quartet being thn perm from which the military tule- rrapti corps crow Ho reported n Washington April ! i , 18B1. nnd wns * lnlluneil nt Iho depot of the Haiti- inoro ft Ohio rail , road , which was aim for a time i riny headn.u rtcrs , Ho was soon given rhnrco of the olllco For ! ross Motii'oe , . advanced post proat Import- i nco , nnd was on eye witness of the light between the Monitor and the Morrimut * . Subsequently ho bociime chief oparator for General Duller nnd put up n number of Hold lines In usu about Uermtida tiunlrcd , for which service ho was complimented by his superiors at Washington. When hcbolliild went to Butlcr'.s aid in iho operations nbcy.1 Wilmington , N. C. , O'Hrieii accompanied him to mho charge of iho telegraphs in that now tli'ld. \Vhll Johnston was noaotlatinp with Sherman - man for torttu of tmrronder the tolenraph line was bolng pushed forward , and by the time the surrender was inndu wlros were at the headquarters In Goldsboro , where the paroles were being made out , and th authorities at. Washington had prompt nolico of what wns being done Mr. O'Urlen ' was again olllcially eompli- mcntod for "his energy nnd pcrsoverenco in establishing prompt comtnunicatlon , " an honor not often shown ilio itiembor.j of Iho tclosrnph corps. At the closn of the wnr ho was instructed to repair the lines about Knlolgh , N. C. , and put I horn In con ill lion for the use > of peace ful pursuits. Ho was ono ol the ton oper ators to whom tno secretary of war pre sented silver watches , which were accom- naoied bv a crateful letter from their chlof , Major Eckert. ; MII : > I > I.IM > .MI ; OF run : us. Thplr Umrnrrantcil Intorli-ri-iicp Promptly ItpMMitfd by tlu > Operator * . Military operators sometimes suffered from the Interference of meddlesome army ofll- cers , but the humble telocraphers generally evened the score. During the operations about Donolson , General Sherman was at Puduoah nnd anx ious about the loca tion of Noison , who had started to rein force ( ! rant. Tljero was n telegraph of fice at Sinllhlund on tbo river , but the colonel commanding mandingiuiagin - * i up that there talent bo n rebel opera or on the line between the two WII.UAV t. . IVKS. places , ordered bis telegrapher not to talk over the wire , and stationed a guard over him to enforce the order. It was a stupid perform ance , because the young man at the key , while pretending to send a message , talked to Operator Parker at Paducah and told him iho situation. Parker prepared nn order for the Smith- land man's release and a ikea a ranking oil- ! cer to sign It. Ho was about to do so when Sherman , who happonotl to hoar it road , di rected him not to In crforo. Shortly af lor- ward Sherman wont to the olllco at Pnducah to learn if Nelson had passed Smithland on his way uo the river , when tho' following conversation over the wire passed between the two operatots : Parker to Smithland Has the steanjor Tarascon passed yeti Smithland I am under arrest and can't answer you. Parker -General Sherman wants to know. Smithlund I don't c.iro if H'sllnlleck him self. I'm under arrest and can't talk about such things. Paikor Sherman asks. Do you know } Simthlat.d Of course J know. Parker Sherman wants to Know if General - oral Nelson ha * passed up. Smithland Tell Sherman to send a mes sage then. Parker Do you know ? Smii bland Certainly 1 do. Parker How far Is the colonel's hoaa- nuurtcrsl Smithland A milo and a half. Sherman to Parker Whatklnd of a fellow I ? that operatori Paritcr Ho seems to bo peed at obeying orders. It was a foolish ihliig for tbo colonel to put soldiers over an operator to Uoep him from talking by telegraph. Sherman \\oll , that's so. I didn't think of that. Gonura ! Shormtm then wrote nn order re- loabini ! the Smithlaad operator , and was In formed that Nelson had safely passed up the river to Grunt's aid. Duncan T. Bacon entered Memphis with the federal troops , and among his llrst duties was the forwarding to HallecK at Corinth of messages brought in ticouriers. . General Huvcv. who was in command at Memphis , claimed the right to re.-.d these messages , but Ilueoii refused to pivo them up. Ho was ordered under arrest , but in his absence from the olllco the orderly teen his assistant. Bacon at unco laid thn matter before Halleck by wire and ho promptly ordered llovoy : "Heloaso the operator at onco. Ho did per fectly right In dlboboyinjr your orders. " Those are characteristic examples of u number of oases in which military officers tried to exorcise unwarranted authority ever the telegraphers. It was to prevent this kind of Interference that Secretary of War Statiton refused to organize the corps on a military basis , an act that wrought the he- role telegraphers u great wrong. "HATTUICY .MATKIUAI. . " Ingenlocu llnno of the I'olugrapliorH to ( Jot Omi of the ( ii.iid TliliiKHiit l.lfn. The military telegraphers weroonly liu-uan after all , and had somti of the desires for the peed tilings of life the same as other men. While In front of Corinth Hallook's provost marshal Isbiiod an eider closing the bar. ) on the Tennessee rlvor steamer * and forbidding the landing of liquor. The operators were puzzled how to ovorcoino this Uinicultv , but llnally ouo of thorn inudo a social call on thu provost and incidentally dropped a remark about thu Hold lines 'vorning sadly. Tbo mirjlnl naturally aslcd thu ro son , and was told that It was for want of acid , The marshal rogroit d that ho bad no acid , mid thu lulugraphur , in a casual way , said if ho had a barrel of alcohol it could bo made to answer as a uubslltuto until sumilieu arrived. The marshal was ttorry ho had no alcohol , but , having the good of tbo servlco at heart , hu added that ho hid several barrels of con- lUcnled whisky , and ho would donaioono of them , if It could bo used , in ruplonishlnuiho batteries. The operator confessed that whisky would not do us well as alcohol , but hu thought it could bo ma Jo to answer until siiunlius arrived , The barrel was sent to tbo telegraph oftico , and a darkoy sank It In the earth In the tout. A small elder Mick with the pith removed pro truded from the barrel an inch above ginmul. The "battery material" proved verv RatUfactory. In the afternoon Ilallock dropped Invhllo ono of the operators was lying on the ground testing the buttery , The general's curiosity waiexcltodby the man's peculiar position , and hu asked questions until ho learned the Kocrot. Ho laughed heartily at the joke mid tald bo wqjild have to ulvo the marshal a les ion In telegraphy. Tim story soon leaked out , and for months fan marshal's decanter , labelt'il "bnttcri' material. " was thn * olaco of friends who c.ilol ) to condole with him. Contraband liq-iori wcra qulto frequently pasu-d throUL-h thd-fllnps ns "ncln" nppdod for the batteries , nnllj many iltnuslnp adven tures did this " .tucritsorvico" have. A.MII ) AND DVI.VO. Trying Cirrimxhincps UnilprVhlcli Opcr.i- turn Wll-ii Hail InVnrk. . L. 1) , Parkrr join .l the corps In October , 1801 , anil was imjgnod to Paducah , Ky. Whnn the Jiattlo o | 'IMttsburg Landing be came Imminent hoMliJhcd General Grant by b6at and wns iur/v itd ; to remain on the a'oamor. The nearest olUco was at Sa vannah , nlno miles iH-tant , and theio , nflnr the , battle , Purser and Wavno H. Piir.tons opened an oftico In the front window of a deep store filled with wounded and dvlng/sotdtors. Messages concerning the dead , the living nnd the wounded , telling of victory and dcfoat , oamo pouring into that otllco by the hun dred for transmission north , and Iho clickintc of the tclogruph uoys was drowned bj- the croans ot the injured tren. All nighl long Parker and Parsons , aided somewhat bv George A. Purdy , man- iputatod thosu llttlo pjcuot Instruments , sending north tidings ol jov to somu and of sorrow to others , aud this wearisome duly continued for several days. A few days later the line was extended to the rivet at P ttsbuig Landing and a cable laid across the stream. Unfortunately the cable was not qulto long enough to reacn the opposite shore , and ono end was carried to a fallen tree that nrolcctcd out Into the stream. Hero Parker opened an ofllco. sitting astrldo a lop , ono foot In the water , the other leg being too short to roach it. Ills instrument wns placed on the trunk nnd his copy paper and clip were hung on n limb. With ono hand lighting torturinp mosquitoes , the other for hours received and sent messages of the ut most importance. iAM OI'IICATOICS. : ( ii'ttlnt ; Angry Over the Wires , .Sought .Satlsliietlnn In I'erHiui. Nothing was so trying as the position of the operator who had important dispatcher to send , nud who could easily hoar the office bo wanted , but could not in 111:0 himself un derstood because fas a rule ) the operator at the distant ofllco did not adjust his Instru ment so delicately as to catch iho faintest change In Iho electric charge of the lines. When , however , ho did respond , the fault wes apparent , and it not infrequently hap pened tbat Danto's ' inferno was telegraphi cally ponrayeo In language fraught with blisters and somebodv consigned where time was not the osscucd'of'lho conlract. It wns nftor an occasion of . this kind lhat Patrick Mullarkoy , then \yoring ( at Memphis , took a trip all the wnv to L'pulsvillo lo see the oper- alor who spoke. ov rTho wire inelegantly but forcefully of him and Ins. In another case ' "HanK" Cowan , while working at Bealeton , Va. , wa& convinced that A. H. Bliss , operuior at Kaopahariiiocn stallon , deserved a whipping for lolepraphlc inueuaoes which reflected on Cow an's past nnu present nnd as sumed to foreshadow nis future. "Hank" pronoureed it a casus belli and started for Uappanaiinonk , but buloro ho arrived Ins Ire had cooled. Bliss reigned supreme in a box car and announced himself in readiness for the tncmy , but Cowan declared a truce , and. not to lose his journny onlirely , suggested u game of euchre. When Bliss clnrned him with cheating n new casus was established , and Cowan's optlcs turne'd color ; but , bent on rewarding merit , bo hau his photograph taken und presented a copy , , to Bliss with suitable resolutions. INI ; > II : I'iKij. I'lelilVirc Siicpvsstnlly Hrcctml nnil Op- orateit Muring Unities. During the war aoout 1,000 miles of field wires were erected ; They were of untold valua to Grant in the Wilderness , to Sher man in Georgia , to j Thomas in Tennessee , to Canby at Mobile and in most all of the cam- ' palgns in the latter half of the war. In ono campaign , during Grant's nd- vance upon Peters burg , 150 miles of Held wire were used , and it was officially reported , 'hat they were worked many times ' lll ° filca of the jnemy , exposed ta lire , without shelter day or night. " Not cnly were Generals D. K. SMITH. Grant nnd Meade and many brigade commanders thus con nected , but communication was oven main tained whllo the army wns actually on the move. Some foreign military authorities have doubted the assertion that American opera tors worked while under tire , but such in stances nro too well aulhentlcntod. Hero is thn losllmony of General Wurron about Grant's telegraphers : "I often tulle of those who were with mo of the operator , who , In iho first of our attacks on PotersborR , brought his wire to I bo front , ui'.dor milskot runga of the enemy nnd or.er- nled it behind a tree thai proved to bo hol low and which any ono of the cannun shot , which were at close range Hying fast , would huvo gone clear through with little loss of force ; and again , of iho ono on iho Weldon railroad on iho Sunday morning wo were Hhellsd out of it , both from Iho north and wast , ana who warned his recorder in the south cast nnglo and outside under the mus ketry 11 ro tbat , by its sound so near , and tbo pattering of tbo balls around , confused the records of his souudr , and many others on many other occasions. " ' W'non Gcnorau bpmnor rotronted from Seven Plnns tot Harrison's Landing ho wanled to talk to'McClollanu , but Operator J , H Nlcholls objected lo grounding tha main line wire , which would Imva ant off McCinl- land from unslher distant command. Nichols hud only tbroo foot of ulro with him , out with the assistance of a general ho piled up hard-tack boxes to tha tot ) of a telegraph pole , and thcra opened an olllco without oroniclng tlio circuit. This xvns kept open suvcrnl hours after dark , und to 1,00 to write Nichols had to use n lantern , Thu light made an excellent target for thu enemy , who npnneil up on It with Ills cuns. The boxes worn peppered , tut.tho olUco was not closed mill ordered by Sumner. At the battle of Mochanicbvlllo N.ltitio'ls wont to division lundquarters and worked at , instrument In the rear of thu federal nrtlllory , ivinoh WHS receiving the enemy'f * lire. It was a most dangerous position'nnd tbo operator was only IS years old. rOtl.NJl AN AIJ.MV JSV WJIU5. miiiplci ( il the Itupjcllty ut THt'irnipli Ccm- mriK'tlciu IIiKlrr ilrimt Ulllldiiliic * . In Soptomher , 1W11 , General Bauks began 'ulllnT ' hack from Harper's Ferry , and no DUO at Wasblngtou knew where bo wai , On Sunday , lo 7th , J , ] { . Gllmoro , thq superln- londont of tnloerapb In thntdopdrtmcnt , was ordered to build a line to Bank's army , rhoro wns not a inllo of , wlro or u spare in sulator in the department , and the disloyal people along tk/e proposed route refused to lurnlsh timber except as forced to. Sup plies were ordered Irom Philadelphia , Balll. moro and Now York. Monday morning Gil- uoro tartod out on the route on horseback ind arrangoa for the setting of tlio polos. Line building bocun Tuesday morning , and ou Thursday Banks was mot thirty miles I from Washington Gllmoro wn n minor nt the time , nnd co nl I trlni ; the clrcumstnncc.s Un * ttns a notnhle nuhloycmcnt. The operators nt the front with the build ers wcrn William ,1. Dealeynnd A. P Prltch- nrd. Ono rainy night nttc'r they were fairly nloop couriers came from Banks nnd oruored them to open nn ofllco at Iho end nf thu llnu. Groping their way about through the rnln and dnrknes'j for a suitable plnco. the best thov could find wns n pig slyo. They covered it \uththelr blmiKcts nnd shivered through tliu bnlunco of the night. This feat of building Is moro notable. , be cause It oecured early In the wnr when the corps had the most vague organization , Later H was no uncommon thing for the wire to go tip ns fast as tbo nrmy moved ou. Never during the wur did the corps Ilnd ll Impos sible to erect a wire ever nny route traversed by an urmv , and it often constructed lines of communication over routes ttnpnssnbla to largo commands. \ \ ITIIOtIT INSIIU.UKNT.S. Heading Mcssngpt liy thn Lnugtli nf thn Shock * M-nt Through the Tongue. In January , ISO. , W. O. Fuller , n suuerln- tondcnt of telegraph , wns ordered to build a line south from Labnuon. Ky. Some dis tance oiitn rebel troop raided his camp and carried off everything but the clothing worn- by tlio party. Ful ler was unnbto to open tbo Columbia ofllco Immediately on ronchlne Unit point , because ho bad no instrument. G o n o r a 1 J. T. Boyle , who was In o o in in n n d , wns grentlv provoked and threatened to shoot Fuller , hut tbnioxport , great- \NSOM ly to Boyle's astonishment , sent his Im portant messages by using iho wire ends as n key nud his longuo as a sounder for re ceiving. For the uninitiated It tiny bs o < c plained that Fuller held the ground end of the wire In ono hand and the main line in the nthor. Every limn ho touched the two togolher ho completed the circuit , which was Indicated on the instrument til Lebanon precisely the same as if the wprk had boon done with n key. Il was compaparattvoly easy to send a message In thb minnor , but. the dlfllculty wns lo lonrn if it had boon received. Tele graphic signals nra combinations of long and shorl clicks , which nro ordinarily read by sound. Fuller , having no Inslrumeul , could only read the messages by the oloo- trie shocks which passed through his tongue. As he touched a wire to either sldo of his tongue that mem ber , being moist , permuted Iho electric cur rent to pass through it , and Fuller dis tinguished the long nnd short clicks by the length of the shocks. Several months later H. W. Plum started to reinforce the operators at Nnshvillo , but was cornered nt an out-of-ihc-wav nluco with a small party of federals. Hu hail run a wire from the main line to the stockade In nnllclpallon of getting an Inslrument , bo.1 it nld not dome in time. Ho sent a message by louchlng Iho end of Ibe wire to a crowbar stuck in the earth for a ground connection. Ho received the acknowledgment by placing one hand on the oar and putting the wire in his mouth , reading iho message by the dura tion of iho electric shocks uhich passed through his bodv. This passed in front of the stockade in full view of Iho whole com pany of federals. Instances of receiving lelegrams In this manner nrn rnro , but thnso cases were too well uuthonticatod to bo doubted. Kcitois or Tliu WAII. ClmructtirlHtUInridcMits ol the Telegraph SiTVlc-e Toll ! ISrlrlly. In General Morgan's campaign about Cum berland Gap the telegraph party was organ ized into a corpi of minors and sappers , who aided materially in opening roads , removing obstructions and building bridges. For days they lived ex clusively on corn grated on a tin plate , through which rough-edged null bolos hud been made. Solomon Pal mer entered the survlco in Ducoin- , her , 1S01 , nnd wns fgS assigned to take charge of Iho con- structlon of tele graphs In the de partment of Hal- leek east of the M1LOMOX 1'AI.MCII , Mississippi. To his energy nnd fertility of resources was largely due the ofllcloncv of the tolopraph servioo in Tennessee and Mississippi. His ability as a uuildcr aud repairer under Iho most adverse clrcuinstnnrcs and oven in the face of the unomy won the admiration of the corps in the wesc. Down in Tennessee Kit Dougherty , hap pening to have some big copper pennies and considerable leisure , amalgamated the coins in his battery , and thov readily passed among the illiterate natives as silver half dollars In exchange for watermelons nnd other vocotnbles. And Kit was only Hi. The ofllco at Mnnnssas was ut ono time operated by Thomas Q. Watorhouso and Charles W. Mooro. The building was a one- room shanty. A box on which tlio Instru ment rested also served ns a dining Ublo. Ono nail Itog an swered for chairs , nnd some broken nieces of iron , held together with tolo- craph wiro. was cat lad a cooking stovo. They slapt In n collin for a bed , and the only oojt'c- linn Ihoy had was In the fact that the sleeper had to gotj out in order to ovor. Working al ternately , ono blanket served both. \ They had to make a V lively retreat t > ubsoTIIOS. . p. . WATKIIIIOUPK. quently and narrowly escaped capture. During the siege of Vlcksuurg the opsr- ntorj wors worn out by a long terra of duty , and they finally got snatches of sleep by ly ing down at Ibo sldo of their instruments nnd making the couriers wake thorn when ever iho sounders hoiran clicking. Probably the youngest man in the servicn was.iotin O'Hrion , who was not 14 when -made assistant operator at Fortress Monroe. In Fobiuary , 1SIW , ho had hud three years' experience and was rated an expert. General - oral Wool was greatly surprised to sco ibis slripllng receiving by found. Edward P. Whllford , when a moro lad oc cupied the responsible position in Nushvlllo of ulplicrcrunii _ asslstu'ul clerk at the headquarters - quarters of Colonel Van Dusor , stipar- Intcmlont , of tele- craph , where most of tno telegrams of Governor Johnson aim General \ \ ob iter were pui line cipher. W h o n Sherman started on h 1 H famous , inarch from Atlanta - lanta to the sea ; nlno ope ru tors were detailed to accompany him , 111. M'lmaoiin. \\hlifordwin noiit trith funds to pay them off. In the closing davH of the war Whlifurd was sia- lloned at San Antonio us cipherer. When McClelland moved Into Yorktown D. Ji. Lat hroj > Hurried to Iho confederate telegraph olllco to test for u circuit with Richmond , but the wires hud bcon cut and loft haiiKlng to iho noles. In starting to repair - pair it. Luthrop slcppcd on ouo ol the torpu- does buried by thu rabeU , A leg was torn off nnd ho died In greal utouy u few hours afterwards. lt\CINl WITH Till : AltJlV. Kiifurilaliil lit I'ilMi Trial I'lml Onirliil Army 1'rlnlvrVIIH a Tdlrurujilmrt Karly in July , leOl , McClelland started south from Clarksburg , Va. , und General Singer mode lila first attempt to follow nn unuy with the telegraph. He easily kept up with the troops until they reached Hteh rooiiiiliiin , n dis tance ot over thirty miles , when the bat tle of that name was fotmlit , nnd the electric spark sent to the north the hews ot Us first victory , almost before fore the light was finished. Operator David had barely V ' ' " " " opened an ofllco at 4osi IMI KN'ITTI.K. the fortifications occnmca by the enemy the day before , when n Confederate prisoner marching by ex claimed In wondering astonishment to a com panion : "My God , Jim , hero's ' thn tele graph 1" , with McClelland was ,1. h. Cherry , who had worked nights in n railroad otllco at Cleveland , and beguiled his unoccupied hours with n llltlo printing outfit. Ho had been recommended to McClelland because of his Industry nnd knowledge of printing , nnd iho general had secured an oullll of press nnd typo. Ho Issued an address congratulat ing his nrmv on the victory nt Hlch moun tain , and that probably wns Iho llrst order over printed lii n portable printing oflleo regularly connected with nn army whllo on n campaign. i'i\TS WITHOUT PAI\I.MI : ; , . Hut ( ilorlmiK Nrnx of Itlclimoiitl'i * full iititl Leo * * SiirroiKliii- . When the federal army entered Richmond nt 8 o'clock on the morning of April a , IW55 , General Wot/.ol prepared n dispatch an nouncing thu fact to the military governor at Norfolk. For four years the confederate city had been cut off from the north , and the neatest olllco with a connection was live miles out in a union camp. W. H. Wood , the oporalor , was Just about lo close ihu olllco anil move Into iho oily , when ho espied u courier riding toward him at a furious gait. Suspecting nn important mes sage , ho waited for the horseman. Ho ouickly called Fortress Monroe , aim Opera tors William J. Doaly and C. A. Hoinuu at that point put the War department olllco at Washington In connection that It might re- ccivo the news allho same time. ' At the latter was little Willie E. Kltllos , a precocious boy but an ox pott operator , who hud already done distinguished sarvtce. "Shnrptju your wire for Richmond , " said Dealy. Then Wood called and Killlos answered. The boy took Iho message with tremulous excitement and then , upsetting inkstand nnd Instrument , rushed into i\lnjor Eokert's room with the glorious news. War 'Secretary Stanton was notillod at once , mid , rushme Into the ofllco , ho snatched up Kittles and held him ut arm's length oul of Iho window lo the view of thn gathering erowd , which bud heard the news fiom an operator who could not contain him self. Sinn ion was in his snirt sleeves and loars of Joy were coursing down his chocks Before ho retired he said to the operator.- . : "IJoys , I consider iho lelegraph my righi arm , anil If ever 1 can do anyinlng lor you don't hosllnlo lo ask for It. " Unfortunnloly he never rignicd Iho QUO great wrong ho did tlie telegraphers in bis doiira lo promolo Iho ofllclency ol Ino ser vice. vice.At At 4:30 : p. m. of April ll , IbiM. General Grant wrote u tolocram to Stanton announc ing Iho surrender of Lee. Calling up iwo op erators , R. C. I.uvcrty and Edward Scher- morhoni , hu gave them ibo dispatch with or ders to co In search of a wiro. They found at Appomattox station a wire lhal bad 1 boon nut In order to tbat point mid inndo iheir ofllco in a box cur loaded with bags of sand intended fur breastwork" . After putting in n ground wire they succeeded in raisinir the operator at Petersburg , who con nected them wl'h Iho Wnr department at Washington. So quickly had the work bcon done thai Grunt received congratulations from President Lincoln within an hour. Within two houts of the surrender the line had boon extended lo Grant's headquarters and hn wus in direct communication with Washington. By lhal time , toe. iho news was known In all parts of the land. These feats , like many others of the American tele graph coipi. wcro without parallel in the history ol the world previous to Ibis war. KDI.SO.Vs UOVHOOD. liiuiilrius of Ills VoiThi as Told liy Hi , I'ntlii'r. The bustling litllo city of Port Grattot , Mich. , snucly resting ut the foot of Lake Huron , is a place of .soino distinction , from the fact lhat. It was there that Thomas A. Edison passed many years of his youth. The old homo where ho lived with his p-irents is an objecl of curiosity lo iho thousands of persons who dally travel on the electrio railway that runs trom Fort Gratiottotho noted summer rssort some distance above the town on the shore of Lake f luron , tias- slng wilbin a few feet of the fence iiicloMuc the old Edison homestead. From the rail way truck a fair view of the old house is afforded through the mammoth trees that surround It The dwelling stand ) ti.tck some dKtancc from the foot of the lake , and u short wav northwest ot the lighthouse lhat guides tbo luke bools into thoSt. Cluir river. It U quite a largo structure , bul it is beginning to show signs of decay. In the dwelling yet resides Samuel Edi son , the fulhor of thu noted inventor. Hu is a well-prosorvod old gontloinan of hi , having boon born in Bigby , Nova Scolla , in 1801. Ho is tall of slaturo , and remarkably robust for ono of bis years. Added to this is a memory of unexcelled clearness. A brief history of the old genllciimn and his recol lections of his son who has since rhon to such prominence will bo of interest. In Ibll , whun bul7 years of ago , Samuel moved wltn his p.i routs 10 Now York city. Remaining there bul n short time , the fam ily traveled through upper Canada. Samuel passed hlsyouth In Vienna , Canadaami ihero met Iho girl , Nancy Elliott , who aflorward-i bucamo Iho mother of the Inventor. In 1 I7 Sumuol , his wife and the throe children who hud arrived to bless thorn , moved to Detroit and iwo years later lo Milan , O. Thomas A. was born in Milan , February 11 , 1817. In 185:1 : his parents moved lo FortGrailotwhoro iho Inventor passed his youth and whore ho received but u meager schooling , not having in all gone to school for moro than ono year , Ho was distinctively u boy without boyish days. At this early auo began tha develop ment of the rare gift with which ho was pos sessed , and ho was almost continually en- guucd In endeavoring to liguro out snma dif ficult mechanical problem. His brain , ap parently , was never permitted to iesi , and tie hud gone to school but a short time before fore his teacher n'otlccd this fact , and bonier alarmed uv it advised the lad's parents to hoop him Irom school If they did not wish bin ) to lose his reason. Ho wus indeed n pe culiar boy , und never played with other boys for moro than u few minutes nt a time , Meumlngly preferring to bci iilono HO that ho could iriv ) His whole altmitlon to studying " the solution of some problem , Ho was ill- ways uf an older dUpoiltion than hlni ago would Indicate. When about mldwnv ho- iwt-on lliu iigo of I'Jand III ho burprlsud his parents ouo ovunlng by bursting in upon them anil gleafullv Hliotitlngi 'Mn ' , I'm u bnshul of wheat 1 wolt'h Jnbt Blxlv pounds. " The day following Ihlx Joyful aialomont young EUlsnn niiidti his first trip an u IIUWM- bov oil Iho Grand Trunk railroad botweua Fo'rt C ; rat lot and Uutrolt. it was ai abuut this lime , as nuur us his fatbercan recollect , liial young Edison llrst took an Interest in tulegiuph operating. Ills llrst.experiment * In this line weiii made wild a small lublu and a piece of whalebone , There was n crack In the table , and In this Itf ) placed ouo end of the whalebone , u siring bumg so arranged that hu could with case causa the wtmlotiono to bo swiftly drawn down to tno table , and , with a shbot of paper lull on the tablu with which whttleuono could como in contact , a lair fulMltuto for thu clicking ot u regular telegraph instrument was secured. He then spoilt houtb clicking off the telegraph alpha bet. bet.Tno facts of the priming by him of a Hmall newspaper called iho Granu Trunk Hor.iUl whllo nuwHiioy on tha train are well known , lieforo accepting thu position as nowHboy on the railroad the young md ruud it grout deal on thomibjeia of ilrugs , etc. , und In u snort lime ho hud u ttmull siiod drut ; tituru In thu basement of his futhor'h houso. Hunt ho passed umuy hours iiiliauy and compounding f drugs. He would work until Into nt night endtmvorlnir to study out Various questions nnd bring hit oxpcrlmonU to n successful Issue. So Interested would ho hccotno that ho fulled to notice the passing away of tlu hours , and his father had frequently to arise at 4 or D o'clock In the morning nnd compel the Ind to go to bod. So proficient had he become In the art of telegraphing by constant practice il urine thu thrco years spent by liltn , as newsboy on iho train that at the end ol that time ho was offered n position as tolo. craph operator. Ho loft iho cars nnd Immo , dtairly took charge of the I'ort Huron tele graph ofilce. ! Ho hnd rotnniuril there forsomo llltlo time , , when the Grand Trunk soul him to Strut- | ford , Ontario. Ho went thence to Forl , \\avno , liid..and then successively lo Indian apolls , Cincinnati nnd Louisville. Durltm , the war ho entered-tie sorvlco of the sov eminent in nn operator In 'IViiiiossqe. After the wnr , having bcon offered a position abroad , It bcc.uno necessary for him to master tor the Spanish language , which hu did ID the remarkably brief ported of four month ! without losing nn hour of his time as operatot for the government. Later lu llfo ho con cluded to accept n position In Central America , buton his way down was taken so 111 with sea. sickness that the physicians on Iho bout sent him back. Ho landed at Now York city nnd went to his homo for several weeks. Ho then \\cnt to Boston whcro ho completed hU ilrst Invention nud received his llrst patent. " His career since then Is familiar history. The father Is naturally very proud of hit son , and rondliy tells what ho can regarding him. When some funny Incident , In his son't llfo Hashes upon the old man's mind ho slupj Lls It n co and exclaims : "Oh , hn was the dnrmlosl kid I ever saw , " nnd then the old gentleman chuckles quiutiv to himself. Tno old man is qulto wealthy , owning n larpo amount of property in the very ht-art of Fori Gratlol. but notwithstanding this the ti.vontor nnnuallv gives him n Inriro sum of n oney with which to travel abroad and see the world. The old gentleman U Mill "ono of the boys" to n rent extent , and has nn intimate Iriund mini tl Symington , n man about nls own ago , whom ho takat with him on his nnnuiil trips. Thn lust trip thov took wns to oltl Mexlcn. nnd there is no reason to believe thut thev did not have us coed a time us though they were twenty or thirty years jouimur. IF YOU EVER SUFFERED FROM If you are In position to take advantage of the laws re lating to you have taken up a piece o * 1 ! f you have made an invention on which you desire to secure a You should communicate with the Bee Bureau of Claim ; The object of this bureau Is to every pai-bon Iio.ihtiR- loffitinuito cluiin ngainst the trovornnioiit the iidvuutii a oa residence in Washington , whether ho live In Texas or Alnsku , 11 does moro than thnt. Nino-luntlia of tlio population of Washington would ba helpless if nslccd how to fjo to worlc to secure their rights through tlio dopirt- incuts. Tun Uin ; Burjau of G tiinu gives the advantage , not only of per- BOiinl residence , but of thnro'igli fainil < iurity wita u 1 the nmuliinory of thu government. It oilers Absolute Security. You do not , know whether thonvonign \Vnnhiugtoiicliiiin agontwill chant. y > u or nol , although on general prlnclplei you would naturally suppose that ha would. Hut you know that the San Francisco Examiner , the St. 1'iuil PJo ncer press and the Omaha UKI : cnniioi afford to uhuat you. They gti irantou this Bureau , nnu their reputation U staked upon the honesty and ability ol itsinnnagomont The bureau employes nttornoyd who Expert Specialists for oaoli of Its departments. Its Indian depredation U.IHOS are care- ully vvo-lcod UD , with all tlu ovidonuo required by law , and argued buforu the court of claims In HUCI ! a manner as to jringouL mm fuvor.iuly all tlu esBuii tial points. Its land cases are handled In sit-lot ac- corduncn with tlio rules of the Goner il MIOlllue \ ( , bo th it no delays or com- illcatloin ensue In the orderly settle- incut of the claimj. Its p ttoiit o noi ire so n itwje 1 n < i Insuio the utmost , poaaiblu bunelU to'.tho nvuntor , by giving him tlio broadodl. proluotlon his ideas will Justify. Us pimaltm c.isos are ilhpojul of with Uiu least posdblo delay and oxpunso to thn vote rails , Don't nifriiln from cnnsultlng lbo bin euu liticaiise you are afniid of the coil. Us uo.iU nothing to tret Inforinuliou. Ankas many questions as you please , aud they will bu utiBworol promptly chuorfully and accurately , without V charge. THE Bee Bureau of Claims Room 220 , Bee Building , Omaha , Neb.