CHAPTER VIII.

THE PLANET MARS ENJOYS A TELEGRAPHERS’ TOURNAMENT

As the planet Mars has more than 600 days to its year, and as time is of no moment in that delightful abode, Washington’s birthday could be celebrated anytime convenient to the members of the Pleiades Club, and accordingly the telegraph tournament was scheduled to come off when all preparations were completed.

Such bustling, hurrying and skurrying was seldom witnessed on Earth and the telegraph man was in evidence everywhere. Visitors were apprised of what was in store and even the laity took a great interest in what was about to transpire. In addition to talent from the United States and Canada, there were applications from foreign countries of operators who had been noted in their profession in their respective lands.

The unanimous choice of a president was Fred Catlin, of New York, who demurred a little, as he hoped to be a participant or judge, but finally acquiesced, and was duly installed as president.

The committee of arrangements was composed of the following well known gentlemen:

R. H. Rochester, A. S. Brown, Dave McAneeny, J. H. Dwight, John Brant, Court Cunningham, Marion H. Kerner and D. Harmon.

The judges were composed of the following:

Madison Buell, G. W. Gardanier, W. B. Somerville, Belvidere Brooks, C. H. Summers, E. C. Cockey and J. C. Hinchman.

The usual exponents of “bug” and hand sending were present to demonstrate the advantages of their respective methods, but there were many present who had never heard of or seen the “bug” and were anxious to see its merits tested.

“I will be on hand with my first typewriter, constructed in 1868, and will undertake to show how I copied the president’s message that year,” said E. Payson Porter, and the Chicago members of the club applauded loudly.

“Yes, and I will bring my old register with me, that I used for so long when I was manager at Akron, Ohio, and show you how I copied so much which never came,” remarked ex-manager Allen, formerly of Akron.

“And I will give you an illustration how to read by the ‘back stroke,’” said W. H. Kelsey.

“All right, gentlemen,” interrupted Fred Catlin, “we will be glad to hear from all, but we have to get down to business and appoint several important committees to carry out this good work.

“In addition to the usual programme in such cases, there is also going to be an illustration of ‘ham’ sending, also a demonstration of a beginner at the key.”

At this juncture, two young men entered the room, each carrying a typewriter and a Martin vibroplex, similar to those used upon the terrestrial planet.

“We are going to give a preliminary exhibition of what the youngsters can do with a ‘bug’ and ‘mill.’

“To be sure, it does not require as much activity or muscle to telegraph nowadays as it did formerly, when we were compelled to make twelve to eighteen copies with a stylus.

“We are now in an entirely different class than we were formerly and the results are greater than they used to be.

“The operator of twenty-five years ago was necessarily, in some respects, the superior of the present generation, but he could not possibly turn out the work that is being performed daily and hourly by his latter-day brother with such ease and speed.

“While our younger brothers are getting their instruments in order, we will rig up a Morse set and have W. L. Waugh give us an illustration of his beautiful sending while William T. Loper will demonstrate how he used to take fourteen copies of manifold with a stylus in the olden days in St. Louis.”

“Yes, I used to see Billy Loper do this when I was night chief in St. Louis and he certainly did it well,” said Charles J. Lawson, who sauntered in from the rear, when he heard Mr. Loper’s name mentioned.

While the audience applauded the expected treat, Messrs. Loper and Waugh squared themselves for the fray.

Like shot poured into a funnel, clicked the dots and dashes, Mr. Loper methodically and with the greatest ease copying the perfect Morse with his favorite stylus on fourteen manifold sheets, in his own beautiful characteristic writing.

For one hour and without a break, the twain worked fast but gracefully, much Phillips’ code being used and after counting the hour’s work, it was ascertained that two thousand eight hundred words had been transmitted.

Specimens of the work were distributed among the admiring audience, who were loud in their praise of Mr. Loper’s copper-plate chirography and the sheets were given out as souvenirs of the occasion.

It was noticeable that after this exhibition, few of the operators from foreign countries enrolled themselves as competitors at the coming tournament.

“Let’s give the young fellows a show now,” said Fred Catlin, and the two young men previously mentioned, one named Smith, from Birmingham, Postal, and one Brown, from Atlanta, Western Union, came to the front.

The quick, jerky, “bug” sending seemed marvelous to some of the very old-timers and it seemed a little bit difficult for them at first to so adjust their brains to keep up with the merry jingle. The receiving operator, also, was doing some marvelous stunts.

While the sender was transmitting at top-notch speed, the Birmingham boy took out a cigarette, which he lighted and began to puff with as much _sang froid_ as though he were in a down-town cafe, never missing a word or even a punctuation mark.

For one hour this great exhibition kept up, at the end of which time one hundred and thirty messages had been transmitted and copied without an error.

“This is splendid work,” said the president, “and shows clearly how the ‘bug’ and ‘mill’ have it on even the most famous old-timers. It shows plainly how mechanical devices supplant brain material, and after all these are god-sends to the latter day generation of operators.”

Everybody interested in the doings of the telegraph were talking of the day’s proceedings, commending the great work of the old-timers and marvelling at the speed and accuracy of the “up-to-the-minute” telegrapher.

Many new applications were received from those anxious to partake in the coming tournament, and files of back copies of the Telegraph and Telephone Age were looked over and read with the idea to conform with the usual modus of procedure on such occasions.

Everybody was on the _qui vive_, but all was harmony and a feeling of brotherly love pervaded the inhabitants of this joyous planet.