Some time ago the cables between Madeira and St. Vincent were out of order, cutting off communication by the direct route to Brazil, and a message to reach Rio Janeiro had to pass through Ireland, Canada, United States, to Galveston, thence to Vera Cruz, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chili; from Valparaiso across the Andes, through the Argentine Republic to Buenos Ayres, and thence by East Coast cables to Rio Janeiro, the message having traversed a distance of about twelve thousand miles and having passed through twenty-four cables and some very long land lines, instead of passing, had it been possible to have sent it by the direct route, over one short land line and six cables, in all under six thousand miles.

Perhaps some of our readers may remember having read in the newspapers of the result of last year’s Derby having been sent from Epsom to New York in fifteen seconds, and may be interested to know how it was done.  A wire was laid from near the winning post on the race course to the cable company’s office in London, and an operator was at the instrument ready to signal the two or three letters previously arranged upon for each horse immediately the winner had passed the post.  When the race began, the cable company suspended work on all the lines from London to New York and kept operators at the Irish and Nova Scotian stations ready to transmit the letters representing the winning horse immediately, and without having the message written out in the usual way.  When the race was finished, the operator at Epsom at once sent the letters representing the winner, and before he had finished the third letter, the operator in London had started the first one to Ireland.  The clerk in Ireland immediately on bearing the first signal from London passed it on to Nova Scotia, from whence it was again passed on to New York.  The result being that the name of the winner was actually known in New York before the horses had pulled up after passing the judge.  It seems almost incredible that such information could be transmitted such a great distance in fifteen seconds, but when we get behind the scenes and see exactly how it is accomplished, and see how the labor and time of signaling can be economized, we can easily realize the fact.

The humors of telegraphic mistakes have often been described; we will conclude by giving only one example.  A St. Louis merchant had gone to New York on business, and while there received a telegram from the family doctor, which ran:  “Your wife has had a child, if we can keep her from having another to-night, all will be well.”  As the little stranger had not been expected, further inquiry was made and elicited the fact that his wife had simply had a “chill”!  This important difference having been caused simply by the omission of a single dot.

   -.-. .... .. .-.. .-..
      c h i l l = chill
   -.-. .... .. .-.. -..
      c h i l d = child