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UTAH AND TELEGRAPHY

.

UTAH AND TELEGRAPHY
By D. S. Spencer, Asst. General Passenger Agent, O. S. R. R. R.

    In this narrative, as with everything historical in Utah, we date back to the entrance of the Pioneers into the Great Salt Lake Valley, July 24, 1847.
    Up to the time of the establishment of the first post office in Great Salt Lake City, Marc 1849, such letters and papers as found their way into the valley were usually delivered at the conclusion of church services at the various points.
    The first United States mail service was performed in1850, between Salt Lake City and any point east of the Rocky Mountains. Under this service it required from thirty to ninety days in which to deliver the mail from the Missouri river to the Great Salt lake Valley; and this was done at great risk of life and property, on account of very serious Indian depredations, as well as hardships innumerable. The first delivery of mail matter here cost $1,500.
    In 1860 the Pony Express was established, which continued until October 18, 1861. On this date the Pacific Telegraph Company completed its line into Great Salt Lake City from the East; and a little later, during the same year, completed its line from the West into Salt Lake City. This was the advent of telegraphy in Utah.
    The first telegraph office in Utah was located in the north-west corner of a building which stood where the Utah Gas & Coke Company’s building now stands--just north of the Deseret National Bank.
    The first use of the telegraph was courteously tendered by the promoters to resident Brigham Young who accepted the invitation and forwarded, to President Wade of the Telegraph Company, the following dispatch:

                “Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 18, 1861.
“Hon. J. H. Wade, President of the Pacific Telegraph Company, “Cleveland, Ohio;
    “Sir:--permit me to congratulate you on the completion of the overland telegraph line west to this city; to comment the energy displayed by yourself and associates in the rapid and successful prosecution of a work so beneficial; and to express the wish that its use may ever tend to promote the true interest of the dwellers upon both the Atlantic and Pacific slopes of our continent. Utah has not seceded, but is firm for the Constitution and Laws of our once happy country, and is warmly interested in such useful enterprises as the one so far completed.
                            “Brigham Young.”

“Hon. Brigham Young, President,
    “Great Salt Lake City:
    “Sir:--I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your message of last evening, which was in every was gratifying, not only in the announcement of the completion of the Pacific Telegraph to your enterprising and prosperous city, but that yours, the first message to pass over the line, should express so unmistakably the patriotism and Union-loving sentiments of yourself and people. I join with you in the hope that this enterprise may tend to promote the welfare and happiness of all concerned and that the annihilation of time, in our means of communication, may also tend to annihilate prejudice, cultivate brotherly love, facilitate commerce, and strengthen the bonds of our once and again to be happy Union.
    “With just consideration for your high position, and due respect for you personally, I remain,
                        “Your obedient servant,
                            J. H. WADE, President
                                Pacific Telegraph Co.”

    On the same day the first message was sent, Acting Governor Frank Fuller wired President Lincoln as follows:

                    “GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, OCT. 18, 1861.
“To the President of the United States:
    “Utah, whose citizens strenuously resist all imputations of disloyalty, congratulated the President upon the completion of an enterprise which spans a continent, unites two oceans, and connects with nerve of iron the remote extremities of the body politic with the great governmental heart.
    “May the whole system speedily thrill with the quickened pulsations of that heart, as the parricide hand of palsied treason is punished, and the entire sisterhood of states join hands in glad reunion around the national fireside.
                            “Frank Fuller,
                                               “Acting Governor of Utah Territory.”

President Lincoln replied:
                    “Washington, D. C., October 20, 1861.
“Hon. Frank Fuller,
    “Acting Governor, Utah Territory;

    “Sir:--The completion of the telegraph to Great Salt Lake City is auspicious of the stability and union of the Republic. The Government reciprocated your congratulations.
                            “Abraham Lincoln.”

    The first telegraph operators in Salt Lake were two brothers by the name of Stickney. Within a short time, one of them was killed through some quarrel, and the other brother left soon after.
    The second operator, as near as we can learn, was George W. Carlton, now a wealthy charcoal dealer, who resided near Rock Springs, Wyoming. While here, he married Georgia Snow, daughter of Attorney Zerrubbabel Snow. The third operator was Charles E. Pomeroy, a resident of our city and a man who has had extended experience in the telegraph profession. The fourth was Mark Croxall, who for many ears resided in Salt Lake and was the leader of what was known as the ”Croxall Brass Band.”
Mr. Croxall had the reputation f being one of the best cornet players that ever resided in the State. These were followed by: Dick Lewis, John Clowes, A. B. Hillaker, H. O. Pratt, John C. Sabine, Henry Hedger, S. F. Fenton, and others.
    In a later group of Western Union operators, were: Giles, Harrington, Henderson, The Greer brothers, the Morrison brothers, and Mike Conway.
    These operators were all associated with what was originally the Pacific Telegraph, but what later became the Western Union Company.
    The first line was constructed of iron wire, coated with zinc, and weighing one hundred and eighty pounds to the mile, while modern telegraph lines are of copper wire and weigh three hundred and twenty pounds to the mile.
    At the time of the completion of the telegraph, the charge from Great Salt Lake City to New York was $7.50 for ten words, as compared with a charge of $1.50 per ten words in 1880, and a charge of 75 cents today, for day messages, and a rate of 60 cents for night messages, showing a decrease, in the toll charge, of 90 per cent.
    Appreciating the great importance of the telegraph, and with a view of giving every possible encouragement to the progress and advancement of the Territory, President Young, in 1865, organized the Deseret Telegraph Company, and commenced to build a line, which was completed between Salt Lake City and Ogden on December 29th, 1866. Late it was extended to Brigham City and Logan, and very shortly thereafter to all the principal points through the southern part of the Territory.
    That veteran in the telegraph service, A Milton Musser, was the first superintendent of the Deseret Company, while W. W. Riter was the first secretary and treasurer.
    Previously, in the winter of 1865, John Clowes had opened a school for telegraphy in this city; and among his students were: Morris Wilkinson, now secretary of the Mammoth Mining Company; Moses Thatcher; George Tribe; Joseph A. West, secretary and chief engineer of the Sumpter Valle Railway Company; S. A. Kenne; W. A. C. Bryan; William B. Dougall; James Jack; Knud Torgeson; George Peart; Richard S. Horne; Volney King; Mrs. Emma Lunt; John Henry Smith; Adolphus Whitehead; R. C. Lund; John Hougaard; John D. Stark; Alfred G. Davis; Walter Davis; and last, but not least, President Anthon H. Lund, who was the first operator at Mount Pleasant, in Sanpete County.
    Of the above, there is no question that Messrs. Kenner, Bryhan, Dogall, and Lund proved to be the most expert operators. Mr. Dougall became prominent as manager of the office and later succeeding Mr. Musser as Superintendent. All of the others named, however, were proficient in a degree; but in those days it was not so much the skill of an operator as it was his devotion to his labors; and, in this regard, all of those connected with the Deseret Telegraph service, as far as is known, proved true to their duties.
    A little later, we recall the name of Josiah Rogerson, who is at this time a proficient operator in the service of the Western Union Company, this city, and is the oldest practicing telegraph operator in the State. Mr. Rogerson’s work at this time, in view of his age, is considered marvelous. We recall, also, the names of Miss Rosella Peacock, now wife of Hon. Jams E. Clinton, residing in Salt Lake Cit; and her sister Miss Janie Peacock (Mrs. J. H. Hague) now agent Oregon Short Line, at Lava, Idaho; Emma Symons, of Provo; Barbara Evans, of Lehi, who became Mrs. John P. Bush; Elizabeth Claridge, who is no other than Mrs. A. W. McCune, also a resident here; Jno. W. Irons, the Misses Ida and Ina Johnson, the latter being now and for many years past, agent of the Oregon Short Line at Bancroft, Idaho; Anna Kimball, later Mrs. Knox now with the Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution; Alf. Davis; Teddie Taylor; William B. Parr; the Spencer boys, mentioned hereafter; and Mr. Arthur O. Long, who has been in the employ of the Western Union Company for many years, and through faithful service was finally promoted to the position of manager of the Salt Lake City office.
    Of the operators at that time, who were connected with the railway service, we recall Richard P. Morris, ex-mayor of Salt Lake City; Chas. W. Nibley, Eli H. Pierce, Richard W. Young, R. C. Badger, Douglas A. Swan, Geo. W. Cushing, William J. Batemen, John O. Hampton, Hon. James E. Clinton, formerly county commissioner; General C. S. Burton, cashier of the State Bank of Utah; Zina Wood, now wife of the assistant secretary of state; Heber L. Cummings, Miss Ellen West, Mary A. Layton, and David Egbert of Kaysville, William G. Sharp, president of the United States Smelting & Refining Company; M. C. Morris, secretary Horn Silver Manufacturing Company; Moses Evans; D. S. Spencer, Asst. General Passenger Agent, Oregon Short Line Railroad; John Peters, Post Master at American Fork; and Lizzie Cotterell of Farmington.
    The Spencer family contributed four telegraph operators to the service; and we are proud to say that probably two of the best telegraph operators, at any time, were E. Burke Spencer and Jacob T. Spencer. In the early days, thirty words per minute was a high rate of speed.
    There was at that time, a sort of brotherhood among telegraph operators, and very strong union of feeling.   It was very seldom that an operator failed to say, “God morning” or “Good night” over the wire, but this did not last for many years. Like every thing else, this sociability gave way to commercial methods.
    As we all, probably, know, the electric telegraph was the invention of Professor Samuel F. B. Morse, and was begun in 1832 and perfected in 1837. The first telegraph line was built from Washington to Baltimore in 1843-4. The first message that was ever transmitted and consisting of our words only, was sent by Professor Morse on May 24th, 1844, from the United States Supreme Court Chamber, in Washington to Baltimore, was written by a young lady to whom the honor has been given, and read: “What hath God Wrought?”
    The word “telegraph: is of Greek derivation, meaning; “tele,” afar off, and “grapho” to write.
    The process of forming the first telegraph battery was by the use of carbon and zinc with nitric acid. In the second process, the telegraph current was made from zinc and copperas; glass jars of about two quarts capacity being used, and a plate of copper placed in the bottom, with a body of zinc suspended in the upper part of the jar. The jar was filled with water, and bluestone or copperas was placed in the bottom on the copper plate, the jars being connected up, alternating from zinc to copper.   Both of these methods are now done away with, and the electric current is made by the motor.
    In the very early days, it was not unusual for messages to be received on a register on which would be used a paper tape; and as the current was broken, at the sending end of the line, a weight would drop and cause the wheel, on which the paper tape was wrapped, to revolve, and a pin would prick holes or make dashes in the paper; and at intervals would leave spaces; so that the receiving operator would read the dots, dashes and spaces in forming letters and making words. Shortly afterwards, however, all telegraphing was done by sound. For many years a single wire was single current, and could be used at but one time; and when the sending operator was using the wire, the line could not be used for any other purpose. Now, however, after a long series of experimental improvements, modern telegraphing is done over what is known as the quadruplex, by which means four operators can use the same wire at the same time.. For instance, a telegraph operator can sit on one side of the table in Salt Lake, and another operator on the opposite, while two operators may hold relative positions in Chicago. One of the Salt Lake operators can send to one of the Chicago operators, and at the same time the other Chicago operator can send to the other Salt Lake operator.
    All modern telegraph offices are equipped with typewriters, and it is of ordinary occurrence to handle forty-five and fifty words per minute; but this is not to be compared with the most modern service on the Associated Press wires, in connection with what is known as the Associated Press code. This code consists of some twelve hundred words, all of which are committed to memory by all Associated Press operators. To illustrate the brevity, I quote below a few of the code words and their translation:
    Fas--Fairly active and steady.
    Damu--Dull and market unsettled.
    Uxe--Unconstitutional.
    Vpr--Vice-President.
    Fah--Firmer and higher.
    Obm--Quotations barely main maintained.
    Mwdc--Market without decided change.
    It may be interesting to know that we now have in Utah some one thousand eight hundred and fourteen miles of pole telegraph, and some twenty thousand miles of wire telegraph.   This does not include, of course, the wire used by telephone companies and the railways.
    Undoubtedly, the one person who has devoted the most time and energy to the establishing and maintaining of telegraphy in Utah was A. Milton Musser, who was most faithful in his labors in this regard, and who always had the respect and confidence of his employees. Probably no one man has worked harder in the construction and maintenance of telegraphic lines and service in Utah than that veteran Harry V. Cox, who all telegraph operators in Utah knew and regarded most highly.    M. B. Wheelwright of Ogden was another veteran line man, also Alex Carr of Salt Lake City.
    Many of those who were connected with telegraphy in the early days of Utah have attained much prominence in the State. I am convinced now more thoroughly, than ever, that this is the result of loyalty to their labors and their employers and a strong ambition to perform well the duties that were assigned them. In the early days, the compensation of the telegraph operators was very small, and many of the operators whose names have been given, associated themselves with the work very much as some men devote their time and energy to religious duties; in fact, to many operators, it was part of their religion. This was particularly the case in southern Utah, where the telegraph played such a useful part during Indian depredations, when there was such a great need of rapid and direct communication. For many years a telegraph office was maintained at the headquarters of President Young, in this city; who was in direct and immediate communication with every important locality in the State. The use of the telegraph, next to the railroad, has undoubtedly done more to build up the commercial interests of Utah than any other undertaking; and the enterprise and energy President Young have received the fullest and most deserved recognition. We recall a most complimentary telegram from General P. E. Connor, the founder of Fort Douglas, to President Young, upon the completion of the Deseret line to Pioche, in which the General extended his most grateful acknowledgment and appreciation of the President’s energy and enterprise.

Source: The Utah Genealogical & Historical Magazine, Vol. 1, October 1910
Submitted and transcribed by Richard Ramos



©2012 Genealogy Trails

UTAH AND TELEGRAPHY
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UTAH AND TELEGRAPHY By D. S. Spencer, Asst. General Passenger Agent, O. S. R. R. R. In this narrative, as with everything historical in Utah, we date back to the entrance of the Pioneers into the Great Salt Lake Valley, July 24, 1847. Up to the time of the establishment of the first post office in Great Salt Lake City, Marc 1849, such letters and papers as found their way into the valley were usually delivered at the conclusion of church services at the various points. The first United States mail service was performed in1850, between Salt Lake City and any point east of the Rocky Mountains. Under this service it required from thirty to ninety days in which to deliver the mail from the Missouri river to the Great Salt lake Valley; and this was done at great risk of life and property, on account of very serious Indian depredations, as well as hardships innumerable. The first delivery of mail matter here cost $1,500. In 1860 the Pony Express was established, which continued until October 18, 1861. On this date the Pacific Telegraph Company completed its line into Great Salt Lake City from the East; and a little later, during the same year, completed its line from the West into Salt Lake City. This was the advent of telegraphy in Utah. The first telegraph office in Utah was located in the north-west corner of a building which stood where the Utah Gas & Coke Company’s building now stands--just north of the Deseret National Bank. The first use of the telegraph was courteously tendered by the promoters to resident Brigham Young who accepted the invitation and forwarded, to President Wade of the Telegraph Company, the following dispatch: “Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 18, 1861. “Hon. J. H. Wade, President of the Pacific Telegraph Company, “Cleveland, Ohio; “Sir:--permit me to congratulate you on the completion of the overland telegraph line west to this city; to comment the energy displayed by yourself and associates in the rapid and successful prosecution of a work so beneficial; and to express the wish that its use may ever tend to promote the true interest of the dwellers upon both the Atlantic and Pacific slopes of our continent. Utah has not seceded, but is firm for the Constitution and Laws of our once happy country, and is warmly interested in such useful enterprises as the one so far completed. “Brigham Young.” “Hon. Brigham Young, President, “Great Salt Lake City: “Sir:--I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your message of last evening, which was in every was gratifying, not only in the announcement of the completion of the Pacific Telegraph to your enterprising and prosperous city, but that yours, the first message to pass over the line, should express so unmistakably the patriotism and Union-loving sentiments of yourself and people. I join with you in the hope that this enterprise may tend to promote the welfare and happiness of all concerned and that the annihilation of time, in our means of communication, may also tend to annihilate prejudice, cultivate brotherly love, facilitate commerce, and strengthen the bonds of our once and again to be happy Union. “With just consideration for your high position, and due respect for you personally, I remain, “Your obedient servant, J. H. WADE, President Pacific Telegraph Co.” On the same day the first message was sent, Acting Governor Frank Fuller wired President Lincoln as follows: “GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, OCT. 18, 1861. “To the President of the United States: “Utah, whose citizens strenuously resist all imputations of disloyalty, congratulated the President upon the completion of an enterprise which spans a continent, unites two oceans, and connects with nerve of iron the remote extremities of the body politic with the great governmental heart. “May the whole system speedily thrill with the quickened pulsations of that heart, as the parricide hand of palsied treason is punished, and the entire sisterhood of states join hands in glad reunion around the national fireside. “Frank Fuller, “Acting Governor of Utah Territory.” President Lincoln replied: “Washington, D. C., October 20, 1861. “Hon. Frank Fuller, “Acting Governor, Utah Territory; “Sir:--The completion of the telegraph to Great Salt Lake City is auspicious of the stability and union of the Republic. The Government reciprocated your congratulations. “Abraham Lincoln.” The first telegraph operators in Salt Lake were two brothers by the name of Stickney. Within a short time, one of them was killed through some quarrel, and the other brother left soon after. The second operator, as near as we can learn, was George W. Carlton, now a wealthy charcoal dealer, who resided near Rock Springs, Wyoming. While here, he married Georgia Snow, daughter of Attorney Zerrubbabel Snow. The third operator was Charles E. Pomeroy, a resident of our city and a man who has had extended experience in the telegraph profession. The fourth was Mark Croxall, who for many ears resided in Salt Lake and was the leader of what was known as the ”Croxall Brass Band.” Mr. Croxall had the reputation f being one of the best cornet players that ever resided in the State. These were followed by: Dick Lewis, John Clowes, A. B. Hillaker, H. O. Pratt, John C. Sabine, Henry Hedger, S. F. Fenton, and others. In a later group of Western Union operators, were: Giles, Harrington, Henderson, The Greer brothers, the Morrison brothers, and Mike Conway. These operators were all associated with what was originally the Pacific Telegraph, but what later became the Western Union Company. The first line was constructed of iron wire, coated with zinc, and weighing one hundred and eighty pounds to the mile, while modern telegraph lines are of copper wire and weigh three hundred and twenty pounds to the mile. At the time of the completion of the telegraph, the charge from Great Salt Lake City to New York was $7.50 for ten words, as compared with a charge of $1.50 per ten words in 1880, and a charge of 75 cents today, for day messages, and a rate of 60 cents for night messages, showing a decrease, in the toll charge, of 90 per cent. Appreciating the great importance of the telegraph, and with a view of giving every possible encouragement to the progress and advancement of the Territory, President Young, in 1865, organized the Deseret Telegraph Company, and commenced to build a line, which was completed between Salt Lake City and Ogden on December 29th, 1866. Late it was extended to Brigham City and Logan, and very shortly thereafter to all the principal points through the southern part of the Territory. That veteran in the telegraph service, A Milton Musser, was the first superintendent of the Deseret Company, while W. W. Riter was the first secretary and treasurer. Previously, in the winter of 1865, John Clowes had opened a school for telegraphy in this city; and among his students were: Morris Wilkinson, now secretary of the Mammoth Mining Company; Moses Thatcher; George Tribe; Joseph A. West, secretary and chief engineer of the Sumpter Valle Railway Company; S. A. Kenne; W. A. C. Bryan; William B. Dougall; James Jack; Knud Torgeson; George Peart; Richard S. Horne; Volney King; Mrs. Emma Lunt; John Henry Smith; Adolphus Whitehead; R. C. Lund; John Hougaard; John D. Stark; Alfred G. Davis; Walter Davis; and last, but not least, President Anthon H. Lund, who was the first operator at Mount Pleasant, in Sanpete County. Of the above, there is no question that Messrs. Kenner, Bryhan, Dogall, and Lund proved to be the most expert operators. Mr. Dougall became prominent as manager of the office and later succeeding Mr. Musser as Superintendent. All of the others named, however, were proficient in a degree; but in those days it was not so much the skill of an operator as it was his devotion to his labors; and, in this regard, all of those connected with the Deseret Telegraph service, as far as is known, proved true to their duties. A little later, we recall the name of Josiah Rogerson, who is at this time a proficient operator in the service of the Western Union Company, this city, and is the oldest practicing telegraph operator in the State. Mr. Rogerson’s work at this time, in view of his age, is considered marvelous. We recall, also, the names of Miss Rosella Peacock, now wife of Hon. Jams E. Clinton, residing in Salt Lake Cit; and her sister Miss Janie Peacock (Mrs. J. H. Hague) now agent Oregon Short Line, at Lava, Idaho; Emma Symons, of Provo; Barbara Evans, of Lehi, who became Mrs. John P. Bush; Elizabeth Claridge, who is no other than Mrs. A. W. McCune, also a resident here; Jno. W. Irons, the Misses Ida and Ina Johnson, the latter being now and for many years past, agent of the Oregon Short Line at Bancroft, Idaho; Anna Kimball, later Mrs. Knox now with the Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution; Alf. Davis; Teddie Taylor; William B. Parr; the Spencer boys, mentioned hereafter; and Mr. Arthur O. Long, who has been in the employ of the Western Union Company for many years, and through faithful service was finally promoted to the position of manager of the Salt Lake City office. Of the operators at that time, who were connected with the railway service, we recall Richard P. Morris, ex-mayor of Salt Lake City; Chas. W. Nibley, Eli H. Pierce, Richard W. Young, R. C. Badger, Douglas A. Swan, Geo. W. Cushing, William J. Batemen, John O. Hampton, Hon. James E. Clinton, formerly county commissioner; General C. S. Burton, cashier of the State Bank of Utah; Zina Wood, now wife of the assistant secretary of state; Heber L. Cummings, Miss Ellen West, Mary A. Layton, and David Egbert of Kaysville, William G. Sharp, president of the United States Smelting & Refining Company; M. C. Morris, secretary Horn Silver Manufacturing Company; Moses Evans; D. S. Spencer, Asst. General Passenger Agent, Oregon Short Line Railroad; John Peters, Post Master at American Fork; and Lizzie Cotterell of Farmington. The Spencer family contributed four telegraph operators to the service; and we are proud to say that probably two of the best telegraph operators, at any time, were E. Burke Spencer and Jacob T. Spencer. In the early days, thirty words per minute was a high rate of speed. There was at that time, a sort of brotherhood among telegraph operators, and very strong union of feeling. It was very seldom that an operator failed to say, “God morning” or “Good night” over the wire, but this did not last for many years. Like every thing else, this sociability gave way to commercial methods. As we all, probably, know, the electric telegraph was the invention of Professor Samuel F. B. Morse, and was begun in 1832 and perfected in 1837. The first telegraph line was built from Washington to Baltimore in 1843-4. The first message that was ever transmitted and consisting of our words only, was sent by Professor Morse on May 24th, 1844, from the United States Supreme Court Chamber, in Washington to Baltimore, was written by a young lady to whom the honor has been given, and read: “What hath God Wrought?” The word “telegraph: is of Greek derivation, meaning; “tele,” afar off, and “grapho” to write. The process of forming the first telegraph battery was by the use of carbon and zinc with nitric acid. In the second process, the telegraph current was made from zinc and copperas; glass jars of about two quarts capacity being used, and a plate of copper placed in the bottom, with a body of zinc suspended in the upper part of the jar. The jar was filled with water, and bluestone or copperas was placed in the bottom on the copper plate, the jars being connected up, alternating from zinc to copper. Both of these methods are now done away with, and the electric current is made by the motor. In the very early days, it was not unusual for messages to be received on a register on which would be used a paper tape; and as the current was broken, at the sending end of the line, a weight would drop and cause the wheel, on which the paper tape was wrapped, to revolve, and a pin would prick holes or make dashes in the paper; and at intervals would leave spaces; so that the receiving operator would read the dots, dashes and spaces in forming letters and making words. Shortly afterwards, however, all telegraphing was done by sound. For many years a single wire was single current, and could be used at but one time; and when the sending operator was using the wire, the line could not be used for any other purpose. Now, however, after a long series of experimental improvements, modern telegraphing is done over what is known as the quadruplex, by which means four operators can use the same wire at the same time.. For instance, a telegraph operator can sit on one side of the table in Salt Lake, and another operator on the opposite, while two operators may hold relative positions in Chicago. One of the Salt Lake operators can send to one of the Chicago operators, and at the same time the other Chicago operator can send to the other Salt Lake operator. All modern telegraph offices are equipped with typewriters, and it is of ordinary occurrence to handle forty-five and fifty words per minute; but this is not to be compared with the most modern service on the Associated Press wires, in connection with what is known as the Associated Press code. This code consists of some twelve hundred words, all of which are committed to memory by all Associated Press operators. To illustrate the brevity, I quote below a few of the code words and their translation: Fas--Fairly active and steady. Damu--Dull and market unsettled. Uxe--Unconstitutional. Vpr--Vice-President. Fah--Firmer and higher. Obm--Quotations barely main maintained. Mwdc--Market without decided change. It may be interesting to know that we now have in Utah some one thousand eight hundred and fourteen miles of pole telegraph, and some twenty thousand miles of wire telegraph. This does not include, of course, the wire used by telephone companies and the railways. Undoubtedly, the one person who has devoted the most time and energy to the establishing and maintaining of telegraphy in Utah was A. Milton Musser, who was most faithful in his labors in this regard, and who always had the respect and confidence of his employees. Probably no one man has worked harder in the construction and maintenance of telegraphic lines and service in Utah than that veteran Harry V. Cox, who all telegraph operators in Utah knew and regarded most highly. M. B. Wheelwright of Ogden was another veteran line man, also Alex Carr of Salt Lake City. Many of those who were connected with telegraphy in the early days of Utah have attained much prominence in the State. I am convinced now more thoroughly, than ever, that this is the result of loyalty to their labors and their employers and a strong ambition to perform well the duties that were assigned them. In the early days, the compensation of the telegraph operators was very small, and many of the operators whose names have been given, associated themselves with the work very much as some men devote their time and energy to religious duties; in fact, to many operators, it was part of their religion. This was particularly the case in southern Utah, where the telegraph played such a useful part during Indian depredations, when there was such a great need of rapid and direct communication. For many years a telegraph office was maintained at the headquarters of President Young, in this city; who was in direct and immediate communication with every important locality in the State. The use of the telegraph, next to the railroad, has undoubtedly done more to build up the commercial interests of Utah than any other undertaking; and the enterprise and energy President Young have received the fullest and most deserved recognition. We recall a most complimentary telegram from General P. E. Connor, the founder of Fort Douglas, to President Young, upon the completion of the Deseret line to Pioche, in which the General extended his most grateful acknowledgment and appreciation of the President’s energy and enterprise. Source: The Utah Genealogical & Historical Magazine, Vol. 1, October 1910 Submitted and transcribed by Richard Ramos



©2012 Genealogy Trails