Arduous Years In The Central West - 3

Arduous Years In The Central West - 3

Edison's diversions in Cincinnati were chiefly those already observed. He read a great

deal, but spent most of his leisure in experiment. Mr. Adams remarks: "Edison and I were

very fond of tragedy. Forrest and John McCullough were playing at the National Theatre,

and when our capital was sufficient we would go to see those eminent tragedians

alternate in Othello and Iago. Edison always enjoyed Othello greatly. Aside from an

occasional visit to the Loewen Garden `over the Rhine,' with a glass of beer and a few

pretzels, consumed while listening to the excellent music of a German band, the theatre

was the sum and substance of our innocent dissipation."

The Cincinnati office, as a central point, appears to have been attractive to many of the

clever young operators who graduated from it to positions of larger responsibility. Some

of them were conspicuous for their skill and versatility. Mr. Adams tells this interesting

story as an illustration: "L. C. Weir, or Charlie, as he was known, at that time agent for

the Adams Express Company, had the remarkable ability of taking messages and copying

them twenty-five words behind the sender. One day he came into the operating- room,

and passing a table he heard Louisville calling Cincinnati. He reached over to the key and

answered the call. My attention was arrested by the fact that he walked off after

responding, and the sender happened to be a good one. Weir coolly asked for a pen, and

when he sat down the sender was just one message ahead of him with date, address, and

signature. Charlie started in, and in a beautiful, large, round hand copied that message.

The sender went right along, and when he finished with six messages closed his key.

When Weir had done with the last one the sender began to think that after all there had

been no receiver, as Weir did not `break,' but simply gave his O. K. He afterward became

president of the Adams Express, and was certainly a wonderful operator." The operatingroom

referred to was on the fifth floor of the building with no elevators.

Those were the early days of trade unionism in telegraphy, and the movement will

probably never quite die out in the craft which has always shown so much solidarity.

While Edison was in Cincinnati a delegation of five union operators went over from

Cleveland to form a local branch, and the occasion was one of great conviviality. Night

came, but the unionists were conspicuous by their absence, although more circuits than

one were intolerant of delay and clamorous for attention---eight local unionists being

away. The Cleveland report wire was in special need, and Edison, almost alone in the

office, devoted himself to it all through the night and until 3 o'clock the next morning,

when he was relieved.