The Pittsburg Western Union Office and Brooks Insulators

The New Pittsburg Western Union Office. --

Brooks and Glass Insulation,

Bad Joints, &c.

PITTSBURG, Pa., Aug.13.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TELEGRAPHER.

FOR several months I have been waiting in hopes of seeing in the columns of THE TELEGRAPHER some communication relative to telegraphic matters in the "Smoky City," but have been disappointed, and have at last concluded to take upon myself - though with some diffidence as to my ability - the task of preparing a letter for publication.

Before commencing the more essential part of my communication, I would remark that it appears to me that our brother operators occupy the columns of our paper too much with complaints of grievances; and when they have pleasant offices, and other things comfortable and satisfactory, they become lethargic, and do not think of the pleasure it would afford friends and old acquaintances and associates elsewhere to hear of their prosperity and happiness. It seems to me that this is not exactly the proper course. Our friends and the public should hear both sides of the question. Our greatest effort and desire is for pleasure, and the easiest and most satisfactory way to gain this is, as far as we can, to make others happy. This idea may seem singular to some, who are always inclined to look rather at the discomforts and inconveniences they suffer than to the comforts and conveniences they enjoy; but it has been proved true in one instance, at least, and is very easily tested by others.

About a year and a half ago the main office of the Western Union Company in this city was located at 67 and 69 Fifth avenue, and we occupied a room of about 35 by 80 feet dimensions, with three dingy windows in the narrow front through which to obtain light and air. It must have been an uncommonly bright and clear day when we were not obliged to depend upon gas for the necessary light by which to do our business. Besides this, the ventilation was very defective, and in the coldest weather the whole room was warmed by one large stove in the centre. There were, besides, numerous other and more vexatious arrangements, in. separable from the location, which would have been almost unendurable but for the fact that it was a pleasure for any one to work for those under whom we were placed, and, I might almost add, under any circumstances. Without exception, from the Superintendent down, we are highly favored in our official superiors.

One year ago, last April, we were transferred from the quarters which I have briefly described above to an office probably as pleasant and convenient as can be found in the country. We now occupy a large and excellently lighted and ventilated room on the corner of Wood and Fifth streets. The operating department is in the fourth story of the building, and is heated by steam - five steam registers being distributed so as to give a pleasant and agreeable temperature in all parts of it, even in the coldest and most disagreeable winter weather. The room is furnished with eleven tables, each table supporting four complete sets of instruments, among which are five sets of Milliken and one set of Gray & Barton repeaters. The switch board, which was made by Gray & Barton, of Chicago, is of the peg pattern, and intended to accommodate sixty wires, but as yet there are only forty-nine wires, with several loops, to different parts of the city, in use. Our instruments (with the exception of the Milliken repeaters) are of the Ottawa pattern and manufacture. The office wires are run in the usual manner for large offices, under a raised platform beneath the tables. The main batteries used are the Grove, but the Callaud has been adopted exclusively for the locals. The battery room is in the fifth story, where there are two main batteries of forty-five and one of fifty cells, besides two city line batteries of twenty cells each.

The office of the Superintendent of this District, Mr. C. O. Rowe, is on the third floor, below the operating room; and the receiving room and office of the Manager, Mr. S. L. Gilson, are on the first floor, and are connected with the operating room by a pneumatic tube.

Our Chief Operator, Mr. D. Fleming, has provided himself with one of Siemen's Galvanometers, by the use of which he has made himself thoroughly familiar with the condition of the wires, some of which test up, pretty well. It is seldom that New York and St. Louis are unable to work one through wire, and New York and Cincinnati two, by this route, and they usually work very well.

Although we are all aware of the defects of glass insulation, I think that not more than half the hard working of the wires is justly chargeable to them. In the last number of THE TELEGRAPHER you spoke of the new order issued by the General Manager of the Pennsylvania R. R. Co. for the exclusive use of Brooks insulators upon the telegraph lines of that company. This is certainly a very important improvement; but, in connection with that fact, it should be stated that every joint in the line wire on that road is firmly soldered, and, whenever breaks occur in the line, the joints are promptly soldered as soon as the line is re-repaired. Their Chief Operator, Mr. McCormick, has learned a fact - which most of our railroad telegraph friends seem to be either ignorant of or ignore - which is, that rusty joints do not make a good conductor. Probably many railroad telegraph managers and operators would be surprised and incredulous if told that, at numerous places on their lines (where they pass through woods and are often broken by trees), a dozen joints could be pointed out, within a distance of forty rods, the combined resistance of which would more than equal fifteen miles of number eight wire. In fact, it is not an uncommon occurrence for our repairman to bring in single connections that measure as high as twenty-five ohms resistance!

The joints of all our eastern wires are soldered, and several of them run on Brooks insulators as far as Altoona (the end of Mr. Rowe's district), and they give results so superior to our western wires that it is to be hoped the latter may soon go through the same process.

The following is the staff of the office, and with this I will close this already somewhat lengthy communication:

S. L. GILSON, Manager.

D. FLEMING, Chief Operator.

MARION MARBLE, Circuit Manager.

J. T. MCCONNELL, Night Chief.

And the following operators:

T. W. Williams,   M. R. Wolff,

J. M. Fisher,   Jesse Mellor,

James Kerr,   J. M. Coulter,

Benj. Lloyd,   Reese Lloyd,

- Wells,   Victor Muse,

C H. McConnell,   Jas. Bryant,

M. Munson,   D. Moreland,

S. A. Duncan,   Wm. Maize,

- Irwin,   S. S. Wolfe,

J. A. Aughenbaugh,   Wm. Byrne,

H. M. Burrell, R. D. E. Rowe,

D. Colestock,   L. McMullin,

- McCartney,   Arensburg,

M. Ryan,   J. E. Palmer

- Gosden. OLE.