tTbc Electric Eelegrapb. 101 



wrecked at some distance from any station. 

 He climbed a telegraph pole, cut the wire and 

 by alternately joining and separating the ends 

 sent a message, detailing the story of the 

 wreck, to headquarters, and asked for assist- 

 ance. He then held the two ends of the wire 

 on each side of his tongue and tasted out the 

 reply that help was coming. Any one who 

 has ever tasted a current knows that it is very 

 pronounced. 



A story similar to this is told of the early 

 days when the Bain chemical system was used 

 between Washington City and some other 

 point. This system made marks on chemi- 

 cally-prepared paper; as the current passed 

 through it left marks on the paper from the 

 decomposition of the chemicals. Some of the 

 preparations emitted an odor during the time 

 that the current passed. The occurrence to 

 which we refer took place at presidential elec- 

 tion time. At some station out of Washing- 

 ton an operator was employed who had a blind 

 , and this sister knew the Morse alphabet 

 well before she became blind. One evening a 

 signal came to get ready for a message con- 

 taining the returns from the election. In the 

 hurry, and just as the message had started, the 

 lamp was upset and they were in total dark- 

 ness at least, the brother was. The sister, 

 poor girl, had been in darkness a long time. 

 The blind sister leaned over the stylus through 



