THE CITY OF MANCHESTER 217 



with the Post-Office in 1870, it was important to 

 obtain not merely a great quantity of galvanized iron 

 wire, but wire of the best quality specially prepared 

 for being strained on telegraph-posts. Manchester, 

 amongst other places, stood us in good stead. 



I remember, in the seventies, visiting the telegraph 

 and other wireworks of Messrs. Eichard Johnson, 

 Son and Nephew, at Manchester, from whom large 

 supplies of telegraph-wire were procured, and witness- 

 ing all the processes of drawing a No. 8 (Birmingham- 

 wire-gauge) galvanized iron wire. 



At this length of time, my recollection may be at 

 fault, but I am tolerably sure that I was left with the 

 conviction that within three days of a truckload of 

 pig-iron leaving the works of an iron-producing district 

 — say in Yorkshire — a telegram might pass through 

 it. To go into detail, the requisite quantity could be 

 converted into wrought iron in Lancashire ; passed 

 through all the stages of puddling, rolling, and 

 drawing out into a mile of wire ; than galvanized, 

 coiled, sent off by train — say to Kendal; put on 

 telegraph-posts, and telegraphy commenced upon it 

 in a third county — all within three days. 



Marvellous as the rapidity of conversion was in the 

 seventies, I believe it is the fact that at this date it is 

 possible, due to improved processes, to manufacture, 

 in Messrs. Johnson's works, iron — if already converted 

 to bar — into a coil of No. 8 galvanized ' killed ' 

 telegraph-wire in the short splice of four hours. 



Hence, in any great telegraph-work of emergency 



