CURIOSITIES OF THE TELEGRAPH.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 230, 17 January 1877, Page 2

CURIOSITIES OF THE TELEGRAPH.

We can imagine the astonishment of a butler who received a telegram from his master— a certain nobleman—asking him to send at once ''ten bob," as he was " greatly in need of it." Of course the message had been wrongly transmitted, '' ten bob" having originally been "tin box." This story, which happened not many years ago, was told me by a gentleman who was in the telegraph department at that time, and had to deal with the complaint which, was made about the matter. The following also comes from the same source :—At one of the gatherings held periodically at Braemar, some years ago, a certain earl telegraphto for a cockec 1 r< °. sent tr )n at

'once. In transmitting the message, the article mentioned a» wanted wm converted into " cooked ham>" «bwh was actuady forwarded forthwith, greatly t<> the surprise ami indignation of the uookman. A telegvam w.M once- received ad Mtow.-" iUea3» mad your 'pig' t" m ß et me at the station." Of coiir.-x ll have been 'gig/ the instrument having made what, in tuWgcaphtc phraseology, is called a false dot. Over and over again, jaded railway official* hawe b«en eawsed fruitless searches uftor a mis.nng " black boy," through the want of power <>n tin; part of the telegraph to discriminate between } and " x." Tho stories current on this point are numerous, but the best £ have yet hoard is tho following ; S,,nie time ago a station-master received a telegram from a lady, stating that she had loft at his station " two black boys '• in the waiting-room, she believed, and tied together with red tape; would he please forward them at once ( The astonished official caused search to be made:: but instead of "boys" he found two "boxes" in the waiting-room, as described. From a similar cause on the part of the electric tluid, a lady received from her son-in-law a telegram which astonished hfct not a little. It stated that his wife had presented him with a " tine box.