My Sisters Telegraphic: Women in the Telegraph Office ... - Monoskop

24
DAILY LIFE IN THE TELEGRAPH OFFICE
into transmission, much to the annoyance of anyone else trying to receive
the message. Thus new operators were under pressure to come up to speed
quickly and avoid time-wasting and embarrassing requests for retransmission.
To transmit an outgoing message, the operator had to open the switch
lever, which shorted out the key during reception. The key could then be
used to send; only one operator could send on a standard line at any time.
The operator would send the text from the message form filled out by
the customer. After completing the transmission, the operator would write
her “sign” (a name or initials), the sign of the distant receiving office, the
time of transmission, and the “check,” which indicated word count, on the
message form. A notation would then be made on an outgoing message log
and the original filed in a transmitted message file.
It was important to have a smooth, graceful sending style; beginners were
often accused of sending in an awkward, choppy style. “Clipping” was an affected
sending mannerism in which the proper duration was not given to each
dot or dash; male telegraphers frequently accused women of clipping. 14
Many telegraphers experienced “stage fright” the first time they were
called upon to send a message. Barbara Gowans, a Tooele, Utah, operator in
the 1870s, had an experience that was typical for many first-time operators:
“I will never forget the first message I sent. . . . I was very nervous, I tried
but all that was received was the address and the signature.” 15
An operator’s “sign” was an important part of her identity; it signified
membership in the telegraphic fraternity. Emma Hunter of West Chester,
Pennsylvania, was better known to other telegraphers as “Emma of S.”
Women operators sometimes made up fanciful names to use as their personal
signs so as to create an atmosphere of mystery or just to be playful. In
Utah in 1867, Mary Ellen Love, Elizabeth Claridge, and Elizabeth Parks,
the first three women to become operators for the Deseret Telegraph,
signed themselves as “Estelle,” “Lizzette,” and “Belle,” respectively. Their
signs stayed with them as nicknames for years; even their families began
using them. Women often used their signs when writing to the telegraphic
journals, particularly regarding women’s issues; use of a sign allowed a telegrapher
to identify herself to other operators while still preserving personal
anonymity. 16
To qualify as a first-class operator, one had to be able to send and re-