[CW] How was message routing done?

[Richard Knoppow]

     I've researched this as far as I can on the web.
     I learned code partly from copying commercial maritime 
stations and to some extent ships. Probably at the time a phone 
book would have suggested the answer but, alas, I can't find any 
on line.
     Stations broadcast traffic lists periodically. These were 
lists of call letter of ships for which the station held 
messages. After these broadcasts I would often hear ships calling 
in for their messages. Now what did not puzzle me then but does 
now is did each shore station have a separate traffic list? How 
did a ship station know which stations to listen for? Assuming 
ships of U.S. registry there were something like nine shore 
stations in the U.S. surely the ships did not have to copy 
traffic lists from all of them.
    So, I would like to know the routine for sending a message to 
a ship. Lets assume these are ships of U.S. registry. Suppose I 
have a friend who is traveling on the SS Neuresthenic, a large 
passenger ship. Lets further specify its in the Pacific 
somewhere. Suppose also that I live someplace there is not a 
shore station, say Las Vegas. How did I go about sending a 
radiogram? I had assumed that one just called Western Union and 
sent it but would I have to have called one of the radio 
companies from LV? Also, would I have to have known which company 
the ship contracted with? I have an extremely vague memory of 
seeing an ad in the Los Angeles yellow pages for RCA soliciting 
radiograms via RCA. Maybe I am imagining it. Presumably the 
message went to a message center and then to the appropriate 
station.
     I have become totally shameless in my old age in attempting 
to satisfy my curiosity. If this is a really stupid question, so 
be it, I want to know.

-- 
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL