[GreenKeys] A funny patent

[jhhaynes at earthlink.net]

Number 332,193 of 1885.  The inventor says with lots of competing
telegraph companies in big cities they have to operate a lot of
offices that don't do enough business to make money, just to gain
market share.  (modern term, not his)  So he invents a system with
messenger call boxes in all these points of presence; the person
wishing to send a telegram summons the messenger from a nearby
office.  The invention also includes putting telegraph sounders
in these points of presence, operated by a motor-driven interrupter
that makes them sound more or less like Morse code, so the customers
think they are active telegraph offices with operators on duty.



jhhaynes at earthlink dot net