TELEGRAPH

Telegraph lines in Iowa in 1848. Solid lines show the circuit in service. The route between Dubuque and Davenport was undetermined. Image courtesy: Don Nelson

TELEGRAPH. In 1832 Samuel Morse perfected the first practical telegraph. In 1843 Congress appropriated $30,000 toward the construction of the first telegraph line which ran from Washington, D. C. to Baltimore, Maryland. (1) On May 27, 1844 Miss Anne Elsworth sent the first message,"What hath God wrought?" The telegraph was an immediate success with all the important eastern cities linked within three years. Within five years, the telegraph reached Iowa. (2)

Constructing a telegraph line was difficult. The roads were few and poorly maintained. Poles were cut as near the new line as possible and were usually hickory, oak or pine. They were of irregular heights and set at irregular intervals. The line was a single strand of #10 black iron wire. This was hung unevenly and often carelessly from the poles. When crossing rivers, the wire had to be hung high enough not to interfere with steamboat traffic. Money to construct lines was raised from the sale of stock to people in communities along the line. (3)

Reorganizations and consolidations of companies generally resulted in the stock losing its value. Between 1857 and 1861, consolidations of telegraph companies took place so that most of the telegraph interests of the United States had merged into six systems. These were the American Telegraph Company (covering the Atlantic and some Gulf states), the Western Union Telegraph Company (covering states north of the Ohio River and parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Minnesota), the New York Albany and Buffalo Electro-Magnetic Telegraph Company (covering New York State), the Atlantic and Ohio Telegraph Company (covering Pennsylvania), the Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph Company (covering sections of Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois), and the New Orleans & Ohio Telegraph Company (covering the southern Mississippi Valley and the Southwest). All these companies worked together in a mutually friendly alliance, and other small companies cooperated with the six systems, particularly some on the West Coast. (4)

The first receiving instruments were machines called "receiving registers." They imprinted dots and dashes of Morse code on a narrow tape or ribbon of paper. "Ear reading" of Morse code came later and simplified the process. (5)

The telegraph came to Dubuque in 1848. (6) The lines were laid from the bluffs of East Dubuque and entered Dubuque by way of 7th Street and then to Main to a building that later became Mason's Hardware Store. (7) In September, 1848, the first telegraph line was completed and opened to Peru, Illinois. The operator in Peru at first intended it for a woman he knew at the WAPLES HOUSE. She, on the other hand, realized that this would be a public event so she asked that it be sent to honor all the ladies in the hotel. (8) The first messages were as follows:

         "Peru, September 15, 1848. The compliments of C. S. 
         Oslere to the ladies of the Waples House by lightning: 
         would be happy to receive a 'flash' from them. C. S. 
         Oslere." 

         The following answer was "flashed" back : "Dubuque, 
         September 15, 1848. C. S. Oslere: The ladies of the 
         Waples House thank Mr. Oslere for his burning communication; 
         it warmed their cold hearts; they rejoice to know that 
         they have a 'spark' in Peru. Ladies of Waples House." (9)

In 1852 the rate for sending ten works from New York to Dubuque was $1.40. Rates to other Iowa communities were $1.35 to Burlington, $1.55 to Muscatine, and $1.75 to Iowa City. (10) In November 1863 seven carloads of poles were carried across the MISSISSIPPI RIVER to extend the line west. Holes for the poles had been dug to Winthrop and poles and wires had been erected to Farley. An office in Farley was expected to be opened soon. (11) Work on completing a telegraph line between Dubuque and Cedar Falls began on October 6, 1863 with a completion date set for November. (12)

On December 27, 1873 the Pacific and Atlantic Telegraph Company did their last day of business in Dubuque. Control of the wires passed to the Western Union Company on December 28, 1873. (13)

In 1878 district telegraph was introduced to Dubuque. As described by the Dubuque Herald staff, they "set the pointer," pulled the starter, and received the setup signal. "Before it had fairly ceased sounding, in came a boy with ticket in hand to take our order." (14)

The third Iowa General Assembly provided for the use of highways by responsible telegraph companies. Railroads and telegraph companies soon worked together with both arriving in communities at about the same time. By 1935 the telegraph had been perfected to the point that pictures could be transmitted. (15)

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Source:

1. "History of the Telegraph," HistoryWired. Online: http://historywired.si.edu/detail.cfm?ID=324

2. Moeller, Hubert L. "The Telegraph Reaches Iowa," The Des Moines Register, March 18, 1935

3. Ibid.

4. "History of the Telegraph."

5. Moeller.

6. Oldt, Franklin T. The History of Dubuque County, Iowa. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880, Online: http://books.google.com/books?id=u9xDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA464&lpg=PA464&dq=Burton%27s+Furnace+%28dubuque+history%29&source=bl&ots=0CkCGLFR0v&sig=a0Ou1vN3ew6nQUYoq2aOJsXF9Mg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=j3HVT5XALaP42QXVp9iFDw&ved=0CGgQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Burton%27s%20Furnace%20%28dubuque%20history%29&f=false (p. 527)

7. Ibid.

8. "The First Telegraphic Message Ever Received in Dubuque," Dubuque Herald, August 3, 1875, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18750803&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

9. Oldt., p. 84 Online: ww.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/franklin-t-oldt/history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl/page-9-history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl.shtml, p. 84

10. Moeller.

11. "Progress of the Telegraph," Dubuque Democratic Herald, November 3, 1863, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A36e8EsbUSoC&dat=18631103&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

12. "Work Commenced." Dubuque Democratic Herald, October 8, 1863, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A36e8EsbUSoC&dat=18631008&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

13. "Last Day of Business," Dubuque Herald, December 28, 1873, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18731228&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

14. "It's a Success," Dubuque Herald, May 5, 1878, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18780307&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

15. Moeller.