THE MICHIGAN DAILY
BRASS POUNDING':
Hand Telegraphy Dying Out'
What's Upin theDorms
By JACK BARENSE
The once prospering occupation
of "brass pounding" is in its dy-
ing phases; according to one of
Ann Arbor's few remaining vet-
erans of manual telegraphy.
E. D. Whitesell, manager of the
Ann Arbor Western Union, decid-
ed back in 1903 to become a tele-
graph operator. He said that in
those days one of the best ways
to see the still young West 'was
to become a "brass pounder."
* * *
"A QUALIFIED operator could
get a job nearly anywhere and I
wanted to see the country," White-
sell said. However by 1906 he had
only travelled from his home state,
Indiana, to Michigan where he has
stayed ever since.
In 1920 labor and time saving
teletype machines began replac-
ing the manual operators until
today there are few of them left.
Some, said Whitesell, have been
absorbed in other phases of the
telegraph business while others
.have died, retired or learned new
skills.
There are even some former.
"brass pounders" who are now on
the University faculty, he said.
* * *
1
* * * *
(Editor's Note: Contributors to
What's Up in the Dorms should
contact DolorestPalanker at The
Daily or 105 Betsy Barbour.)
Thursday Mosher Hall present-
ed its first faculty dinner followed
by a coffee hour in the living room
which provided an opportunity for
Mosher residents to meet members
of the faculty.
Representatives of the various
departments were invited as well
as Mrs. Elsie R. Fuller, assistant
to the Dean of Women, and Mrs.
Mary J. Hoag, Mosher-Jordan die-
tician, who were the guests of.
Mrs. Frederick C. Klein, Mosher
house director.
GUESTS INCLUDED the fol-
lowing:
Dr. Irving M. Copilowish, phi-
losophy; Murray J. Franklin, eco-
nomics; Dr. Roger W. Heyns, psy-
chology; Dr. Frank J. Huntley,
English; Dr. Kenneth L. Jones,
botany; Dr. Andrei A. Lobanov-
Rostovsky, history; Dr. Howard Y.
McClusky, education; Dr. Norman
E. Nelson, English.
The list continues with Dr.
George A. Peek, political sci-
ence, and Mrs. Peek; Dr. Wil-
liam B. Willcox, history, and
Mrs. Willcox; Dr. Morris Green-
hut, English; Dr. Edward B.
Ham, French; Dr. Hazel M.
Losh, astronomy; James B. Wal-
lace, music literature; and Phebe
G. Williams, zoology.
Special hostesses for each of the
faculty guests were: Martha
Adams, Marilyn Blancett, Pat
Doyle, Gilda Fried, Norma Ga-
vette, Marilyn Keck, Nancy Kling
and Georgia Pantoleon.
Other hostesses were Pat Pats-
loff, Mickey Sager, Mary Lou
Stegner, Harriet Stern, Doris Too-
hey, Edith Weiss and Jerrie Wolfe.
* * *
A FOUR-PAGE newspaper
which aims to "entertain, inform
and foster spirit and friendship
among the women residing in their
home away from home' has just
been published in the New Wom-
en's Dorm.
Better Chow
WASHINGTON - The Navy's'
wartime "C" rations are being re-
placed with more palatable and
varied rations, "C-4".
The staff of "The Question
Mark," a tentative name for the
paper, conducted a name contest
which closed Tuesday. The per-
son suggesting the prize-winning
name, to be announced shortly,
will write the second "Guest Col-
umn" of the newspaper.
Contest judges are Mrs. Ele-I
nore Fraser and Mrs. Dorothy
MacMullen, house directors; Flor-
ence Rosenberg, assistant director;
of graduate affairs; Dorothy
Kline, editor; and Lora Paschkes,
managing editor.
OTHER MEMBERS of the staff
are Tulane Itkoff, news editor;
Ann Mayhugh, feature editor;
Joan Mitchell, sports editor; Jean
Klerman, art editor; Barbara
Zamet, columnist; Marilyn Kap-
lan and Donna Hendelman, typ-
ists; Allison Bliss, business man-
ager; and Barbara Beckley, Judy
Levine, Lea Eisner and Lila Fer-
rance, reporters.
The first issue of "The Question
Mark" featured articles by the
house directors and a column by
Daily Associate Sports Editor Bud
Weidenthal.
Fadiman
To Lecture
Tomorrow
"Our Writers, Our Country and
Our Planets" will be the topic of
the final lecture of the Oratorical
Series when Clifton Fadiman
winds up the season at 8:30 p.m.'
tomorrow in Hill Auditorium.
Fadiman is perhaps most widely
known for his sparkling comment
as master of ceremonies of the
popular radio program, "Informa-
tion Please," a post he has held
since 1938.
* * *
A NATIVE NEW YORKER and
graduate of Columbia University,
Fadiman has been a steady con-
tributor to magazines and news-
papers for almost a quarter of a
century.
After two years with Simon
and Schuster he became its ed-
itor. Following that initial start,
he was engaged by the New
Yorker as book reviewer.
Tickets to the lecture are on
sale at Hill Auditorium box of-
fice.
Contraband in Laundry
Cases Warned Against
The Post Office issued a second
warning against contraband
written material in laundry cases
yesterday and reported finding
three violations in the past two
days.
"Laundry cases with hand-
written material or typewritten
material have seen sent on to
their destinations at first class
rates," officials announced.
* * *
TWO CASES discovered Mon-
day will arrive with 10 or 11
dollars postage due, they said, and
one yesterday was charged eight
dollars.
It was emphasized that books
and printed matter are legal
but that letters, even if opened,
are still first class matter.
"Everyone is asked at the win-
dow if their cases contain contra-
band. but they always reply in the
negative. We try to open every
case."
* * *
MISS MARY PURTELL, super-
intendent of the campus branch,
said she notified house mothers
but with poor results.
"Anyone enclosing written ma-
terial is liable to a fine up to
$100 for illegal use of the mails,"
she said.
Other contraband items which
the Post Office has found include
liquor, for which there is a $300
fine, and matches.
...
9
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i
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1 - ~~ - ---- - - .------
"MORSE CODE operators today
can only find limited regular em-'
ployment with a few railroads,"
the veteran operator said. "News-
papers all have automatic news
service machines and in the West-
ern Union the skill is only used
for line testing or when the tele-
type machines are overloaded.
"At University sport events,"
Whitesell related, "we still use
between 10 and 30 operators to
sendhthe newsbydirect wires/
to the sport desks of various
newspapers.1
"Gone are the Gays of the
GREGG COLLEGE
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College Men and Women
4 MONTH
INTENSIVE COURSE
SECRETARIAL TRAINING FOR COLLEGE
STUDENTS AND GRADUATES
A thorough intensive course-starting
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SPECIAL COUNSELOR for G.I. TRAINING
Regular Day and EveningSchools
Throughout the Year. Catalog
Director, Paul M. Pair, M.A.
THE GREGG COLLEGE
37 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago 3, Illinois
ELECTION
Daily-Barth
SCIENCE TOPS NOSTALGIA-"Brass pounding" of telegraphers'
keys is a dying art, E. D. Whitesell, manager of the Ann Arbor
Western Union observes as he vainly attempts to match dit-dots
with an employee using a modern typewriter sender.
* * * *
HAN DOUTS
low
TICKETS
'boomers' " said Whitesell with a'
touch of nostalgia in his tone.
"The 'boomers' were the expert
operators who would usually never
stay on one job more than a few
months," he explained. They were
unreliable and usually heavy
drinkers but they could always be
assured employment just because
they were so good."
* * *
ACCORDING to Whitesell, a{
person who can use a typewriterf
can, with three months training,
send messages faster than the pest
of the old Morse code senders.
Receiving too, once required stren-
uous training, has been reduced
to a matter of reading the
messages as the automatic tele-
type machine types it.
The most impressive event in
Whitesell's "brass pounding" ex-
perience was in 1912 when the
Titanic was sunk. He was work-
ing in the Pontiac telegraph of-
fice at the time. A large number
of people with relatives aboard
had crowded the office as the
survivor lists came over the
wire.
"The only thing comparable to
the scene," Whitesell said, "was
during the last war when we re-
ceived War Department casualty
telegrams."
Campus
Calendar
Astronomy Department-Lecture
by Sir Harold Spencer Jones, as-
tronomer at Royal Greenwich Ob-
servatory, England, on "Is There
Life on Other Worlds?"; 8 p.m.,
Rackham Lecture Hall.
Spring Concert - University
Symphony Orchestra; 8 p.m., Hill
Auditorium. Open to the public.
Education Department-Lecture
by Mary Ellen Lewis, former Mich-
igan Education Association Presi-
dent, on "The Relation of the
Beginning Teacher to Professional
Organizations"; 7 p.m., Univer-
sity High School Auditorium.
Speech Department - "Red
Feather on the Air" series; 10:45
a.m., Station WPAG.
Oriental Art Week-Final lec-
ture by Prof. Alexander Soper,
Bryn Mawr, on "Buddha inthe
Cave," 4:15 p.m., Kellogg Audi-
torium.
Union Opera-Meeting, cast and
committee members; 7 p.m., Rm.
3G, Union.
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