Western Union

It is nearly impossible for us today to fathom what life was like before everyone was instantly connected. I can remember friends who still had party line telephones growing up. Back in the day Western Union telegrams were the closest thing to instantaneous communication over long distances.

One thing about the antique music show is you never know what will turn up. The dealer I acquired my mailbox box from also had this contraption I had to have….

Researching the internet I found this information on how this instrument operated:

“A call box was mounted on the wall of a business office. When the businessman wanted a Western Union (or Postal Telegraph) boy to come pick up a message to be sent by telegram, he'd turn and release the crank on his call box. This would generate a series of pulses (usually a two or three digit code). At the telegraph office, many selectors (Gill selectors) were connected to the wire. A selector is like a relay with a gear escapement matched to a certain series of pulses. The pulses received over the wire from the office call box would trip a specific Gill selector, closing a set of contacts and lighting a lamp or otherwise indicating the origin of the call. The telegram boy would them know which office to go to.”

The picture shows the breaks in the wheel that would trigger relays to be opened and closed in a certain sequence. This is also how the familiar “Fire Call Boxes” operated.

Listening to Marketplace on NPR this afternoon one segment was on one of the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” who was 11 MILLION dollars in debt. She listed all her designer things she LOVED and HAD to have: Gucci etc…. That got me to thinking… if I ever got into a mess like that it would be from buying bricks, fire hydrants, mailboxes and manhole covers!!!!

Western Union was still around in the 1960’s to inspire a hit song: