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| Main Street, Cortland, N. Y. |
Semi-Centennial of the Telegraph.
Installed
in Cortland—First Message Over the Wire a Momentous One.
Fifty years ago today, April 12, 1861, the
Morse telegraph was for the first time installed in Cortland. The first telegraph
office was in the drug store of Dr. T. C. Pomeroy, which was then in a little
frame building at the corner of Main and Court-sts., where the National Bank of
Cortland is now located. A special expert of the installing company had come to
Cortland to place the instruments and get all ready for leaving it in charge of
the regular operator. He had finished his work just before supper time on
Friday evening, April 12, and went down to the Eagle tavern, where the
Messenger [House] is now, for his supper. When he returned the drug store was
half full of men who had assembled curious at knowing what the new telegraph could
do and who were hoping that the operator would try some experiments with it
when he returned.
As the operator came in the door the
instrument began ticking. He approached the instrument and a startled look came
over his face as he heard the sound.
"Keep quiet a moment," said he to the
crowd and a deathly stillness fell over the room.
"Is that so?" was his slow and
deep toned exclamation as the instrument stopped ticking. Then turning to the crowd
he said, "Fort Sumter has been fired upon." And that was the first message
that ever came over a telegraph line to Cortland, fifty years ago tonight.
There are residents of Cortland today who
were present and who remember the incident as distinctly as though it were but
yesterday.
The operator then went to the instrument and
called up the sending office and got more details which he quickly gave to the
anxious and listening crowd who in a few moments filled the store almost to
suffocation. And how the news spread through all the town that night and what
excitement it caused.
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