How Telegrams Were Written in 1928

Have you every wondered about telegrams and the rules that were used to write one? Everything you need to know is contained in a 1928 booklet written by Nelson Ross called How To Write Telegrams Properly. It is a fascinating look at not just telegram rules, but also a historical snapshot of telegraph services in 1928. The many topics covered include:

• How to Save Words
• Tolls – How Computed
• Extra Words and Their Avoidance
• Collect Cards and Their Uses
• Messages for Persons on Trains
• How to Send Money by Telegraph
• “Telegraphic Shopping” Service

The range of telegraph services available was quite impressive. I knew that it was possible send money by telegraph (think Western Union), but I didn’t know it was possible to send a telegram to a person on a train. The Telegraphic Shopping Service sounds like a 1920’s prototype for e-commerce. I wonder how far that idea developed.

This booklet is one of the many resources on The Telegraph Office, a site devoted to telegraphy, or as they put it:

A Tribute to Morse Telegraphy and Resource for Wire and Wireless Telegraph Key Collectors and Historians

Written by Matthew Reed | Filed Under Technology · History · telegraph