CLEVELAND DAY ON THE PLANET MARS
The bulletin board, which was the azure blue sky of Mars, contained the
names of many new arrivals by fast express train from the terrestrial
planet. These bulletins were seared into the bright sky by an electric
pen wielded by wireless telegraph, which left an impression plainly
visible and legible to all on the planet, and as there is no slumber
or tired feeling on the planet Mars, all of its sojourners were on the
_qui vive_ in anticipation of meeting old friends.
“Ah! There’s Nelson A. Buell, of Cleveland, Ohio,” cried out A. H.
Vanduzer, and instantly the Cleveland fraternity marshalled into line,
as one great body, to welcome the arrival of one of its loved members
while on Earth.
It was easy to recognize the face and form of the former manager of the
Cleveland office, with his Napoleonic face, from which radiated love
and kindness for his brother man.
There was a long list of friends and former associates to greet Mr.
Buell, operators, linemen, clerks and messengers being in the gathering.
Among those assembled to greet the newly arrived were the following:
E. P. Wright, A. H. Vanduzer, Chas. H. Lapp, L. A. Somers, A. J.
Desson, Nick Kerver, C. F. Stumm, Geo. T. Lowe, George Phillips, S. B.
Roberts, G. H. Wadsworth, E. T. Tindall, O. A. Gurley, E. C. Stockwell,
W. R. Williams, Richard Babbitt, D. C. Shull, J. N. McNamara, Marshall
S. Green, Thomas Callahan, John J. McCart, George E. Hinman and his
brother Walter, W. H. Eckman, Jas. P. McKinstry, George W. Baxter, Dan
R. Francis, Harry Collins, George Melton, George Winston Patteson,
Frank G. Beach, W. H. Spencer, Ed Schemerhorn, Hank Cowan, Charlie
Phillips, Ed. C. Jenney, Ed. B. Beecher, J. H. Wade, Anson Stager, Wm.
Hunter, Charlie Gorham, Hank W. Stager, Tom Miles, Thos. H. Gould and
others.
Many telegraph people from adjacent cities were also in evidence and
such dear old faces as Zeke Butman, of Fremont, Ohio; Dewitt C. Hill,
of Painesville, Ohio; William Bryant, of Erie, Pa.; Ed Burke and P. F.
McCarthy, of Sandusky; John A. Townsend, of Dunkirk, N. Y.; Frank Ross
and John Owens, of Columbus, Ohio; Henry W. Wynkoop, of Crestline; Wm.
Kline, Jr., Charles O. and George M. Brigham, of Toledo, and Mark Luce,
of Titusville, Pa.
Mr. Buell’s arrival was hailed with much delight and when he announced
that the next meeting of the Old Time Telegraphers was to be held
in Cleveland, the enthusiasm became greater, for all remembered the
previous meeting of that Association in the Forest City in 1886 and the
good time everyone had upon that occasion.
“I will never forget the ride to Rocky River,” said Mr. Stumm.
“And I will always remembers the trip to Put-in-Bay and Kelly’s
Island,” remarked O. A. Gurley.
All of the members had something pleasant to relate and all gave out
the hope that their wishes in the matter could reach their former
earthly colleagues.
“That matter will be attended to in the highest style of the art, as I
will write the subject up and hand it to Fred Moxon for transmission to
his earthly partner,” said George Hinman, as he proceeded to sharpen
his pencil.
Late copies of Telegraph and Telephone Age, brought to the planet Mars
by Nelson A. Buell were passed around and eagerly scanned and the
doings of the Pleiades Club were favorably commented upon.
“While the secretary of the Old Timers, John Brant, is reading
felicitous telegrams at the Cleveland meeting from terrestrial friends,
I hope it will not be amiss for us to extend our congratulations to
that honorable body and I suggest that a committee of the Cleveland Old
Timers now here assembled be appointed to draft a suitable and loving
message for our friends to be read on the occasion of the 1917 reunion.”
Thus spoke E. P. Wright, and cheer after cheer greeted his suggestion
and Gen. Anson Stager, Jeptha H. Wade, Frank G. Beach and Thomas
Callahan were appointed such committee, which showed the democratic
spirit of the assemblage.
“I believe that I will send a private wireless message to my old
friend, Allen A. Briggs, and tell him what a nice place it is up here,”
said Hank Stager, and many others fell into line to do the same stunt.
Presidents Garfield and McKinley, both members of the Ohio Society,
stopped to read the bulletins and to shake hands with Nelson Buell,
whom the late presidents remembered particularly well for his
ever-gentle courtesy when they met in the telegraph office.
“We will watch with keen interest the occurrences at the next Old
Timers’ meeting, and while not regretting being present, we will extend
our hearty congratulations to our worthy brothers in session.” This
seemed to be the consensus of opinion, heartily expressed, which was
handed to Mr. Moxon, with the remark, “More to come.”
And so it appears that the doings of our earthly brothers are being
solicitously watched over by those engaged in the same line of business
and who have gone before us, and we are never for a moment left alone,
even to our innermost thoughts and desires.
The railroad superintendents of telegraph as well as the commercial
superintendents are forming an association on the planet Mars and a
report of the meeting and the names of those present will be the topic
of a future chapter in the Pleiades Club series.