The Worldwide Telegram

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

In a Tumblety article Roger Palmer addressed the matter of the three-day delay between San Francisco Police Chief Crowley's 19th November telegram to Scotland Yard and Robert Anderson's 22nd November reply.

Roger wrote that, "In 1888 it was technologically impossible to send instantaneous messages between London and San Francisco."

All views on Tumblety's Ripper candidature aside, I had absolutely no reason to doubt this fact, until I read the following newspaper article from the New York Herald, 19th November 1888.



Admittedly these telegrams were not instantaneous, but it does seem that Victorian communications were blazingly fast and far more sophisticated than we might have imagined.

Regards,

Simon

[Supe]

Simon,

Do give credit where credit is due. That is, rather than just writing "In a Tumblety article . . ." scholarship suggests that you ought to have cited the article,"Dr. Anderson, Dr. Tumblety and a Voyage to Canada," which appeared in Casebook Examiner No. 2 (June 2010). Copies of that issue are still available, by the way.

Mr. Palmer is well able to explore the ramifications of the Herald item, but it does seem to be reporting upon a very special -- and expensive -- instance. Certainly more expensive than a parsimonious police force might be willing to pay.

Don.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Don,

Thank you. Duly noted.

Roger's observation appeared in Casebook Examiner No. 2.

As a matter of interest, Scotland Yard had more money at its immediate disposal than God.

Regards,

Simon

[Supe]

Simon,

Thank you for the belated acknowledgement. And as a further matter of interest, parsimonious has to do with a willingness to spend money, not absolute wealth.

Don.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Don,

You're welcome.

By the way, did you mean an unwillingness to spend money?

Regards,

Simon

[mklhawley]

Hi Simon,

So, are you saying when Brooklyn's Police Chief Patrick Campbell was contacted by Assistant Commissioner Anderson about Ripper suspect Francis Tumblety, the correspondence was quite fast?

Sincerely,

Mike

[Supe]

Simon,

No, parsimony indicates a very low willingness to spend money, but not a complete unwillingness. Moreover, I am sure our discourses on word meanings are of little interest to others. You can always PM me and leave this thread to comments on your interesting newspaper clipping.

Don.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Mike,

I am merely pointing out that in 1888 the technology was in place for fast communications, and what could have been more urgent than the matter of Jack the Ripper?

Regards,

Simon

[mklhawley]

Hi Mike,

I am merely pointing out that in 1888 the technology was in place for fast communications, and what could have been more urgent than the matter of Jack the Ripper?

Regards,

Simon

You are absolutely right Simon.

Sincerely,

Mike