84:
61:, were published and widely used between the 1870s and the 1950s, before the arrival of transatlantic telephone calls and next-day airmail rendered them obsolete. Numerous special-purpose codes were also developed and sold for fields as varied as aviation, car dealerships, insurance, and cinema, containing words and phrases commonly used in those professions.
178:
The regulations of the
International Telegraph Convention distinguished between "code telegrams", which it describes as "those composed of words the context of which has no intelligible meaning", and "cipher telegrams", which it describes as "those containing series of groups of figures or letters
109:
Another aim of the telegraph codes was to reduce the risk of misunderstanding by avoiding having similar words mean similar things. Codes were usually designed to avoid error by using words which could not be easily confused by telegraph operators. Telegrapher errors could sometimes cause serious
96:
The first telegraphic codes were developed shortly after the advent of the telegraph, and spread rapidly: the first codebook was in use by 1845. In 1854, one eighth of telegrams transmitted between New York and New
Orleans were written in code. Cable tolls were charged by the word, and telegraph
105:
evolved over time; in 1879, it mandated coded telegrams only contain words from German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, or Latin, but commercial codes already frequently used nonsense words. By 1903 regulations were changed to allow any pronounceable word no more than ten
100:
Early codes were typically compilations of phrases and corresponding codewords numbering in the tens of thousands. Codewords were chosen to be pronounceable words to minimize errors by telegraphers, and telegrams composed of non-pronounceable words cost significantly more. Regulations of the
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means "Mozambique, loading at not more than two places, to ____, steamer for about ____ tons general cargo at ____ per ton on the d/w capacity to cargo". The telegrapher would then fill in the three parameters: the destination, the number of tons, and the price per ton.
43:) charged per word sent, so companies which sent large volumes of telegrams developed codes to save money on tolls. Elaborate commercial codes which encoded complete phrases into single words were developed and published as
47:
of thousands of phrases and sentences with corresponding codewords. Commercial codes were not generally intended to keep telegrams private, as codes were widely published; they were usually cost-saving measures only.
64:
These codes turned complete phrases into single words (commonly of five letters). These were not always genuine words; for example, codes contained "words" such as
125:
telegrapher cost $ 20,000 due to misread instructions. The
Supreme Court subsequently ruled Western Union was liable only for the cost of the message, $ 1.15.
116:
179:
having a secret meaning or words not to be found in a standard dictionary of the language". Cipher telegrams were subject to higher tolls.
367:
362:
97:
companies counted codewords like any other words, so a carefully constructed code could reduce message lengths enormously.
111:
279: — at what price, free on board and freight, can you offer us cotton for shipment by steamer sailing this week?
602:
523:
565:
52:
102:
294:(which, unlike the others, was intended for domestic use in addition to commercial; unrelated to the
214: — Phaeton with 6 B.H.P. two cylinder motor to seat four passengers speed — miles per hour
170:, code words could contain blanks. For example, in the "Freight and tonnage requirements" section,
186:, therefore, included both numbers and code words so the user could choose between the two.
8:
597:
436:
561:
497:
20:
545:
574:
Condee, William; Rountree, Barry (December 01, 2020). "Nonmaterial
Performance".
505:
372:
220: — Charterers will allow the option of carrying horses for ship's benefit
591:
576:
142:
122:
509:
501:
377:
357:
87:
First of 20 pages of commercial telegraph code from a 1910 radiator catalog
310: — Confined yesterday, Twins, both dead, Mother not expected to live
285: — we anticipate rate of interest will be reduced by Bank of England
208: — in leaving the dock (harbour) struck the pier, damaging the stern
267:
From the telegraphic cipher code specially adapted to the cotton trade:
44:
36:
32:
83:
295:
437:"The Ideal fitter : American radiators & Ideal boilers"
16:
List of codes and abbreviations used to save on cablegram costs
40:
316: — Dining out this evening, send my dress clothes here
28:
464:
462:
273: — the supply from India will be less than expected
110:
monetary damages, which in one instance resulted in the
496:(sixth ed.), Cassell & Company Limited, 1889,
459:
405:
339:— Decline caused by Brazilians selling in this market.
395:
393:
447:
558:Submarine Telegraphy and the Hunt for Gutta Percha
544:
494:"Unicode.": The Universal Telegraphic Phrase-book.
474:
417:
390:
121:in which a wool dealer argued that an error by a
589:
68:("Are you trying to weasel out of our deal?"),
547:The Codebreakers: The Story of Secret Writing
80:("Not clearly coded, repeat more clearly.").
117:Primrose v. Western Union Telephone Company
345:Hear there has been a robbery; is it true?
304: — Amputation is considered necessary
323:Lieber's Standard Telegraphic Code (1896)
128:Examples of commercial codes include the
82:
72:("Why do you not answer my question?"),
51:Many general-purpose codes, such as the
555:
453:
368:Great Western Railway telegraphic codes
590:
521:
551:(1st ed.). New York: Macmillan.
542:
480:
468:
423:
411:
399:
363:Australian railway telegraphic codes
13:
525:Lieber's Standard Telegraphic Code
522:Lieber, Benjamin Franklin (1896).
138:Lieber's Standard Telegraphic Code
14:
614:
152:Western Union Universal Codebook
515:
486:
429:
250: — has not been reinsured
242:Bentley's Complete Phrase Code
1:
536:
262: — have they authorised?
103:International Telegraph Union
528:. Lieber Publishing Company.
256: — clean bill of health
161:
134:Bentley's Second Phrase Code
7:
351:
189:
112:United States Supreme Court
10:
619:
556:Godfrey, Helen L. (2018).
333:Have accomplished nothing.
91:
235: — Captain is insane
383:
148:Slater's Telegraphy Code
76:("You're a skunk!"), or
603:History of cryptography
88:
298:computing standard):
166:In codes such as the
86:
31:once used to save on
543:Kahn, David (1967).
227:ABC Telegraphic Code
200:ABC Telegraphic Code
194:Example code words:
184:ABC Telegraphic Code
130:ABC Telegraphic Code
471:, pp. 842–843.
414:, pp. 845–850.
182:Codes such as the
146:(1879 and later),
89:
21:telecommunication
610:
577:The Drama Review
571:
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441:Internet Archive
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229:(6th edition):
202:(5th edition):
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25:commercial code
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483:, p. 840.
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402:, p. 838.
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373:Telegraph code
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106:letters long.
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143:Phillips Code
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123:Western Union
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584:(4): 147–57.
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493:
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454:Godfrey 2018
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378:Telegraphese
358:Brevity code
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343:BOATTIERE —
331:AANPRATEN —
154:(1907) and
598:Telegraphy
592:Categories
567:9004357289
537:References
560:. BRILL.
510:23481712M
481:Kahn 1967
469:Kahn 1967
424:Kahn 1967
412:Kahn 1967
400:Kahn 1967
337:ALBANAMOS
225:From the
212:ARIMASPEN
206:PAROMELLA
198:From the
172:ANTITACTE
162:Mechanics
54:Acme Code
45:codebooks
37:Telegraph
33:cablegram
502:67882848
352:See also
314:COGNOSCO
302:DIONYSIA
218:HAUBARER
190:Examples
168:ABC Code
158:(1889).
150:(1916),
140:(1896),
59:ABC Code
57:and the
308:ANNOSUS
296:Unicode
292:Unicode
283:PUNCHER
156:Unicode
92:History
35:costs.
564:
508:
500:
277:INSANE
384:Notes
321:From
290:From
271:DRESS
260:ATGAM
254:AZKHE
248:OYFIN
240:From
233:ENBET
114:case
78:AYYLU
74:BMULD
70:LIOUY
66:BYOXO
41:telex
39:(and
27:is a
562:ISBN
498:OCLC
29:code
23:, a
19:In
594::
582:64
580:.
506:OL
504:,
461:^
439:.
392:^
244::
136:,
132:,
570:.
443:.
326::
119:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
