Maintaining Secrecy at the N&W

[NW Mailing List]

While looking through my assorted scans of documents from the L.E. Johnson
correspondence files, I found this letter that Johnson as president of the
N&W was cc'd on. It covers encoding telegrams sent between several
superintendents and the general manager, A.C. Needles.

Subject: Re to cipher telegraph codes

Roanoke, Va.,April 1st, 1904/k

Mr. S.P. Johnson, Superintendent
Mr. M.J. Caples,            "
Mr. W.S. Becker,            "
Mr. E. ?. DuBarry,           "    Terminals,

Gentlemen:

Referring to my circular letter March 25th with regard to cipher telegraph
code and your reply. We desire to be again in position to use Slaters Code,
copy of which you have, but will change the key number to 123.

In deciphering messages received, subtract 123 from the numbers opposite
the cipher words contained in telegram, and in transmitting messages add
123 to numbers opposite the words, the meaning of which it is necessary to
conceal, using the words obtained by this means.

Please keep this key absolutely secret and post yourself as to use of the
code so that we may send cipher messages without further notice should it
become necessary.

Yours truly,

A.C. Needles,
General Superintendent


The memo references Slaters Code, which was a publication from 1888. *Slater's
Telegraphic Code*
*to ensure secrecy in the transmission of telegrams*
by Robert Slater

Publication date 1888
Publisher London, W.R. Gray
The book, with a full explanation of how to use the coding, is found at
https://archive.org/details/telegraphiccodet00slatuoft/mode/2up

Bruce in Blacksburg
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20250712/a8b88e62/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: telegraph.JPG
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 6395822 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20250712/a8b88e62/attachment-0001.jpe>