Maintaining Secrecy at the N&W

Sat Jul 12 23:47:48 EDT 2025

If the words were in a code book, adding one hundred twenty three to them is more secure.And keeps the message from the hot paloy.

Tom Cosgrove 

Sent from AOL on Android 

  On Sat, Jul 12, 2025 at 7:57 PM, NW Mailing List<nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:   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 Codeto 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
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