Maintaining Secrecy at the N&W

[NW Mailing List]

Great thanks, I missed that paragraph. I'll let you know how that goes.
It's a different type of code, so should be fun.
David Baker

On Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 10:32 PM NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
wrote:

> If one actually reads the referenced publication you will see the system
> does not deal with single letters.   In short, there is a table of 24,000
> words each with a five digit number.   The number "123" is added to the
> number associated with each word in the message.   This means the message
> transmitted is a list of words offset in the list by "123".
>
> Sent from my digital telegraph key
> Jim S
>
> On Jul 13, 2025, at 18:59, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
> wrote:
>
> 
> So this is about the most nerdy thing I ever said.
>
> I am in the middle of cracking the German Enigma for fun and I had no idea
> railroads had codes.
>
> Does anyone know more, and I guess I just found my next target.
>
> And just offsetting a number by a fixed amount does just about nothing for
> increasing the security. The Germans did stuff like that in 1938+ .... They
> just made it easier to crack.
>
> Especially since it's being done symmetrically per the letter. Although it
> would still be another 12 years or so before publications by various
> mathematicians describe at least one fitness function that would apply to
> that type of operation, so I don't know about at the time it was written.
>
> David Baker
>
>
> On Sun, Jul 13, 2025, 7:16 AM NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <
> nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
>
>> 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
>> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aol.mobile.aolapp>
>>
>> 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 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
>>
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