Re: Book Suggestions

ROW Explorer Wrote:
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> I found it amusing that the parts have a code word
> in addition to a fig number. My favorite so far is
> Carnage for the cylinder head top.
>
> Calm - Complete cylinder
> Carnage - Cylinder head top
> Caution - Cylinder cock body
> Champion - Cylinder crank bearing cap
> Chuckle - Valve yoke
> Clownish - Crosshead shoe
> Collision - Crosshead guide, inside

The use of code words in equipment catalogs is from the era of using the telegraph companies to send expedited messages. This goes back to before having nationwide telephone service. The telegraphic companies (like Western Union) charged by the word. Thus one word could replace along multi-word description of either the machine or a part for the machine. Using regular words instead of using made up letter combinations was appreciated by many concerned as regular words were easier to send and less likely to have an error.

Besides code words in catalogs, there were general published code books for businesses and others to use. By example the phrase "please reserve a hotel room for me beginning..." wold be replaced by a single word or group of letters. The day or date could similarly be coded. If you wanted to add a level of security to this kind of message, by prearrangement the sending and receiving people would go up or down the code book a specific number of lines to select the code word and then read it.

Brian Norden