The Passing of the Pacific’s Pioneer Telegrapher
John Leatch, a veteran operator who laid the wire between Port Townsend and Olympia, dies in San Francisco.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A telegram received today from San Francisco brings news of the death of John Leatch, which occurred this morning. The deceased was manager of the Postal Telegraph Company’s lines on this side of the Sound, and possessed the respect and esteem of this community. Born in Ogdensburg, New York, he came to the West Coast at an early age. He entered the employ of the Western Union soon after that company established its line and bore the distinction of being the pioneer operator of the Pacific coast. In 1888, he entered the employ of the Pacific Postal Company and rose to be assistant superintendent. In 1891, he was sent to Puget Sound, and built the Postal line between Port Townsend and Olympia. Mr. Leatch was high in Masonic circles, and his funeral in Sacramento will be under the auspices of the Knights Templar.
“He bore the distinction of being the pioneer operator of the Pacific coast.”
Leatch’s work building the telegraph line between Port Townsend and Olympia in 1891 laid the crucial communications infrastructure for the region, paralleling today's efforts to expand broadband connectivity across Washington's rural and maritime corridors.
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