I never thought about this until the matter came up in the HQ-145 thread,
but what was the process of sending messages over the telegraph lines?

Suppose I was in a small town in Oregon and wanted to send a message to a
small town in Nebraska? Is the message "broadcast", or does it go to a
clearinghouse? Can anyone on the "wire" listen in? Are there relays?

I have been a ham for almost 50 years and I have no clue. There must be
some OT who are just waiting to tell me, or know a good website.

Thanks and 73, Colin K7FM