FROM ISSUE STEAM RAILWAY NEWS, No. 13, DECEMBER 1969

If you have stayed in the Isle of Man for some time, you have probably heard the local people make use of the word "skeet" in the course of conversation.  If you have not, let us say by was of explanation that in a closely-knit island community, "skeeting" is a popular pastime, being something to keep one occupied during the long winter months after the rush of the holiday season is over.  The word itself can be given no single translation into the language of the visiting "comeover"; in fact, it appears to fill a gap in the English language, being both versatile in its use, yet specific in its meaning.  The verb "to skeet" can be taken to mean: "to pry into the property or affairs of others".  It usually implies "seeing" and thus includes the pastime of observing all passers-by from behind one's curtains, but also includes other forms of inquisitive activity, such as eavesdropping.  As a noun, "skeet" has two uses, depending on the context.  Thus, in the phrase "to g'up (= go up) for a skeet" it means a "nose-around"; but the word is also used as a noun to mean "a person in the habit of skeeting".  Thus, a character in the south of the Island was known as "Willie The Skeet" because of his habit of going on walks equipped with a telescope, ostensibly for studying birds, but allegedly for observing creatures of a different kind.

Skeeting is given almost and air of respectability in the Island.  Thus, when a house is up for sale by auction, it may be expected that those attending with a view to purchase will be outnumbered by those from the neighbourhood who are there "jus' for the skeet"; while after the house is sold, the neighbours may be seen to take their dogs for walks past that way with added zeal, especially while furniture is being moved in.  We are told that someskeets make a habit of attending all weddings and funerals, to see what sort of a "do" has been laid on and who has been invited to it.  Their ranks may well have been swollen of late, even since a recent will ordered that the deceased's money be shared amongst all who attended the funeral.

The powers-that-be seen to condone, even encourage, the practice of skeeting.  One local paper publishes a feature entitled "Other People's Money" which gives details of the more noteworthy will dealt with by the General Registry each week, while another publishes a year book which includes details of the status an salaries of public employees from the Lieutenant Governor to the most junior typist.  The owner's name and address is written on the license disc of all Manx-registered cars, so that it is there for all to see just who it is that owns the big new Jaguar parked over-the-way and to wonder what he has used to pay for it; and if two people are "having an affair", they are ill-advised to rendezvous by car for someone is sure to notice who is where and with whom.

True to this tradition is the internal telephone system operated by the I.M.R.   A recent installation by I.M.R. standards (dating, we believe, from the 1920s) it consists of a telephone in each station office, each fitted with bell and hand-wound generator in the manny of the traditional army field equipment, connected so that turning the generator handle in any one station rings the bells in all the others along the line.  A bell code is used to indicate which station is the one being called, but any other station is at liberty to listen in on the conversation if so desired.  Thus it is that the compilers of this article have joined the ranks of the skeets; not, may we hasten to add that we have made a regular habit of listening-in to the conversations of others - rather, the skeet printed below has been gathered by accident while about the course of our duties . . . (well, most of it has!)

An important rule for telephone skeeting is to cover the mouthpiece while listening-in, otherwise odd snatches of conversation get picked up, to the bewilderment of those actually using the 'phone.  Castletown Station has the particular disadvantage of being on the flight path of Ronaldsway Airport, which is the reason why, after completing a conversation with another station, Ballasalla was heard to say: "Hello Castletown.  I know you are listening-in becuase I have just heard a plane go over".  We suspect that the signal strength is reduced when there are several other stations listening-in.  If so, this would explain the following conversation which we heard quite clearly:-

" - Station here."  "M here.  Is that Mr. -?"  "No, it is the stationmaster speaking."  "Is that Mr. -?".  "No, it is the stationmaster speaking".  "Who is speaking, please?"  "The Stationmaster".  "Sorry, I cannot hear you; who is it speaking please?" "THE STATIONMASTER!" - "Oh, Hell!"

Although it is impossible to tell who is listening-in on one's conversation, telltale clicks on the line give away the fact that somebody is doing so.  Thus, the Douglas Stationmaster was once heard to interrupt his conversation and say: "every time I use this 'phone there seems to be somebody tapping it."

With such a system, conversations can sometimes get crossed: Castletown rings one short ad one long call to Port St. Mary, possibly with an exaggerated gap between bells . .  "Port St. Mary?".  "Douglas" (call sign one short ring) "Train left Castletown at 11.22.  Port St. Mary - "Thank You". Douglas - "Pardon, could you repeat that?".  Castletown - "It's all right.  I wanted Port St. Mary, not Douglas".  Douglas - "Pardon, I can't hear you very well."  Castletown "Train left Castletown at 11.22". (Anything for a quite life).  Five minutes later - call to Castletown from Douglas (stationmaster speaking this time): "What's all this about a train leaving you at 11.22 for Douglas?".

It is often possible to tell who is calling whom by the style of ringing and the length of conversation.  Thus, the announcement of departure of a train from Port Erin always gives the other information, for example: "The train has just left Port Erin on time at 3.32, and with the usual four coaches."  Or again: "The train has left Port Erin ten minutes late because the guard had to clean up a compartment after a lady had been sick" (this excuse is alleged to have been used every day for a whole week).  In contrast, the next station along the line always gives the same brief message "Train just left Port St. Mary".  However, a comment one of us made about the predictability of this message seems to have found its way down the line, because the next day we heard the following "Good afternoon, Port St. Mary Station here.  A train has just left for Castletown at 4.15".

Towards the end of the season, some users of the telephone have done what they can do to break the monotony of the routine messages of train movements.  Thus, when Castletown received a message from what claimed to be Ballasalla High Level, the next call from Ballasalla received the reply "Castletown East Box here; hold on whilst I put you through the Castletown Central".  Castletown Low Level, Exchange and Poulsom Park were heard to reply to Ballasalla at other times.  Despite being unmanned, the announcement of a train departure from Colby was heard on one occasion.

Port Erin and Port St. Mary do not seem to be on speaking terms, despite their close proximity, so that notification of train departures from Castletown have to be given to each separately.  This has always seemed to us to be a rather unnecessary exercise, particularly if Port Erin was in the habit of listening-in on calls to Port St. Mary.  Our suspicions that this did in fact happen were confirmed when the following was heard: (Call Port St. Mary) "Port St. Mary".  "Train left Castletown 4.53pm."  "Thank You". (Call Port Erin) "Port Erin Speaking" - (not the usual voice) "Train left Castletown 4.54pm."  "4.54pm?".  "Yes, 4.54pm."  "Oh . . .4.54pm . . . Thank You."

Finally, our award for the most concise message overheard goes to: "You the crossing gates at Balla-----?" "Yes".  "They no longer are".