Evan’s suggestion does seem the most plausible of the senses offered by the OED. Definition n2 is below. n1 is to do with wild swine, while n3 is to do with sounding depths of water.
Tom
1. One who makes or utters a sound or sounds; one who causes something, esp. an instrument, to sound.
1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Tañedor, A plaier or sounder of any instrument, cantor.
1648 H. Hexham Groot Woorden-boeck Een Luyder, a Ringer, a Sounder.
1809 ‘D. Knickerbocker’ Hist. N.Y. II. vi. iii. 100 The illustrious sun..did dart one of his most potent beams..upon the refulgent nose of this sounder of brass.
1831 Scott Count Robert ii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. II. 14 In the front..stood the sounder of the sacred trumpet.
1859 Dickens Tale of Two Cities ii. i. 34 The sounders of three-fourths of the notes in the whole gamut of Crime, were put to Death.
1591—1859(Hide quotations)
2.
a. A telegraphic device which enables the communications or signals to be read by sound.
1860 G. B. Prescott Electr. Telegr. 91 Since the adoption of the method of reading by sound, another apparatus has taken the place of the register, or recording apparatus, called the sounder.
1872 F. L. Pope Telegraph iv. 32 The Sounder consists simply of the electro-magnet, armature and lever fixed upon a base.
1876 W. H. Preece & J. Sivewright Telegraphy 246 The Sounder, on account of the extreme simplicity of its mechanism, is less liable to faults than any of the other forms of instruments which are employed.
attrib.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 2247/2 Sounder-magnet, the magnet which operates the sounder in the receiving apparatus.
1860—1876(Hide quotations)
b. A telegraphist who operates or has experience with this.
1887 Daily News 2 May 7/3 Telegraphist (sounder) desires engagement.
1887—1887(Hide quotations)
3. A device or instrument which gives a signal, etc., by sounding; also, the signal so given.
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 832/1 Sounder, an alarm or call, made by closing an electric circuit.
1891 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 June 7/1 An electric sounder, too, is so arranged that it commences to ring if everything is correct, directly the gun is loaded and in the firing position.
From: Members [mailto:members-bounces@lists.sigcis.org] On Behalf Of Evan Koblentz
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2016 6:37 PM
To: JD Fleming <jfleming@sfu.ca>; members <members@sigcis.org>
Subject: Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Gleick "sounder"
>> One is reported as saying: "If I want to send a message, I use a sounder, or employ a boy to take it" (p.189). My question is: What, in this context, is or was a "sounder"
Telegraph.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraph_sounder
This email has been scanned for email related threats and delivered safely by Mimecast.
_______________________________________________
This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org
For updates on all Science Museum news and events sign up to our free e-newsletter at www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
This e-mail and attachments are intended for the named addressee only and are confidential. If you have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender immediately, delete the message from your computer system and destroy any copies. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not reflect the views of the Science Museum Group.
This email has been scanned for email related threats and delivered safely by Mimecast.