New-York daily tribune., 1842-08-09
prsss.ssraasrse,s Electric Tsaegrapa. I.

inS the PRACTICAL operation oi the Electro ieie-
graph invented by our countryman Prof S. +. b.
MoRsr-oc which sll our readers have heard bur
with the principle and beautiful operation OF which,
we apprehend, but few are acquainted. We re-
gard it as among the mos, wonderful and. pros
pecrvely the most useful applications OF science
to the grea, purposes of life which the presen;
age has IT proposes. and, for aughs we
see, with good ground of success, to announce, in
every part of the country to which il may be
tended, any information with unerring certaint,
and at The same ins,an, of time This stupendous
result is 10 be accomplished by the power of gal
vani.m; and the Instrument bv which il is to BE-
done, though perhaps difficult of description is
yet simple and its operation easily understood. In
the first place, By an alphabet in which the twenty
six letters are represented by different combnn-
tons of the dot and the dash the communication
i. written upon paper at the remote extremity of
the Telegraph. The machine by which this is di-
rectIy done is small and simple moved by weight
like clock work The slip Of paper being wound
about u cylinder and carried under the style By
the operation OF the machinery. To the style or
pen which makes the mark is attached, in
yenlcnt method piece Of iron which rests just
dcred magnet BY the transmission Of the electric
The operation Of the Telegraph is there
fore easily Suppose ono extremity be IN
Washington and the other in New iork-tbe COM
munication being formed by protected wires ira
ycr-ing the intermediate distance. person at
Washington wishes to convey news to this city.
lie has before him the two extIemities of the wires
and the mean. of sending along them current Of
the electric fluid. The instant he brings them to-
gcther the soft iron mass in New-York becomes u
magnc,-,he iron above it is drawn towards it and
the s,,ls to which it is attached is pressed upon
the paper and this being carried forward by the
machinery which j. at the same instant, by another
magnet. set in motion, receives The impression.
A. ,ooI as the two wire. are separated, tho soft
iron i. no longer magnc,-the iron above i' no
longer attracted and the pen no longer rests upon
the paper By bringing the wires in contact and
instantly separating them. dot is made; by keep
ing them in contac, for a little time, dash: and
bv the combination of these two all the words in
the language may be written and read
By the most accurate experiments that have
.ecn made il is found that the electric fluid moves
At the rate Of 28S 900 miles in second and as
his is the only limit TO the speed with which new,
nav be transmitted by Prof Morse's Telegraph.
t is evident that for all terrestrial purposes il
Promises all that the most enterpristng nemspd-
,ers could desire Fifty letters easily bo
radc by i, in a minu,e-fo that the Presidents
Message, or any other document, could ensily be
cnt TO any part of the continent faster than
omposi,or could set it up. The notifications 10
which it may ba subjected almost endless |
'rof Morse has already invented method to
make his Telegraph speak as well as write an |
,hcr to enable ,he locomotive upon railroad
rack to report progress q, every mile or furlong
# its career, at the most distant extremity with
~, the aid Of any man; and a third whereby the
aue thing may be announced in all the cities of
he Union at the Same instant.
The advantages of this Telegraph over that OF
VHEAsToN, of which so much has been said are
evident and marked. 1t will be recollected from
,r description of that invention that the letters
words are indicated by the direction given TO
needle by the electric current. In this
.ase. then, unless some were watching at the
Instant the needle would change its position and
he message be lost By Prof Morse's Telegraph
the words are ,rr.Nen dozen, letter for letter, and
nav be read as well n year Us a minute a,ter"aro.
/, is found, too that the passage OF acioua charge"
with electricity over the instrument completely de-
r,npes the operation Of the needles in Mr. Nheas-
IONS instrument and that ia certain state OF the
it is therefore entirely worthless.
III, slicht influence
,hc Telegraph of Prof Morse. Its operation is
always instantaneous. certais and complete. II
has already been fully tried for distance OF nearly
forty miles and is Just effective as at dis-
,ance OF as many feet.
The immense importance Of this invention must
be seen at q glance 1T will be powerful engine
for GOOD or for evil as those into whose hands It
NAV fall NAV be disposed 10 use il We under
s,and ,ha, Prof Morse intends Immediately TO
submit his experiments 10 Congress with we"
OF asking appropriation 10 enable him TO per
fec, his arrangements, II the Government shall not
set. fit TO purchase il for its own purposes we
trus, that it will receive the attention IT deserves
and thar out Of regard TO their own interests as
we'll as in Justice TO the distinguished inventor,
the authorities at Washington will secure its con
rrnl IF !, should pass into the hands Of private
companies i, might prove formidable rival TO the
Post Office Department in some Of its most imPor
tan, functions and in subscribing the purposes OF
stock -iobbers aud gamblers, might be productive
of infinite mischief ard injustice Professor Morse
ha, already .pen, upon his invention years OF ar
,|.nr labor and thousand, of dollars from his pri
,h,uab n ~ m ffausa
ha, once reported unanimously in favor Of an APP