The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-06-10
Houses Printing Telegraph.

The line between this city and Phadel-
phia has been for some days in complete
working order, and the news received by the
steamer Britannia, on the morning after the
9Th of May embracing 1927 words, was trans
mitted TO Philadelph in the short space of
one hundred and fifty minutes, being about
30 words, or 1913 letters, per minute. Even
this can hardly he considered u fair test of the
capabilities of the machine, for, during an eX-
permental trial a short time since, repeating
II single sentence of some 30 or more letters
there were printed 40 letters per minute, the
impressions being distinct, clear and legible
The great advance in rapid telegraphing
which Mr.. House has made.--among other
ingenious contrivances,-beyo his Compel
itors, is due to his invention of the OBTAINING
knowledge, or TO be more explicit, the inven-
ton ola set of keys which will arrest the
| motion Of the machinery employed to break
and close the electric circuit, aud enable the
operator to maintain the circuit broken or
closed, at his pleasure.
! But important as this transmission of intel
| ligence is, its value il farther increased by
the circumstance that the message is recor-
ded or PRINTED as the name given to the in
vention indicates, in the ordinary letters of
the alphabet. This, and the novel keyboard
in its peculiar combinations, which make il
necessary to use but u single wire to form the
Geographic line, may perhaps be considered
the most important part of the invention.
The following brief description will serve
to give better idea of the construction and
operation ofthe telegraph:
A part of the machinery consists of n
wheel upon the periphery of which are %
types: 90 ofthesc are the letters of the alpha
bet, one is II dot or period, and the remain
ing one hyphen this wheel is caused to
revolve by mechanical force, but its motion
controlled by the magnet, so that by keeping
this electric circuit broken or closed, it can
be stopped by the operator who is sending
the message from the other end ofthe line.
Near the type-wheel is cylinder with paper
around it, and when the type wheel stops, the
cylinder-boing moved by n mechanical
force which is regulated by the motion of the
wheels brought against it, and the
piper receives an impression from one of
The types.
The magnet controls the type wheel, by
moving valve and emitting the atmosphere
10 press up in piston, on the other side of
which is II partial vacuum; this piston in turn
gives motion TO a dead heat escapement
working against pins upon the side of the
| type wheel, so that ut each motion of the
magnet up or down, as the circuit may hap
pen to be broken or closed, the escapement
Iiberates the type wheel, and allows it TO
make 1923 of u revolution; that is, the periph-
cry moves through n space equal to the dis
lance from one type 10 the next The opera
tor at the other end of the line sits at a key
board having twenty eight ivory faced.keys,
not unlike those Off piano forte; twenty six
of these represent the letters of the alphabet,
one tho dot, OF period before spoken OF, and
the other the hyphen. Beneath the key board
is horizontal shaft extending the whole
length of the board,and having % small pins
projecting from its face, these pins are plac-
ed one beneath each key and form spiral
line about the SHAFT making single turn
from end to end. Upon one end of the shaft
is wheel having fourteen teeth on its per-
| iphery. These teeth, with the IA spaces be-
tween them, correspond TO the pins on the
shaft s; serve to break or close,as the case may
be, the electric circuit, in the following man.
ner; one of the poles ofthe battery or genera
tor of electricity, the negative say, is in con-
tinued contact with the side ofthe wheel; the
other, or positive pole, rests. or presses, upon
the end of the teeih--the shaft and, conse-
quenty, the wheels, are set in motion by me
chanical force, and as the wheel revolves the
circuit is closed whenever the positive pole
passes over II tooth, and is broken whenever
it passes over space. The motion Of the
shaft is controlled by the operator-thus,f from
the under side ofeach key projects II flat pin,
against which, when the key is pressed down
the corresponding pin on the shaft will catch
as it comes around in its revolution and cause
the shaft to stop. Now, in order to transmit
any particular letter to the other end of the
line, it is only necessary for the operator--the
parts of the machine at the two ends of the
line having been put in concideuce--to press
down the key representing that letter, stop
the key shaft, maintain the circuit broken or
closed, rs the positive pole may happen to be
on the space or tooth indicating the letter on
the circuit wheel, when the type wheel will
he stopped, the paper cylinder brought up 10
it, and the paper receive an impression of the
letter represented by the key pressed down."
w. y. Express.
~ A farmer living about twenty miles