Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1848-05-19
The New Telegraph.

A good deal of attention has been re Gently at
tracted to the newspaper accounts of new
Telegraph which has been patented by Mr.
Balm, and which is claimed to be greatly supe-
rior, in important respects, to Morse's :--esTe.
cially in the rapidi,y and cheapness with which
messages and communications may be transmit.
ted by means of it, Mr.. Balm asserts that it will
tr transmit 1000 letters in minute and do it at
great reduction of expense TO the business COM
munty from the tariff of prices adopted on
Morses es-improvemcnts, it will readily be
seen. of great interest and consequence to the
public 1t was to be expected that notifications
and improvements would be effected in Morse's
machinery and method, and, in this wonder-work-
ing age, no surprise ought to be felt at the dis
covery Of other and better modes Of Telegraph
ing. Whether Mr. Bain's discovery in nven-
ton will turn out to be superior to Morse's re-
mains to be seen.
An intelligent correspondent of the Ithaca On.
W Daily Chronicle, writing from New York,
under date Of May lst, seems strongly to doub
the practical usefulness of Bain's instrument.
thought he admits that it may surpass Morse's
Telegraph as at present worked." We are pro-
badly correct in attributng the letter in the Ithaca
paper, (Which is signed "C'',) to a gentlemen
deeply interested in maintaining the superiority
of Morse's discovery, and entirely familiar with
its excellencies and defects. We copy his views
of the comparative merits of the two instru-
ments -
Bain's instrument is worked without the agency of
magnetism. 1t is an " Electro Chemical Telegraph -
the characters are formed by passing the electric
rent through piece OF chemically prepared paper,
which dlscoored by the decomposition OF the chem
icai ingredients in the paper, producing dot or a
mark, as the circuit may be kept closed greater or
less length OF time. In order to do this the paper
must be nerposed between the wires or become
part OF the circuit that the OF electricity in
passing from one pole of the battery TO the Other
pass through the paper and enable this TO be
done the paper must be kept in proper OF mos-
tuTe, the dry paper, being a non conductor would
nsuate the wire and intercept the passage OF the cur
rent, and prevent the decomposition by which the
character is shown therefore the slightest lnattenon
on the part OF the operator at the receiving station
might allow his paper get dry and lose the mes
sage. Again as the paper when wet, is poor con-
ducor, the process could not be carried on at all with
paper placed IN the circuit at many stations This
Mr. BAN admitted and said he should not ATTEMPT to
write to more than one station at the time. He
would therefore, lose IN having 10 repeat his MESA
vanlages he proposes to gain in being able TO transmit
a message, when ready, in less time than Morse can
(Ban claims TO transmit one thousand letters in one
mmule) lie would also lack the ability (which the
Morse instrument possesses OF sending his ges
out any number OF branch lines that NAV be attach
ed 10 main line. Bains instrument would require n
much better aud more experienced class OF Operators
to work il than Morses does and, consequently NOR,
expensive. The greater expense OF the instruments
and their management, would prevent their use and
the establishment OF many lines where the business is
small, but sufficient TO warrant the erection OF line
using Morse's
All the objections that have named above, exist IN
Bans Telegraph and would render II unable to com
pete with Morses II there were others, and II could
transmit its 600 letters IN minute, as IS represented
but 1t has other objections. The message 10 be sen
drought this Telegraph must hrst be represented OF
a strip OF paper, similar 10 that used in Morses IN
strument) IN hoes punched through the paper, form
ing the combination OF dots and lines which reptesen
the letters in the message. This process OF punching
the characters through the paper, Mr. BAN says car
be done by expert hand at the rate OF 10 per minute
which not halt SC fast as the message ilseli coui'
be sent direct through Morses Telegraph. Anothe
formidable objection 1t, is that there Is no means bl
which the operators attention could be called at tn
receiving station, and Mr.. Balm proposes to obvia
this difficulty by arranging to send his messages tn tn
different offices at specified time liked by Genera
Order = and any thing should happen to prevent tn
operator from being at his post, at the specified time
he would not receive his messages, and il he receive
the message gust AT the close OF his time, and toun
some in II that called for explanation, he coul
not call for an explanation, as that would be an Ell
croachment on the time OF the next office, and woul
throw his operations into pi and again, il the cloc
in the transmitting office should happen TO vary iiy
or ten minutes from the clock in the receiving othc
1t would dlsloint the whole plan, and they would hay
occasion TO use Morses Telegraph to arrange ma
ters
Now we will see how this plan would work pract
cally Suppose were to work the contemplate
New ork snd Erie line with this Rain Telegram
which L 10 have ~ s'suous between Ncw-lork al