The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-01-08
NEW ORLEANS:
EoNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 8, 1e4o.
Telegrapbiug.

We find in letter of the Washington cores
Dndent of the ~ Y. Herald the following relative
b Bain's Telegraphic instruments lately patented
this country, and now used by O'Reilly on his
Telegraph lines. There may be some exaggeration
D it, but are assured that the instruments will
york al least as rapidly those of Professor Morse
nd although we should have preferred that the in.
3ention of our own countryman should have been
bsed exclusively in his native land, yet such has
been the conduct of his agents and associates in
be business of Teegraphing, that we are forced to
ail the success of his rival as public benefit.
The line of O'ReiIly to this city WILL we under
tand, soon be opened, and then we will have the
advantage of competition in the business of Tele-
8raphing, and that alone will do away with many
bf the causes of complaint now existing. But here
the extract from the letter:
had the pleasure, the other day, OF long inter-
rev with Mr. Alexander Balm, the great telegraph
nventor. Mr.. Balm is native of the North of
Scotland, and was born about twelve miles from
hat famous spot which is known as John O'Gr0at's
House He is a well formed, " stalwarth chiel, y
with noble head, fine, dark, Intellectual eye,
&nd is about eight and thirty years of age. He was
Appreniiced to the clock-making business, but at
3bn early age discovered remarkable inventive ia
&tullies, and, like many of his countrymen, found
bis way to London, where, after some years of pa
ient perseverance, he at last attained the first rank
among the philosophers and inventors of the age.
Zone of Mr.. Bains first inventions was that of the
electric clock" by which the vibrations Of PEN
1ulum were made to let on currents Of electricity
10 any number of other clocks, at any distance, and
as many places as might be required, so that by
Ethis arrangement, single clock, situated at the
observatory or Smithsonian Institute here, would
cause every clock in the connection to beat isoch-
ronously together, and with this one clock itself
This invention was patented, in lS4l, in Great Bri-
tain, having been first devised and put into opera
4 tiop between the years 1887 and lS4O. The value
of the invention, in connection with astronomical
science, is obvious. BY more recent discovery,
Mr. Balm causes the sun itself to set these electric
clocks to time. But it was to Mr.. Bains wonderful
teegraphic instruments that wished to direct your
attention at this time. He has realized the idea
thrown out by you long snce-the practcability OF
reporting by the telegraph. Stenographic charac-
tiers can be transmitted directly through Mr. BaiL
photographic lines SO that while Mr.. Webster or Mr..
Calhoun is speaking here in the Senate Chamber,
his ipissima perba may be flying over the wires to
the compositors of the Herald office, that before
the speaker Closes the greater portion Of his speech
may be in type, in the city of New York This is
no idle dream. The rapidly of transit by this in
strument is almost miraculous. Twelve hundred
letters have been communicated by it in minute
The whole new testament, from the first chapter OF
Matthew to the last solemn words of the Book of
the Apocalypse, may be transmitted by this instru-
ment, along the wires from Halifax to New York,
in ten hours The vast stimulus which this whole
business Of elegraphng is yet to give to human ge-
MUS, industry, and activity, can hardly be ina
gined. Do we give this subject anything like the
attention which it deserves
1t quite certain that yet, the magnetic tele-
graph is but in its infancy. The line from Wash
ington to New York, for instancets susceptible OF
vast improvement. In general, the reporters en-
ployed to transmit intelligence are incompetent.
The rates must be reduced. Greater facilities must
be afforded to the press and the public. Hence,
we gladly the healthful spirit of competition in
troduced. Thousands and thousands of miles are
now in process of construction under O'Reily, the
great 60 telegraph king" on which Bain's instru-
ments are to be employed.
This subject might proftahly occupy many CO.
lumns. But | must pause Some other time fmay
again advert to the inventions of this calm taciturn
reflective Alexander Balm, whose youthful genius
was nurtured amd the stern grandeurs of that IRON
bound Scottish coast, the Orkneys and the Shetland
Isles. where, of old, the sea-kings of the frozen
North maintained their empire, and some of whose
blood for aught know, may flow in all sobriety in
the veins of our great inventor.