The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-11-29

Of this year, the Astor House, Of New York, and |
the Burnet House, of Cincinnati, had series Of |
tele graphic parties. An account Of one Of them,
taken from the CtncinWati Gazdte, is hsrew |
appended-the parties conversDg being about $50
miles apart about twice the length OF Ireland
ArELEGRAPHc PARrr.
On Friday evening Of last week. ~ previous arrange
msnt, the Astor House. in New York and the Burnett
Hons. in this city had family sssss:Phiso Rs party
They talked over family matters, intsrchangsd con-
gra.ulaons and drank each others health spending an
hour in electrical and spiritual intercourse As the
spiritual about CONNIE ncing the operators Of the
electrical In Phsd phia and Pttsburg ntimated their
willingness to join therein; and forthwith orders
sent TO the Monongahea House, ct Pittsburg, and
Jones Hotel in Philadelphia, to furnish the needful
champagne 1t was done. Cincinnati then asks" Are
you all resdy.o P1ttsburg answers" Glasses charged"
Phladelphis-" Coaks just popping and New York re-
The following toasts were then drank THE REILLY
Geographic Opsrstorsour thanks for exchanging IA
mily congratulations between the cities Of Gotham and
Porkopos" To this toast the Operators made appro-
pirate responses thanking the Aston and Burnet Houses
spective families might Be- ali cham psn'-snd con-
GLIDING with the following toast "The Burnet and Aston
aOu:emMsy the skin Of one soossbsy max make night
To this sentiment the two "Houses" replied smulta-
neousy and 50 highly complimentary to the Operators
| and confidential" Here ended the first Geographic
| party.
city, strenuous efforts are made by both to be
'ahead," especially on the arrival of steamer
bearing important commercial or political news
| One illustration will suffice:
| Some time back the Asia arrived at Quarantine
about 8 p. M.-was detained an hour by health
officer. The agent Of the New York Associsted
| Press, to gain but Q few minutes, had beat in
readiness when the Asia brought to-, A small bag
| containing latest news was handed her over the
steamers side. By great exertions she gained New
York half an hour a6ead ofthe Asia. The bag was
We Il Ss Ta tho
wires amid the laundering OF the Asia's cannon,
sse rounded the poin;; and a complete synopsis Of
her commercial and political news was received in
Louisville, 100 miles in the interior, before the
ship had actually reached her dock ! may add
that the telegraph would be more extensively used
than even now by the mercantile community, if its
inaccuracies arise altogether from the carelessuess
of operators, and not frsm any defect in the medium
employed. These annoying drawbacks would near
ly all, if not wholly disappear, by the enforcement
| responsibility on the operators. Whichever line
takes the lead in this much called for reform, will
meet its due reward from the public. One line
from this city (old Morse) has commenced pune
tuatisg-putting in periods, paragraphs, and notes
of Interrogation, where they occur, thereby render
| ing message great deal clearer.
10. Interruptions from atmospheric electricity
have been greatly reduced Of late, and il IL conf
IDENTIFY expected that they will, a. no distant day,
be entirely overcome. Cle Of the means used at
present is, by putting on lightning arrester near
to the recording instrument This arrester Is
| formed of little brass globe surrounded by semi
circle Of small points, like needles that approach
quite close to the ball. These points carry off the
Lightning to the earth before il reaches the instru
ment, causing but amomentary interruption. The
been reduced thirty per cent by this means alone
Other causes of Interruptions accidental-trees,
&c falling on the wire and swapping it..
Is. Ifa line is well insulated it will work 500 miles
| on a single circuit. There are two lines in New
York that work to Buffalo, the distance about 500
miles. Some lines that are in bad condition work but
300 miles, and others with difficulty, 800 mi es.
is. Yes; quite practicable, and coming more into
| use every day. One eighth of the dispatches be-
| tween New Orleans and New York, are in CIPHER
For instance, merchants in either city agree
| ent wishes to inform his New York friend Of price
ard prospect of the cotton market, instead of
saying, "Cotton eight quarter-den't SELL" he
may use the following -Shepherd-rum-kiss--
fssh-dog. The one message will come as correct
as the other, and be wrapped in mystery to ali
through whose hands it may pass, and be only 10
telligible to those it is intended for have many
times seen messages written in German and French
sent over the wires and it Greek to all in the
4 Office. The operators are not very fond of those
kind Of messages; they prefer the English During
the business season at New Orleans, great
many messages, written in cypher, are received
in this city on the Of steamship starting for
! England. They are mailed, and their answer may
be brought back, by the returning steamship 10
| Halifax to New Orleans, ceuched in the same
mysterious language. They traverse the wires from
Halifax to New Orleans, impervous to the eye Of
| the most curious
ANSWERS FROM BANS TELEGRAPH OFFICE, - WALL
STREET NEW YORK.
l. In answer to your first question, / would say
that the gre distance that messages are trans
mtted by telegraph, without re. writing, is on the
| lines between New Y ork and Buffalo, distance OF
about five hundred miles, and the Morse and Balm
lines on this route, transmit dispatches daily, with
out repetition, and on q single circuit, without
| . repeating magnet. Several lines have worked
longer distance BY the Of repeating magnets, as
/ thav ad xuhi IL kvt LfnO all
tro in one circuit, break and close the next
circuit, making the same vibrations on every mag
net IN the second circuit. as made by the operator
in the first circuit Under this arrangement, any
number of circuits may be added on, until the lines
reached round the globe, and the writing in the last
circuit would be as perfect as In the first. Mes
| fakes have been transmitted In this way, over
! thousand miles without repetition.
| z. The tariffs OF Transmission vary materially in
different sections Of the country. 1t would be diff
fcult to arrive at an average per mile throughout
the United States. Every line makes ten words
its maximum for one price, and the tariff from New
| York to Boston is twenty cents for the frst ten
words, and two cents each additional word, dis
tanee Of 2i0 miles, while the tariff from New York
| to Washington, $50 miles, Is fifty and five cents.
! Competition has done much to educe the rates on
! every route, except between New York and Wash
iDgton, which remains the same as when the 6rst
| line started. The tariff from New lork TO Buffalo,
800 miles, Is forty and three cents
B. believe the rules and regulations OF every
company give precedence only TO the press and
police, or Cftcial dispatches.
4. The difference as to rapidity between the in
struments in use, is but little, If any, taking day
through. The House instrument, think, is eapa-
BILE Of transmitting more words in minute, than
either Of the others, but to balance II great deal
Of time Is consumed in adjusting the instrument,
as the Instruments receiving and sending are re-
quired to run alike. From seventy-fve to one hun
dred letters per minute is probably about the num-
bertransmtted in ordinary business messages, on an
average. The " fast method" as 1t is termed, in
vented by Mr. Balm, is capable Of transmitting cor.
recty loo letters Per minute, but the process Of
preparing the message to be transmitted, takes
quite as org as to transmit. it by either Of the in
strum ents.
5. Dispatches are transferred to writing as fast
as they are received. They are either copied by
the operator receiving, or read by him TO copysi
as fsst as received