The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-01-20
History Of the Electric Telegraph.

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It has been supposed by many, that the idea ola
electric telegraph did not exist anterior to Dr.
Frankhn's experiments made to test the identity Of
the lighting with that generated by an electrical
machine; bat such was not the fact Grey and
Wheeler, Of England, early a. IT'S, showed that
electricity could be conducted to great distance
ISee the life of Or. Franklinl. DR.. Watson, of
England, was the nrst to propose the construction
ofan electrical telegraph, in 1917 DR.. Franklin's
attention was first drawn to the subject between
l745 and TAG. 1t was not, however, until une,
1852, that he raised his kite and drew an electric
spark from a passing thunder cloud, the result of
which he communicated in letter to Mr.. Colli-
son, Of London, dated Philadelphia, Ootober -,
1852. There are many curious things connected
with the progress of electrical telegraphs from the
earliest suggestions regarding their practicabity
up to their latest improvements and application, as
We at present see them in use in this country and
in Europe. The introduction of electrical tele.
graphs, and their daily employment in the
speedy transmission of news, forms one Of the
most remarkable eras of the nineteenth century,
and marks strongly and indelibly o stage in the
conquest OF mind over matter.
Such Is the Importance OF the subject, that every
link in its history should be clearly noted and 70.
corded Like most other great discoveries, its
commencement, rise and progress do not belong to,
nor nave they originated with, single individual
put, from It's earliest conception to the present
time, its utility has been rendered available, step
by step, by the labors and discoveries of q large
number OF distinguished scientific men, whose de-
VeiopemeDts in electricity, electro magnetism, aud
permanent batteries, &c, were all given to the
world in scientific pubcstiers, at different periods
OF time. The mass Of mankind, as yet, do
not seem to realize the vast consequences TO which
the use of electric tessraphs may lead They do
fha fsffy in
.he applications OF electricity. 1t is difficult
Tor any, one to give a clear aud popular
idea OF the manner IN which electric tee-
graphs are really worked-h0w l. is that a
message Of more or less longth is so instsntane.
ously, as it were, reproduced, at the distance Of
four or live hundred miles, copies Of which
dropped on the way, The public see posts erected
and wires stretched on them. They also see ma
chimes OF small dimensions, in telegraph Offices
managed by operators, and may imagine what
battery is that generates electricity, as we'll as
that piece OF cold iron may DO converted into
magnet, while the electricity is passing round it
through o coil OF copper wire, which ceases to
be magnet, or to attract when the current is cut
OIL but there are few who can comprehend after ALL
exactly how the thing is aone-bow one system
OF telegraph differs from ano,her-why Morse's
machines make blank dots, on white slips of paper
how Houses prints messages in Roman letters
and how bain's employs electricity as chemical
sages are trans nitted Aud unless parties
10 whom the whole is to be explained pos
sess some previous knowledge Of electricity and
ats laws, 1t is difficult for them to understand it,
Neither can the pecuiarities of the various tele-
graph machines employed here and in Europe, be
explained without diagrams, which are not suited
to the coluDns OF newspaper 1t is easy to under
stand The steam engine, the workings of steam
boat, cotton, or ether more palpaole or demon
strative machinery but not SO the workings of the
Telegraph machines, or the nature Of the subtle fluid
BY the agency Of which they are propelled. 1t
would extend our narrative beyond all reasonable
IN OF ~ intiv
notice OF the different machines in use, which now
amount to more than dozen, here and abroad.
VI one thing all may feel assured-that the ele c.
trio telegraphs are yet in their infancy. The time
must come when they will work q great revolution
in the affairs Of men-in their social, political, and
commercial intercourse. The time will come when
all the proceedings in Congress will be transmitted,
in ertenso,, to all parts of the Union daily-when
they will become the medium Of Communication
for all letters of consequence passing between dis
tant points Of the Union, instead Of their slow
transportation by mail. The time will come, when
New Orleans, the city Of Mexico, San Francisco,
and Astoria, on the Pacific, will be in constant,
steady, and daily Communication with New York,
as Albany, Philadelphia, or Boston now is.
And furthermore the time must and will arrive,
be it fifty or hundred and fifty years hence, when
great telegraph lines will unite all parts of the
civilized world, in daily com munication.
When the telegraph is well established henc,
means and energy, for it to be extended northwest
to Behring's Strait which is only about thirty miles
wide, and found by Capt. Cook to be only six
tathoms IN depth. Once carried into Asia, across
this Strait, by tho liberal 0perati0n of the En-
per0r of Russia, they could be carried to ST. Peters
burg, and from thence to Ger many, where, inter
secting with the present lines, London and Paris,
with other European capitals, would be put into
communication with New York.
All idea of connecting Europe with America, by
lines extending directly across the Atlantic, is at
terly impracsicable and absurd. l. is found on
land, when sending ges over circuit Of only
or IN IN haya
relays of batteries and magnets to keep up, or TO
renew, the current and its action, similar to canal
feeders How is this to be done in the ocean, for
distance OF three thousand miles But by the way
Of Behring's Strait the whole thing is practicable,
and its ultimate accomplishment is only question
Of time, made near or remote by the progress of
population and civilization. The time must come
when the political movements and dis ,ussions-the
state and condition Of trade and Commemorative ups
and downs of daily life, will be daily and simulta-
neously published in Paris, Vienna, London, and
New York, thereby ushering in a higher degree
and wider sphere OF civilization, aud of "pea,e
on earth and good will to man.
We here give brief sketch, or narrative, Of the
electric telegraph, taken from publication made
the present year, by Daniel Davis, Esq, OF Boston,
which, for conciseness and accuracy, is well suited
to our present purpose.
There is no fact stated in it that is not suscepti-
bic of proof by reference to scientific records,
strengthened, also, by the testimony of scientific
witnesses, given in the trial of F. o. j. Smith (rep-
resen,ative of Morses patent) Us. Hugh Downing et
ais, Che representatives of Houses Patent Printing
Telegraph, in 1850 The brevty of Mr. Davis sketch
is such to exclude several names connected with
the early movements made to establish an electric
tclegraph-these We shall allude to in our sub
sequent remarks:-
soon after the discovery OF the Leyden Jar in 17 it
observed by DR.. Watson in England that tn. shock
passed through twelve thousand feet OF wire affected
persons placed at either extremity apparently at the
instant of time. The idea of the instantaneous
passage Of electricity probably thus first received
and it forced by observations the attention
of all succeeding electricians. DR. Watson also observed
in 1747, that when the current was conveyed wires
supported posts Of baked wood, to distance and
allowed to return through the earth that the ground
proved good and sufficient conductor The idea of the
telegraph naturally suggested by these experiments
and Lomend, in 1887 employed the electricity Of the
machine, by OF pth ball eectrometer, to com
municate with person in different part Of the same
house should this have been the dft perime
1T illustration Of the humble origin Of many great
discoveries.
In 1904 Eeizen proposed telegraph, employing the
spark with seventy six wires, thtysix complete cir
cults one for each letter and number In 1893 Betan-