The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-17
WASHINGTON. d. c.
THE GREAT TELEGRAPH CASE.

taste fl States lately came before this tribunal
They vi. We had the pleasure of hearing
her ban of the argument Of Mr.. Chase for the
.ere. r+s .,5 h, s;rce road tho s,hs.anoo
70 w;nSi, entire argument in a pamphlet copy
nd shrubin New York 1t is clear, concise, and
larble step.comprehensive in its range unanswer-
lere aliights logic. We had intended to pre-
ITO the HOu bstIact Of it, but the following from
,ss;nn nf e York Daily Times saves US the
seek Re:
Mr.. lr. CHASE after tracing the history of the
ne 4ectric Telegraph, sums mp what had been
accomplished before Prof Morse directed his
attention to the subject, as follows:
The galvanic or voltaic battery had been in
vented aud improved thus supplying gener-
ator of electricity in sufficient quantity and en-
ergY.
The mode Of connecting the poles of the bat
terry by wire circuit whether long or short,
was known
The fact that during this connection, the
electricity generated by the battery was trans
mitted inStantaneOusly through the entire cir
cult, and that at the instant of breaking the
circuit By scvering the wire or otherwise in
terrupting the connection, this electricity dis
appeared, was also known
Various convenient modes of breaking and
closing the circuit, and thus interrupting and
renewing the current by means of finger key
and otherwise were also known
The fact that the electric current transmit
ted through thin paper, mOlstened by solu-
ton Of mineral salts would leave mark upon
the paper was also known.
The fact that the electric current transmit
/ - l. L.
circuit and wound round a soft iron bar would
excite magnetism in the bar and make it at
sract an armature, which magnetism would
instantly disappear on breaking the circuit,
was established This discovery gave the cleo
tro-magnet to science and the arts.
The fact that by the use Of electromagnetic
ism, thus developed, any mechanical effects,
capable Of being produced BY any ordinary
motive power Of like energy, could be wrought
at any distance from the operating station, to
which the electric current could be transmitted,
was also established.
The fact that the electric current passing
through wire, surrounded or placed IN GER
tain relations to a needle, would, by its mag
netic action, powerfully defect it. was also es-
tablished
And finally, it was established that the eec.
trio current generated by a proper battery,
could be sent through circuit of indefinite ex-
tent, without any sensible diminutiOn Of its
power to excite an electrO-magnet, or TO defect
a needle placed ut the remOtest point from the
operating station.
This being So, the telegraph was inevitable,
and various forms of the telegraph were also
inevitable. Oae inventor would naturally avail
himself Of the DETECTION of the needle; another
of the property of the electric current to de-
compose salts another of the mechanical pow
er OF the electro magnet The history of telo-
graphic invention embodied in the record, and
the works made part Of it. and in our national
public documents prove that what might have
been naturally expected actually happened.
The signs of Gauss and Weber's telegraph
were made by the simple reflections of needle
IL single DETECTION to the right representing a. |
and q single DETECTION to the left, b-the other |
letters and certain words and sentences being |
rep esented by reflections yariously combined |
This telegraph was put in operation in 1888 or
1884 In Steinheils telegraph, which was put |
10 operation previous to July, 1887 and had |
been adopted by the Bavarian Government, ac
cordjng to Mr. Morse when he visited Europe
in 1888 the regulated reflections of needle |
or magnetic bar Of proper size and shape were
employed either to produce sounds by striking
bells, or to record signs by marking with ink
paper moved before the bar by a roller In
Cooke aud WheItstone's telegraph, patented in
1897, the reflections Of the needle were used
90 point 10 words and sentences arranged upon
a disc OF dial. Mr. Morse found this telegraph,
also, in operation when he visited Europe in
1888. In Morses telegraph, patented in 1910
and first put in operation IN ls45 the electro
magnet was used in connection with other APP
parLtus to mark or indent paper The indent-
atiOns thus male were used ~ representatives
of letters Subsequently in l846, Balm invent
ed IL telegraph in which the electric current
was made To pass through chemically prepar-
ed paper, and made marks by chemical action,
without the use Of electromagnetic ut all.
The marks thus made were employed as rep
gesentatiyes of lette.s, words, or sentences
About the same time House perfected the
most ingenious telegraph hitherto devised, by
means of which pam Roman letters could be
printed at any distance from the operating
station This telegraph was patented in l8l8
Balm received an American patent for his in
now proc ed to the inquiry what did Morse
actually invent
With the permssl of the court, will read
few extracts from the elaborate opinion of
Mr. Justice Woodbury. in the ease of Smith
yS Downing, expressing the CONVICTIONS OF that
leurned Judgr, in respect to the extent Of
Morse's actual invention On page seven of
tie pript ted opinion, he says, He (Morse came
into the world too tate for claiming much as
truly new eAt page eighteen, he further says,
as before explained he must not be consider
ed to have claimed tue invention of The general
principle or drt Of teiegraphing, by eisctro-mdg.
netiSm,' nor COLD he, as already hopR haze
protected IL # he had But all he clearly claim
cd was, a method of doing tan improve
meat ia doing it-and these he has right to
protect. and these only, They were pin to
anLrk, or trace, in the end OF his lever or nee
die; happy thought-but the movement Of a
Paper on the roller was almost us necessary to
receive marks in SUCCESSION; and his alphabet
TO be thus applied and ussd, was the browning
act OF his invention
On page twenty-seyen he also says:
The lever, OF which 80 much has been said
seems only the old needle depressed at one end
by the magnet, and Of course elevated at the
other till the circuit is broken and by putting
a pin or pen in the last end, dot or stroke is
made on the paper rolling above or below, and
che stenOgraphc gus are then recorded"
Ga the same page he further says
70 be SURE DO (HOIse) used also the poirer
u electro. magnetism, but Morse did not invent
that p0uey or ITS EMPLOYMENT IN TELEGRAPH
mo-
come now to consider the third question
bearing on the validity Of the patent OF ls4s
reissgsd in 1913 namely-What does this pat
ent ptrport to cover What exclusive rights
does Morse claim Tor himself under it
NIr. Justice Woodbury., in the case already
referred to, expressed the opinion that, taking
che whole paieut together, Morse must be un.
derstoCd rs claiming only the use of electro
magnetism " IN the form Of his application, ae-
sordmg 10 has machinery and IN the modes he had
described But it must be remembered that
the copy Of the patent, which was then before
the court, was mlsprinted. In dat copy, the
eighth claim asserted the right of Morse ~ the