Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-08-15


the enormity of the crime9 Who then should be
held responsible for the defeat of the Grant,
Those who exposed the fraud, or those who COM
mitted it? Certainly the latter. We shall use no
harsh terms to those of our citizens who may hon.
estly differ with us this subject, but the people
of this territory may congratulate themselves on
having escaped from the communicating influence
of body of unprincipled men.
ATMOSPHERIC TELEGRAPH FOR TRANsPOR-
TING PACKAGES.
When Prof. Morse first conceived the idea and
made it public, of transmitting messages from
one portion of the country to the other in the in
credible short space Of one, two and three min
.vs, he was considered in other light than that
of maniac, and was so treated by all with whom
he came in contact. Gradually, however, this feel
ing wore away--his invention began to be tested
and proved until it excited no more curiosity in
the public mind than that of the steamship or the
railroad locomotive. Such has been the case with
all new inventions, and such, we have reason to be-
lieve will be the case with others, which may here
after be discovered.
The atmospheric telegraph is of a character to
enlist the interest of reasonable, thinking minds,
and to call out whatever merits it may possess,
which, from an imperfect knowledge of it, we feel
confident are many and valuable. We see no rea-
son why compressed air cannot be made subservi-
ent to the wants of man, and if so, why man him.
self cannot travel in these tubes. The invention
has been before the public nearly a year, but as
we remarked at the onset, all such inventions are
obliged to undergo ordeal before sufficient con-
fidence can be had in them, to induce men of cap
ital to give them fair trial. In the present case
it seems that Mr.. Richardson, the inventor, laid a
memorial before the United States Senate, asking
of that body an appropriation ''to test the feas-
Utility Of his proposed atmospheric telegraph"
which appropriation has been granted and the
committee have reported bill, authorizing the
construction of tube, under the supervision of
the Postmaster General, on direct line between
Washington and BALTIMORE This fact of itself
very plainly shows that the committee have great
faith in the invention, and that if it can be made
to work in the manner the inventor claims it will,
it will supercede in measure, the necessity for
the expresses which are now springing up in vari-
Gus portions of our country. The following is the
description Of the model of the apparatus at
Washington, embodied in the report of the COM
mittcc -
ssIt consists Of q horizontal tube of one inch
clear diameter, onehalf Of which straight, while
the other half contains curves, designed to repre-
sent the sinuosiies of the tube passing over une-
ven ground. One small air pump, placed linear the
centre, and communicating with either end of it,
exhausts it at pleasure from right to left. pis-
ton, or plunger, three inches long, and fitting the
tube loosely, but followed by several detached
discs, or washers of leather, which accurately fit
it, is inserted in end of the tube, separated by
cut off and few strokes of the pump produce
in the tube partial vacuum. The cut off is then
reversed, and the plunger set free ON the side Of
the uacuun,, relieved from, the resistance Of the air
in the tube and propelled alone by the pressure of
the atmosphere, passes through in time wholly
unappreciabe by ordinary MEANS"
MIR. Richardson, it seems, has experimental with
his telegraph in tube one mile long, and with the
very best results, showing that the mile was trav-
ersed with several pounds attached to the plunger,
in much less than minute! 1t is thought by the
committee that speed and power equivalent to the
propulsion of fifty tons two inbred miles per
hour can be attained, and that the mails which
now consume twelve hours in passing between New
York and Washington, may be carried between
those cities in too hours, and at greatly diminish
ed rates, so tina. six sets of mails could be sent
where now only one is sent, without an increase
of expense. In view of these important cOnsid-
erations, it is hoped that the invention will prove
all that is claimed for it, and that the P. NJ. Gen.
will con ract for tube to be laid down between
St. Paul and Galena or some other civilized por-
ton of the world, at the very earliest day.
Judging from the history of the past-the history
of all inventions-we see no reason why this same
atmospheric telegraph, which is considered by
some as the offspring Of a crazy brain, may not
become general, and much more useful than the
invention of Prof. Morse. We certainly live in a
fast age, and an age of remarkable events, and
where and to what degree of perfection we may
yet arrive, is certainly question for the phi.
losopher and statesman.
BURGLARS ARREsrED.-We learn that the bur-
glars who broke into the store of A. l.. Larpen-
teur and stole $500 worth of goods therefrom,
have been arrested at Red Wing.
HoRsEs.-Young man! Look out! Don't
drive that horse so numerically fast. He is a
faithful beast-he has done his duty, and it is not
necessary for you to 60 along this hot weather at
the rate of 2:40 per minute. You will live Just
as long, if you go slower. A merciful man will
be merciful to his beast, and when we see Jehu
driving horse at the top of his speed with the
thermometer at 100, we universally set him down
as man of but little heart and no Judgment
Use discretion and drive slow, particularly when
the weather is SO expressing hot.
GT Couldn't the T" Senior " of the Minnesota
An hang On tn the coat tail of some GOOD Demo.
crat, and thus CLAY in" for the public printing P
Perhaps he might succeed in getting few votes
from those be deuounces for entertaining different