The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-08-28
TeIegrapliA


various kinds of telegraph instruments, and
their relative merits, we think the following
article on that subject, taken from the
Philadelphia Press, will not be without in
tercst:
Professor Hughes Telegraph has recently
attracted much public attention, and is like
ly to supercede the instrument hitherto used,
at least ON all lines where speed and accura-
cy are of primary Importance. The me
chanism and principles involved in the con-
struction of this telegraph are so simple
that a brief description, showing wherein
it differs from all others, cannot fail to be
interesting. In all electric tclcgraphs, mes
sages are conveyed by signals, either Observ-
ed or self-recorded. When observation
alone is used, one or two magnet needles
are made, by a passage Of electricity through
the apparatus, to vibrate to the right or left,
AZ the viii of the operator. These signals
are arranged into code, and the receiver
spells off the message from the vibrating
needles, while an amanuensis commits it, il
necessary, to paper. This is the method
generally used in Great Britain.
In the selfrecording instruments the-pas-
convert piece of soft iron or bundle of
iron wires, into a magnet; as this magnet
ism ceases the instant the current of cleo
tricity is interrupted, this property is taken
advantage OF, to attract q piece of iron to
the magnet, and set recording instrument
in motion, which, by. means OF clockwork,
records the signals or letters, transmitted on
paper Mt the home and distant stations.
These signals are either the actual letters of
the alphabet, or may consist of combina-
tions OF long and short lines with blank
spaces, which stand for the letters of the
alphabet. In Houses and Brott's printing
telegraphs the Roman letters are used; in
Morses, and the telcgraphS which follow his
principle, the symbols of long and short
lines are used. Morses system is generally
used on the continent. In all these instrt-
ments, however, most letters require several
successive electrical impulses, Or waves, TO
record them. In the telegraph of House or
Brett, one letter may require but one wave,
another two, and soon; while another may
require twenty-eight waves, according as
the letters in the MESA ge succeed each Other
in the alphabet. Taking the order in which
the letters follow each other in ordinary
each letter. In the Morse system the aver
age is three and half waves per word; but
as long waves are obliged To be used rs well
as short ones, the advantage in point or
speed is found practically to be in favor of
Houses machine. The recording in print
each letter of q message by a single wave
or electrical impulse, is the triumph of Pro-
fessor Hughes.
The retardatiOn Of thc electrical current
in submarine. and even I'm insulated wires
laid below the surface of the earth, renders
this invention of great Importance in an
economical point of view. As the Atlantic
telegraph is successfully laid down, nn elcr-
trical impulse will require an interval of
nearly two seconds 10 travel from England
TO America. These impulses can hardly be
sent-at shorter intervals after each other
than one second. IL Becomes therefore, of
great importance 10 adopt an instrument
which shall make every impulse record its
letter, instead of requiring seven impulses
as an average. Ii is thus most likely that
thirty words per minute will be transmitted
between the two continents. This. Twill be
l.So0 per hour, or 43. 200 each day of twcn-
ty-four hOHrs If the charge be dollar per
word, the income will lie SIS, ,7GS, 900 per
annnm. But rs an income of this magIii-
tude is preposterous the charge must either
bcreduced in price, or the line unemployed
the greater portion of the time.
Every person now TresumeS that one wire
will not he sufficient to accommodate the
business which viii crowd upon it, aud adj
ditional cables are already spoken of. But
ther JoEegoing calculations will slow tllM
ca. X u0TTar per vvru II UssuTiieu 's ti'e
price for sending messages. though we have
seen no otIiGial notice OF St.ch being the
charge. Ii the wire were employed only
six hours in the twenty-tour, the income
would he S3,942, OOO per annum. II the
price were fixed at only half-a-dollar per
word. and the line used during SIX hours,
the income would still be Sl,07l 900. Pre-
suming that no Interruptions occur, no
breaks. no accidents of any kind, the enter
prise can hardly fail to lie largely reInuner-
ativc. But il is indispensable to permanent
/ productivenoSs that "a second cable bc lald,
as II reserve in case OF accident Entire
freedom from casualty cannot he counted
on. Some break will yet occur, perhaps
+ after the lie has been for weeks or months
demonstrating its immense value to the CIV
iIized world. We shall then be able to ap-
precate its value by being thus suddenly
deprived of the miraculous facilities we had
fenfoyed. " may bc, therefore. assumed as
a certainty that duplicate cables will be
speedily laid. l. -1H