Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-06-29
LBs aailp Spp,
TUESDAY, JUNE 40. 1858.
History Of rhe Tele2raph.

Communication, u may De interesting " inquire
little into the history of the system Of commun-
icatine intelligence by telegraph, from its earliest
invention and application to the present time,
and note some Of the improvements gradually
made until it has reached its present state of
comparative perfection.
The frst description Of a telegraph universally
applicable, was given by DR.. Hooke, in his Brit
ish Philosophical Transactions for 1884 The
method which be proposed, an aerial one, consist
ed IN preparing many different shaped figures
squares, triangles, circles. Gas there are
letters in the alphabet; and about twenty years
later. NJ. Amontons exhibited some experiments
before the French Academy Of Sciences, illustra-
tive of plan, by which the practicabiity Of the
art was demonstrated; but neither Of these plans
was put into practical use, nor was any system
actually applied to practice, until 1874, when
NJ. Claude Chappe's invention was put into
operation between Paris and Lisle, distance of
one hundred and thirty miles, for the purpose Of
conveying intelligence to the French armies. 1t
consisted Of "beam which turned on pivot, in
The top of an upright post, having movable arm
at each Of its extremites and each different pc.
sition in which the beam and its two arms could
be placed at angles ofiorty Eve degrees. afforded
a separate signal, which might represent letter
of the alphabet. or have any other Specification
that might be agreed upon The time occupied
in transmitting Intelligence from Paris to Isle
by this mode was only two minutes.
The following year, in 1895, several plans we're
submitted to the English admiralty, Of which
one proposed BY Lord George Murray, was adopt.
ed, and continued to be made use of till 1916. 1t
consisted, says Brands Encyclopedia. of ''six
shutters, arranged in two frames, which. being
opened and shut according to all the different
combinations which can be formed, afforded the
means of giving sixty.three separate and distinct
signals.p t edi e7
Sir Henry Pophau's system, which was adopt
ed by the admiralty in 1916 instead Of the shutter
telegraph. and has continued in use ever since,
consists Of "merely two arms. movable on differ
ent pivots on the same mast, and is capable of
giving forty-eight independent signals" In
1922, Gen. Palsy still farther simpli6ed the con-
structon, by placing the two arms on the same
axis, and as thus improved it is the most perfect
erid or optical telegraph now in use, says
Brsnde.
The cost of working the erial telegraph was
very great--the one between London and Ports.
mouth, length Of ninety-6ve miles, costing
Sl650O per.annum. OF course the great ohjec.
tion to them, besides their comparative slowness,
was Their liability to total interruption by storms
and fogs.
The idea of the employment of electricity, as a
means of conveying intelligence to a distance,
appears to have been long entertained. and ex-
periments to ascertain the practicability Of cleo
trical communication between distant places
early made by scientific men throughout the
civilized world. The New York Courier and En-
quirer, in an elaborate artics on this point, says
ON 1929. Grey and Wheeler discovered that a
current Of electricity could be made to fow
rnrough considerable length of wire. In l746.
Winrkler, at Leipsic, and La Monnier, at Paris
experimental on the same subject of the trans
mission Of the electric current through conduct
ing bodies. In l747 DR.. Watson, in England
repeated and extended these experiments, send
ing current through two miles of wire and two
of earth sending shocks across the Thames ant
the New River. DR.. Franklin, in l74S am
DeLuc, in l749, repeated many of these expert
ments. In addition, experiments bearing more o
less on the subject OF electric telegraphy, wei
made by Lesage IN l774. Reusser in 1894, Caval
10 in 1875, Betancourt in 1898. Soemmering ii
1907, and Prof Oefstead in 1919.
The first electric telegraph actually applied
seems to have been the invention of M. d. F. Sal
va. Humboldt says his telegraph was establish
ed between Madrid and AraDjuez in 1898, dis
lance of about twenty-six miles.
After many improvements and changes, Prof
5. 4. B. Morse in the year 1885 constructed The
basis of his present simple and beautiful instru
meut. In September, 1887, be exhibited his in.
strument at the New York University, working
lynl fapf0 nj
Morse applied for patent in the United States
in April, 1885, This application was afterwards
withdrawn, and his patent was nottaken out un
I'll June, lS40 In 1912 he petitioned Congress
who appropriated $4,000 TO his use for the con
struction of a line between Washington and Bal
timore. In June, 1874, Morse had his invention
in successful operation between Washington ant
Baltimore, distance Of forty miles. This wa
the only line in the United States constructe,
under government paironage.t Ior ar
The House telegraph, the invention of Royal E
House, differs from previously invented tele
graphic instruments, by printing messages in tn,
ordinary Roman letters and this inv ntion, with
the invention Of David &. Hughes Of Kentucky
is well fitted to precede the experiment of the At
lantlc cable. By the latter invention the labor
which electricity has to perform is reduced to
minimum BY making it necessary to only
single electrical impulse 10 form letter, wherea
by previous systems several distinct impulse
were necessary. With the aid Of this invention
we can transmit message the distance from on
continent to another and so here have tn
practical decision in regard to the feasibility O
the Atlantic cable, the other difficulties ben
only mechanical ri IA sE 90 l1 tH
Tine rapid progress made throughout the worl
within the last few years, in building magnet
telegraph liuss, is seen in the estimated tots
length of all the telegrsphic lines now in exist
ence, which amounts to over SO 900 miles, {
which 5000 are in America. 10000 in England
10000 in Germany and Austria, 5000 in France
5000 in Russia, 1000 in Prussia, 1000 in the re
msinder Of Europe, 5000 in India, and 1000 ii
Australia.
The FIRST practical trial OF the submarine cabl
was in 1850, when the one from Dover, in Eng
land, TO Calais. in Pranse, twenty -four miles i
length. and consisting Of four wires, was laid
and it has since been in operation with but on
inteIruption) with complete success. Since tina
time, over nine hundred miles Of submarine cabl
have been laid, mostly in the old country, III
longest Of which is that connecting yarna an
BalaklAya, across the Black Sea, three hundre
and forty miles, consisting Of only one wire, an
laid in 1855. The next in length is that connec
ing England and Holland. one hundred and e
teen miles, consisting Of three wires. and laid !
1858. The third in length is that across III
Gulf Of ST. Lawrence, seyenty-four miles, with on
wire, laid 10 1885, That connecting Italy an
Corsica, sixty-Hye miles 10 length. consisting
six wires. was laid In 1854.
Says the Courier and Enquirer;
"TakipQ the security Of submarine cable