The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-09-13

4
them successvely as transmitted, both 10 weight
and volume; and their quantitive relations 70
each other being known Oxygen to hydrogen as
one TO two in volume, and as eight to one IN
weight) he easily tabulated set OF signals py
which at last YVES secured ineligible, facile, and
rapid Communication. The evolution Is known
smong chemists as the electrolysis OF water,
Il ougb, of course. il Is greatly modined. ms,
then, was bis discovery in miniature. ,
The limits of the farmhouse were now too small
for the advanced state of his operations, and ne
soon collected his nldteTel and set out for bonaio
to make his experiments upon an enlarged pan
in the waters OF Lake Ontario. he remained
there until the 18th of June. 1868, aud 1t then be-
came cessary for him. in order to effect bis pur-
pose, to take into his confidence gentleman
whose scientific attachments would assist him IN
such matters of astronomy as would be requisite
to find the most exact degrees OF latitude al the
teJnlini of line parallel TO the equator, and,
therefore, to have each point bear from the other
due east and west. For the western terminus OF |
this line point near the city of Toronto. G. W.:
was selected, and its latitude was found to be IS
degrees SO minutes % seconds north. Several |
DAYS were spent in reducing set OF intricate
astronomical observations to the extreme delicacy
of r drg the latitude to inches on the surface oil
the earth. This being done, they wentto the east
ern end in the town of Sandy Creek 0swego
county, in this State and located II with the same
degree of precision as in he first instance, not
peglecting to verify both by accurate surveys.
The line joining these two points Is about one
stated, due east and west The apparatus was
then immersed, at a considerable distance from
the shore, in twenty-five feet OF water, and was
protected from the violence Of the waves and cur
rents by temporary wooden bulkheads completely
surrounding 1t.
Accompanied by your correspondent the expert
menter went again to the western station and the
other portion ofthe apparatus as sunk in the same
deptb of water when uniufiuenced by the tide)
and upon the same mathematical parallel OF lau
tude. II was likewise protected by wooden
casing. Reservoirs of sheetron construction, OF
forty cubic feet capacity, were placed at each
end and properly adjusted to receive and measure
the constituents as they should be resolved TO
conform 10 the previously codided signals oy
which the electrical effects were to be IN
terpreted. On the sixth day OF July everything
had been arranged with scrupulous care, the va
rious parts of his battery machine and connecting
apparatus were appropriately adjusted and the
final trial commenced. A dozen fruitless attempts
we're made to make the instruments perform their
Offices. At last the various parts were brought
up for inspection, and the fault was soon dlscov-
cred and his co-workers informed by telegraph.
Three days passed. and on Monday, the 10th Of
July, at o'clock, every thing was again got IN Po
| stion, the weather being calm and the water
| smooth ard unsgitated. scow was secured,
| from which to operate and was firmly anchored
| at each end. he then commenced to generate
| powerful stream and an immense quantity OF the
| decomposing fluid, which he stood ready to let
| loose upon the susceptible medium, hundred "a
dating agents converging to q common center,
| all charged with electricity. and which we're only
waiting for the needy touch to speed the hud upon
its impusive errand. At seventeen minutes past
| clock he handled the operating screw and sent
the following dispatch:
al B. Sped1mdn-5uceess at last Is mine.
81. Il. MOWER"
| at nineteen minutes pasttwo O'Clock DaeK came
the response
M. Molrer-The world will acknowledge your
| triumph. j. b. SPsARMAS."
| Two hours were then spent in uninterrupted
| communication upon matters relating chiefly TO
the apparatus, its operations and disposition.
The theory upon which he determined to make
| the line of traDsmlssion-a parallel of latitude-is
founded upon the natural disposition OF electricity
over the earth; but as to the particulars Mr.
| Mower declined to enlighten me, as was also the
| case in regard to many points of his apparatus.
As to the whole evolution of dispatching mes
sages through the water. using it as the only me.
| dium without the aid of any wire or insulated
conductor, IL may be explained thus: The water
| at the point of contact with the fluid is decom-
posed in the FIRST drop, when the chemical separs-
ton advances to the second globule and there ef-
fects a like change, communicating the evolution
to the third and so on in the line OF transmission,
always in the same stratum of water. TO the. end
Of the series; and when positive decomposition
takes place in the first, negative decomposition is
evolved in the last.
1t will be seen at once that the quantity of cleo
tricty required to resolve the evolution IS IN con
slant proportion to the force of chemical affinity
by which the elements are united, and 1t there
| fore opIy requires good propulsion to send tbs
| decomposed ingredients on dd minimum In the
direction Of the PRONUNCIATION OF the agent anect
| ing the same. Why this line of invaris5le decom
| position is always east and west, Mr.. Mower, as
| remsfke ed before, win not now disclose. The rea
son for the eectrcity's acting in the same stratum
is explained in the unequal densities OF difieren
strata; and that the intensity OF gravitation act
| as well for unponderabe bodies as for those o
| considerable weight. Nor can any salt or base
held in solution by water, defect the line of trans
mission from its paralelism to the surface OF still
water; first, because of the laws OF gravitstion
and, secondly, for the reason that these bodie
are themselves acted upon by magnetic innu
epces. The only obstacles to the action Of thi
mode Of telegraphy will be the tidal waves risin
| and falling in the two hemispheres at di6eren
times; but these barriers can be easily SUI
mounted by sinking the apparatus to dept
, beyond their influence.
. Mr. Mower called his assistant to Albany an
compared chronometers which they had 10 us
during the trial and found that, allo sing for th
difference Of time in the two places, the averag
time of transmission was less than three eighth
of secord for a distance Of over 100 miles. FroI
this fact, it is plain that some particular law gov
| ems this new discovery.
. Mr.. Mower has placed his legal interests Ia th
( | hands of responsible parties, who are prepariD
bis caveats which will soon be filed in Washing
ton. He is about to sail for Europe TO secure th
J | same rights there when he will establish line
telegraph between Montauk Point and the Spar
, | ish coast, which he assures me, can be done Il
J less than $4,000.
( Mr.. Mower has, in the course Of his investig
TONS made many discoveries relating to electric
| ~, which be will communicate in his own form
the world at the proper time. He expects in lei
1 than three months to place his line between Spa
= and New York in operation.
4 As 10 Mr.. Mower himself he Is a gentleman
marked Ieticence. courteous affable, and not ov'
inclined 10 familiarity. slight in figure, with 7
e peculiar or striking indications of mental super
GRITTY that would cause him TO be remarked by Il
e observer. He has q considerable command
: money but of his snteceients he never speak
+ nor viii he give any Information at preset
: thereof.
II is impossible to over estimate the Important
/ of this discovery-a discovery which will esta
s lish perfect gridiron of ocean teegraphs b
e \ tween cur Atlantic coast ana Europe on the o.
hand and the Pacific coast and China on the othe
It | Obscure islands In the most neglected corners
Q the earth will be able to hold converse with cyi
l. cation, and soon receive her quickening breath
y industry and art Every respectable sea.coa
: newspaper can open its own channels of comm
c nication at an expense Insignificant when col
? pared with the present trans Atlantic rates.
c thousand benefits will accrue to mankind, aud
o Is hoped that in their foil fruiton the name
Is Mower will not be forgotten, for he has indie
I. electrified the world.
| baua haa 10 tha il