The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-20

| COuNtulcuCcS ubtt ndu Inc cucct OF iOWcIlIlk
once rents In Wan ana the adjacent streets, a.
when brokers and bankers depended on messengers
Tor their quotations from the Exchange proximity
| TO the Exchange commanded q high premium. Now
! distance makes no difference the banks up town
getting the quotations the bank next door
quite different from each other the former sim.
ply announcing the quotation, without registering,
WINE tne STOCK INDICATOR prints the quotation on
the , CITY care are al lo worked by the Register
sends an electric flash along the every direc
ton to httie boxes In banks brokers' Offices, &c,
gold at the very instant 1t Is announced the Gold
Room. These instruments require two wires, and
are placed In Offices for $780, Tnls amount, however
does not purchase the Instrument but with the
additional payment OF five dollars per week for the
quotations secures It's services as long as they are
required The party taking an instrument may
transfer II to his successor the premises TO any
one else who desires to connect himself by telegraph
with the Cod Room, but 1t cannot be disposed of as
The stock Indicators are worked from a central
onice over the Gold Room, and are much more
Intricate their mechanism. Indicators In Phila-
delphia are also connected with the central office
New York, so that the business men OF that city
In their oices watch the fluctuations OF the stock
and gold market just the same as the bankers and
brokers OF Wall street. An attempt was made to
introduce the Indicators In Boston, but business was
loo slow there, and the enterprise had to be aban-
doned.
NEW FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH.
Among the improvements gong on in New York
is the introduction OF a new fire alarm telegraph,
with 400 signal boxes, distributed throughout the
city, and 500 miles OF wire. the poles are already
being shipped from the South, and 1t Is expected
that Few months Will suffice TO complete the work.
the present system requires the alarm OF IRE to be
given from police station, and frequently 30 much
time Is necessary to reach the station that before
the engines can be notified and reach the spot the
IRE attalns destructive headRay. The new arrange
ment Of signal boxes scattered near each other all
parts OF the CITY VIII enable person TO sound
e oes w n ealing on the poSe ana
The signal boxes are worked oy means Of small
crank, which, upon being turned slowly. puts In
motion an electric apparatus Within that cOmmunl-
Gates TO the Central ONCE the number OF the box.
The crank be turned IN either direction and any
person. however stupid he may be, can give an alarm
To prevent false alarms from being given by mis-
chiev01s persons the crank Is enclosed within the
box and the key Of the door placed in the hands of
the policeman on that beat OR In some store adoin-
ing the box, The other details OF the system do
not differ materially from those OF the present fire
alarm, there already being Geographic cOmmunlca
ton between the police stations and the engine
houses and alarm bells.
GROWTH OF THE TELEGRAPH
1t Is Interesting In this connection to glance at
the wonderfully rapid progress that has been made
In Geographic matters since the subject first came
before the public. The FIRST telegraph line estab-
shed for the transmission Of dispatches was erected
In 1888, between London and Birmingham. France
and In June Of the year Morse put In operation
the first iine IN the United States. This ran from
Baltimore to Washington, and the next year 1t
1s4e line was built from New YORK to
Buffalo ana Harrisburg and In ls47 lines were con-
btTuCbcu U6GWecu buffalo ana montreal ana from
Boston to Portland. The next year the whole
country became excited upon che subject, and tee-
graphs were put up In every direction. Since that
period very great improvements nave been made In
all branches OF telexraphy, not only In the introduce
ton OF new appliances, but in the instruments then
nearly 200 pounds, now weighs only q few oufces,
and the magnetic coils have been reduced from
eighteen inches to one inch IN diameter. Ten years
ago there were only eight wires running south and
ten east from New York; now nearly 200 centre In
tins city, and the telegraph is becoming as common
means OF communication as the Post ONCE.
The United States are far in advance OF Europe in
this respect, having more miles or wire ana trans
uniting much greater number OF messages, at
lower rates. Last winter Congress devoted con-
siderable attention to the project Of establishing
government telegraph lines and several bills were
introduced for that purpose. The first was intro
duced by Mr.. Washburne OF Illinois, and provided
for tho construction by government Of . line of
telegraph. with Tour wires, from Washington to
New York, to be operated as far as practicable. by
the employees Of the Post ONCE the rate for trans
mission OF messages to be one cent for each word,
ton to three cents for postage and two cents for
delivery. Press reports were TO be transmitted at
reduction not exceeding fifty per cent on the estab
hshed rates. Another bill provided for the incOrpO-
ration OF the United States Postal Telegraph Com
pany, and authorized the Postmaster General TO
establish Geographic oices connection with the
Post Office IN every city and village Of 5000 inhabi-
tants and over, and ut such other places on the
might from time to time demand. Messages
were to be prepaid by stamps, and received
at every Post Ohics and street letter box.
third bill authorized certain parties TO construct
under the supervision Of the Postmaster General,
ltIes OF telegraph between Boston, New York, Phila
dephia, Baltimore and Washington, when lines
were to be purchased by the government after three
years OF successful operation. One cent per word
counting date, address and signature, was to be
charged upon messages, TO each Of which q three
cent stamp was also to be affixed. These bills were
all referred to the Post Office Committee which, after
protracted examination of the subject, reported
adversely, and the project was abandoned.
The following statistics show the operations Of the
telegraph In all countries for the year 1866