The New York herald., 1870-08-20
AUTOMATIC or ..FAsT, TELEGaAPRY.

To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:--
The interest you have evnced in the subject Of
automatic telegraphy leads me to believe that you
and your readers will be gratified to learn what
has been accomplished within the last six or
eight months in the development of the Little sys-
tenn of fast telegraphy.
In order to Arrive at reliable results it was
thought best to construct an independent line of
telegraph between this city and Washington and
this enterprise taken hold of about the lst Of
January last and by March the line was nearly
completed, except a gap of some ten miles
through the city of Philadelphia, where we were
successfully opposed in getting the right Of way
until about the middle Of July; since which
time the liue has been completed and
yet been opened TO the public. The line con.
ssts Of about 900 miles Of compound (stcel and
copper) wire, OF the tensile strength and eectri-
cal conductivity Of No. iron wire aud insulated
with the Brooks insuator. The wire is guaran-
teed to withstand sleets and all other storms and
to convey ample electrical currents for all pract
cal purposes in the most unfavorabe weather. We
have just commenced to make tests of the electr.
cal condition OF our line and Of the capa utilities OF
our automatic machinery for fast telegraphy.
The results are in the highest degree satisfactory.
The electrical tests of Professor Farmer show
that we have line more than 200 per cent supe-
rior to any one of the lines of the Western Union
Company; and the practical results TO our au-
tomato machinery are that we can transmit, over
single wire, from Washington to New York
"a 900 words per hour, which il equal TO the aver
age working of than thirty wires by the
Morse system OF telegraphy. But the most impor-
tant feature OF our new system of telegraphy is
its extreme simplicity and unerring accuracy.
boy or girl Of fifteen years of age can master
the machinery and the whole system in
few hours, aud business men can perform by a
process az simple IA writing, in their own count
ing rooms three quarters of the whole work Of
telegraphing, without the least Inconvenience
and thereby reduce the cost of telegraphing to a
point but little above the present cost Of mail
correspondence.
Every person Of practical experience and sound
Judgment knows that the rates Of tariff proposed
in Mr.. Washburn's Postal Telegraph bill would
not yield fifty per cent of the actual cost of
telegrsphing in this country by the Morse system;
but when our new automatic system Of telegraphy
shall have been fully introduced throughout the
country there cannot be a rational doubt that
between all points where large business is done
the rates OF tariff may be reduced to much less
than one cent per word in thousand mile circuits,
and still afford large margin Of profit We find
no difficulty whatever in !''dropping copies'' of
newspaper reports and reiterate with emphasis
my former public statements upon this point,
and say that with our lines fully established
throughout the country we shall be able to send
news reports direct from this city, by once
writing, to every city and into every news.
paper office In every city of the whole Union, and
at rate OF speed equal to two hundred words
per minute. The Western Union Company trans
mits daily to and from New York to the whole
Of the Associated Press about an average of
fifteen thousand wOrds-say seven thousand
West, five thousand East and three thou.
sand Southland receives for this service
about $s00,00O, or, say three cents per word.
With our new system of automatic telegraphy in
successful operation the press of the whole coun-
try will be able to receive daily reports, regard
less of the number of words, at less than half the
news reports, and in less than one-fourth Of the
time now employed by the Morse lines. supe-
ror class of compound telegraph lines will be i'm.
medately constructed to all parts Of the country,
and complete revolution in teegraphy and in
the postal business Of the country must inevitably
follow. d. II. CRAIG