The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-08-05

nfvai the Etcctric.
mover klnd OF telegraph, the invention of
Sig. Guattari, an italian, was submitted to the
inspection OF party OF scientific gentlemen
lately in London. The inventor aims at oh
tanning by the use of atmospheric power the
same orhetter results than those attained by
electric and magnetic forces. To this end he
charges a reservoir With compressed air, and
by the operation of valves, worked in the
telegraph system, sends pulsations through
tube, which pulsations ARE made to work
upon the receiving instrument with an effect
corresponding with that OF the electric cur
rent passed along insulated wires. The in
vention has been SO fully recognized by the
Royal Institution at Naples that they have
paid to Signor Gaattar the rare compliment
of awarding him a gold MEAL
The working apparatus was all contained in
stand or table about eight feet long by five
feet wide and four feet deep. Air pumps
worked by the crank, are used to charge the
reservoir. The amount of pressure is shown
on dial.
The telegraphic instrument is worked by
hand in the ordinary way. A very COZ Ter
able coil of gutta percha tubing, half an inch
in. diametera said to be about mile in
length, was connected with the instrument at
the battery and with two other instruments
in the room. The experiments began by the
charging of the reservoir to about one six
teenth of its actual capabilty-this being at
the same time, a comparatively crude though
unsghtly machine. The method adopted for
the working OF the Guattari IS the Morse or
printing cipher system.
Senor Guattari, at the transmitting end.
sent through this message: "rhs apparatus
has already experimental ON the plebscite."
The words were recorded in cipher at the re-
ceivine end, and were read off by the gentle
man from the post office, who remarked how
ever, that in two or more instances the letters
had run into each other. The same author
ity found the valve at the transmitting end
difficult to work, and requiring manual
pressure Of something like seven pounds, in
stead Of the mere touch required by the regu-
lar Morse instruments.
In operating on it himself he sent through
the alphabet correctly, and transmitted all the
messages he attempted with accuracy. This
was done through line of tubing partly
wound round drum, and partly lying in an
irregular head on the floor. In actual service
lead tubes may be used.
1t is further reported that the system is to
be generally adopted on board the Italian
ships of war for the transmission of orders
from the commanding officer to subordinate
departments.
Experiments were next tried on the appara-
tus for communicating with various parts
of the ship, and subsequently with what may
be called the domestic telegraph. In this
case Sienor Gulttari dispensed with the use
of the reservoir, and, by mere manipulation
of an air ball at the end of the tube recorded
true cipher characters ON the long strip of pa
per which runs over the small wheels of the
receiving instrument. This is the kind of
telegraph to which the Guattari apparatus
will probably prove to be best adapted.
In large hotels, in ships OF war, in commu-
nication from factories to counting houses,
from private residences to places OF business,
and in town communications generally, the
system promises to be advantageous. 1t is
independent of foreign aid, is less likely to get
out OF order than wires conducting electric
currents, and will not be more expensive
For longer distances, on regular public lines,
the invention would probably not apply so
well, or work SO rapidly, as the present tele-
graphs.
The inventor is, however, equally sanguine
in this as in smaller branches, aad claims,
not without reason, that his apparatus will
be less expensive than electric batteries, and
will be less subject to the influence of those
atmospheric storms which sometimes put the
teeoraphic system of whole country out of
order