The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-11-30

oJ"SSS "eAO iohS III llOSe DAYS, anO
he had nothing to do but mediate
and contrive. Before the SuIly drop
ped her anchor in New York harbor,
he had invented and put on paper, in
drawings and explanatory words, the
chief features of the apparatus en-
Ployed to this hour by far the greater
number of the telegrhph:c lines in the
world.
The system of dots and marks, the
narrow ribbon of paper upon revol-
wing block, and a mode of buryina
the wires in the earth after inclosing
them in tubes, all were thought of and
recorded on board the packet ship.
The invention, In fact, so far as the
theory and the essential devices were
concerned, except alone the idea of
susperding the wires upon posts, was
completed on board the vessel. A few
days after landing, the plan. now
universally employed, o! supporting
the wires, was thought of by the in
ventor, though he still preferred his
original conception of the buried
tubes.
The reader, of course, Is aware that
the mere idea OF transmitting intelli
gence by electricity was not original
with Samuel Morse From the time
when DR.. Franklin and his friends
stretched wire across the SchuylklH
river, and killed turkey for. their
dinner by shock from an electrical
machine on the other side of the
stream, the notion had existed of using
the marvellous fluid for transmitting
intelligence and long before the Sui
ly was launched some attempts had
been made in this direction, which
were not wholly unsuccessful. Sci
ence had done her part. 1t remained
for the inventor to devise an appara-
tus which would utilize scientific
truth, and Samuel Morse was the
individual.
An artist, arriving at home after a
three years residence in foreign coun-
tries, Is not apt to be furnished with
great amount of cash capital: nor is
he usually able to spend any more
time in unproductive industry. Three.
years passed before Mr. Morse had set
up his rude apparatus Of half a mile
of wire and wooden clock, adapted
to the purpose by his hands, and sent
message from one end of his WIRE
to the other, legible at least to him
self. He used to exhibit his apparat.
us now and then to his friends, and he.
spent all the time he could spare from
his profession in perfecting it. For
some time it was placed in large
room of the New York University
where, in the fall of 1887, large num-
bers of persons witnessed Its wonder
full operations.
The invention attracted much at
tention at the time, as I can just
remember. Every one said, how
wonderful How ingenious! and
boasted of the progress man was
makingin science; but scarcely any
one believed that the invention could
be turned to profitable account, and
no man could be found in New York
willing to risk his capital in putting
the invention to practical test. By
this time, however, Mr.. Morse had
become fully possessed by the invent
or,s mania, which shuts mans eyes
to all obstacles, and forces him to pur-
sue his object to the uttermost.
Having no other recourse, he went
to Washington in 1888, arranged his
apparatus there, exhibited its perform
ance to as many members as he could
induce to attend, and petitloned Con,
gress for grant of public money with
which to make an experimental line
between Washington and Baltimore,
distance of forty miles. tits weary
work getting grant of money from
Congress for such purpose and it
ought to be, for Congress has no con
stitutional right to give away the peo
ple's money to test such an invention.
A committee reported favorably, but
nothing further was done during that
session.
He crossed the ocean to seek assis-
tance in Europe. His efforts were
fruitless. Neither in France or Eng
land could he obtain public or private
encouragement. 1t seemed out of the
sphere of government, and capitalists
were Strangely o6tuse, not to the mer-
Its OF the inve alton, but to the proba-
bility of its Icing profitable. They
could net conceive that any cons!dera'
BILE number of persons in any country
would care to pay for the instantaneous
transmis sion of news. Returning dis
appointed, but net discouraged, he
renewed his efforts. winter after win
ter, using all the influence of his own
presence at Washington, and all his
powers of argument and persuasion,
March the third, 1843, the last day