The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-25
TEE NEW rELEGRAPMC CODE.
Economy, Accuracy and Despatch In Trans.
hitting Messages.
Major Bottoms Numeral Code-Its Advantages
Over the Morse System-Saving to
Senders Of Messages-General
Economy and Despatch.

Major Frank Bolton, OF the Royal Engineers OF
Great Britain, superintendent OF the Army and
Navy Signalling Corps and inventor or the flashing
lights for night signalling has after many years
ardnons labor aided by some OF the best minds OF
England and large staff OF clerks, invented and
perfected complete Geographic code OF the English
language, which congresses telegrapnic epistles
into sentences and sentences into words. When we
reflect upon the extent 10 which Geographic CON-
mnncation has superseded the Post once for all
business purposes, and that In process OF time the
Post once will be used exclusively to convey domes-
tic and sentimental news from one point 10 another
we can begin TO understand the boon Major Bolton
has conferred upon mankind In COMPRISING all our
Geographic says into 80 small compass that
from so TO 400 per cent be saved upon each mes
sage
This, when translated into the language which Is
said to he appreciated 10y our nation means so
many dollars or cents saved upon each message,
which reduction, however, VIII In no wise DIMINISH
the legitimate income Of The companies, because,
Ike all genuine improvements IL IL twice blessed
alt blesseth him that gives aud him that takes"
The telegraph wires viii be used because the
cost OF using them VIII he lessened TO consumers,
and therefore reach large circle OF people who
could not avail themselves OF 50 expensive me.
dunn of transmitting their thoughts until MAJOR
Bolton with his Geographic code placed II within
their power do 80. Now how is this twolod al
vantage TO he given-reduction of price to the
sender without lessening the incomes OF the COM
paniesY
by this code, which enables the company 10 effect
saving In the time occupied In the transmission OF
message Of from 50 10 400 per cent thus giving the
means OF sending from three to eight messages
where one onlys now sent. That this can be effected
by Major Bottoms code is ahnndanty proved by ex-
| periments made on board the Great Eastern. Three
messages were written and sent by the Morse
| alphabet system and the code, comparatively. The
| results were-
Time coae. rme. Morse.
mn. sec. MN. Sec.
Message 10. i............- 10 IS y 90
Message No 5. ..... ! 80 % 30
| Upon the whole OF the Great Eastern experiments
/ Messrs Marley, Cyrus Field ana Thompson reported
| as ioiows:"We have witnessed several trials
| OF Major Bottoms system OF coding messages.
These have baen transmitted through tile At
| lantic cable-lrst 10y the Morse alphabet in
fun aud then codned. The messages have
| been correctly transmitted ana the time occupied
ia doing SO through the cable has shown saving
| in bottoms code OF from so TO 400 per cent, ac-
cordng to the nature OF the message.n The system
| ltse Is expressed by words, groups OF letters or
groups o. figures at the option of the sender
The book Is divided into three parts. Part
| expresses numerals, the letters OF the alphabet,
marks of punctuation, &c. and is limited to words
OF three letters, groups or two letters or groups Of
three figures Part Two Is private code consisting
of 100 pages with 100 blank lines on each page,
to be flied up at the option OF the owner, ana is ex-
pressed by words OF four letters, groups OF three
letters or groups OF four ngures. Part three con.
talns vocabulary and sentence CODE II comprises
every word OF the English language alphabetically
arranged the sentences being selected from various
message forms extracted from the best signal
books All words, letters and sentences belne
alphabetically arranged OF course reference
be asked. how about the groups OF ns-
urcst Iney are Just as easy OF reference as
words. Every page contains two columns OF nifty
lines each. from 90 inclusive Thus, for example,
group Of or figures, say oi6, is received; II Is at
once seen that 1t Is seventysNn line upon 0i page,
and being group OF only four figures belongs to
the private code. Again. 7645 Is the forty hftl line
receiver knows at he is TO look for IL in
the general code. trial 81 tue system was made
100 messages were despatched, averaging l2-25
words. BY Morse's system they occupied Two
by the code one hour ana fifteen seconds; the
average OF errors AT The same time being with the
code system one per cent. with the Morse system
seven per cent, ana this by operators wen ac-
quainted with the Morse alphabet, but who were
trying the code numerical system for the nrst time.
So far We have shown the benefit to the cOmpa-
MES. Now let us see how This code VIII operate 10
the advantage OF The sender. There many groups
OF Messages constantly In use among bankers. Iner
can't c ana business men generally that are
s,anty recurring that by tile exercise OF some inge-
nulty they may ne codihcd and expressed In
word BY the use OF Bottoms code groups or these
messages may be united and thus II letter may be
condensed into Il few code words figures. II ID
easy to see how this benefits the sender. For IN
stance, merchant III New 0rk wishes tee graph
twenty words to san Francisco; the price al the
present tari Is five dollars for ten words, and thir
ty-thrce cents for each exceeding word making
eight dollars and thirty cents. Taxing the
smallest possible amount OF sas Gig by the code
this message would be condensed into ten words
and Sc 70 Tor nve dollars leaving OF SO 80 on
the single message. We nave hee taken the smallest
possible amount OF saving by the code but 1t is
much more likely thirty words would be easily sent
Tor The same amount We could easily multiply ~
stances but one will suice. Accuracy Is also secured.
ii Is not too much TO say that IN every telegram
words and often important words, are left out q
reduce the expense as much possible, trusting
thai the receiver VIII I'LL tnGm In correctly wIi on
may Or may not he the case; hence errors so con-
santly occur; whereas IN the code every sentence
beng complete IN itsel, the code word for that SEN
tence beng transmitted, there be no possible
mistake.
But secrecy is perhaps, the greatest Of all it's
recommendations, as py tne use or very simple
key messages are made utterly unintcligible except
to tue sender and receiver. A third party may be in
possession OF the code and perfectly aware OF the
code words used anu yet totally In the dark as 10
the meaning or the message. THIS is one OF those
| great advantages connected with the use of the
code hat cannot fan TO be universally appreciated
modified form OF this code has been some time in
use u! The BRUSH army and navy service, and rem
dercd signal service during the AbysSlniau war and
the code elf Is to be adopted by the British gov
ernIncnt as soon as IL Ii Issued. ltiS hoped this
code viii be before the American people IN tn
course OF week or Two, ana they Will then have q
practical opp0r unity OF Judging Its merits.
THE WEsTiHsSlER SUPERVISORS.