Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-05-12
WALHALLA, SOUTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1871
and Samuel Morse was the individual

to tc furnished with Il great Abundance 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 mile Of wire
and wooden clock, adapted to the purpose
hy his own hands, aud sent ii message from
one cud OF his wire to the other, l,gibc at
least 10y himself lie used to exhibit his ap
pnratus now and then to his friends and he
spcnt all the time he could spare trom his
profession in pcrfcctng it. For some time
it was placed in large room of the New York
University, where, in the fall of 1887, large
numbers oil persons witnessed its operation
The invention attracted much noticc ut the
time, as | can just .cmcmbcr Every one
said, How wonderful How ingenious and
b, cd OF the pr grcss man was making in sci.
cncc; but scarcely any one believed that the
Invention could lie turned to profitable ac-
| count 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 pos.
scssed by the inventors mania which shuts
mans eyes oall obstacles, and forces him to
pursue lis project to the uttermost.
Having no other resource he went to Wash
ing'on i'll 1898, arranged his apparatus there,
exhibited it's performance to as many mem
brrs as he could induce to attend, aud pcti-
tioucd Congress for grant of public money
with which ~ make an experimental line be
tween Washington aud Baltimore, distance
of forty miles 1t is weary work gcttin.
grant of money from Congress for such pur
pose F; and it omyht to be, for Congress has no
constitutional right to give away the peo
pies money to test such IN invention. a
committee reported upon it favorbly but no
thing further was done during the session.
lie ere sscd tho ocean to seek assistance in
Europe. His efforts were fruitlcss Neither
in France nor in England could he obtain
public or private encouragement. 1t seemed
out Of the sphere Of government, and capital
lists were strangely obtuse, not to the merits
OF the Invention, but to the probability of its
being profitable, They could not conceive
that any considerable number Of persons in a
country would care to pay for the instantanc-
GUS transmission Of news Returning home
disappointed, but no. discouraged, he renewed
his efforts, winter alter winter, using all the
influence of his personal presence ut Washing.
ton, and all his powers of argument and per
SuaSion.
March the third, 1913. the last day of the
session, was cone. lie attended all day the
House of Representatives, family hoping that
Something might be done for him before tie
final adjournment hut the evening wore
away the pressure md cnntusinn increased,
and at length hope died within him. aud he
Ici the capitol. lie walked sat.Iy home and
went tu hrd
lm ginc the rapture with which he heard
ON the following morning, that Congress, late
IN the night. amid the roar and stress preccd-
ing the adj 'nrnment. had voted him thirty
thousand dollars for constructing his expert
mental line E!oven years and half had
passed since he had made his invention on
b"ard the ship 'erhrpS, on that morning.
he thought it worth while to strivc and suffer
for so Tonga period to enjoy the thrill and
ecstasy which he then experienced.
But his troubles were far from being over
Clinging still to his original notion Of nclos
ing the buried tubes, he wasted nearly a
whole year, and spent S23 900 of his appro.
priotion in discovering that the plan would
MT work. lie res"rtcd at length to the sys.
TEN of wires suspended upon poles and on
the lst Of May, 1914, messages were trans
misted between the tw" cities, and the electric
telegraph was an accomplished fact
Many years elapsed before the invention
was Of much advantage to Mr.. Morse Rival
inventors entered the field, and rival compa.
nics spoiled the business. 1t was not until
the constellation of most of the companies
into two or three that the business of trans
mitting messages by telegraph was very prof
table at any one. During the last few years
The inventor has been enriched hut pre-
sume there are at least fifty persons now Iiv
ing who, without having contributed an idea
to the invention, have made more money by
IL than the inventor.
What an astounding development the bus
mess has attained in the United States We
have one company tho capital stock of which
is 81 100000, and the receipts during the
year 1869 S7.500,00 Of which more than
S2.5o0,000 were profit. This company has
III sos miles of wire, 3,4G0 stations, 2,6O7
ins ruments for reading by sound, 1884 re.
cording Instruments and 22 1000 m1gnctic
battery cups IL transmitted last year 40,
OU0. 900 messages, and an amnnnt of ncyspa.
per matter equal to about 80. 900 columns of
the New York Lc0grr There is one tclc.
graphic office in city of New York in
which l25 operators are employed and you
may SEQ them at work if you step in at the
corner of Broadway and Liberty street 1t
is not unusual for this Office to receive and send
10000 messages in one day. Not far from
tho Ledger tilice there is small sign board
over one Of the cable offices, which should
suppose Mr.. Morse could never read without
eWoion. 1t is this
photographic messages sent to al parts of