The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1872-04-10
The Telegraph.

The recent death of Professor Morse
gives a new interest to everything con-
nected with his wonderful invention,
the origin of which we find described
as follows:
His return to America in 1882 must
be forever memorable, for in that year,
while returning from Havre, in the
packet ship sully, lie first laid the
foundation of his great invention
While in college his attention had
been carefully directed to chemistry
and other branches of natural philoso-
ply. On board the Sully a discussion
of recent discoveries in electric magne-
tism took place, and in the course of
it an observation was made which
planted in the mind of Morse the seeds
of his great invention. Before he left
the ship he had mapped ont the rough
plan of telegraph system, including
even a writing telegraph. His origi-
nal idea was to pass strip of paper
saturated with chemical preparation
which would be decomposed when
brought in connection with the wire
along which the electric current was
passing, and thus form an alphabet by
marks varying in width and number
With this idea in his brain he steadily
followed his profession after his return
to New York, devoting his leisure to
his scientific project. In 1885 he COM
pleted his first apparatus, an extreme
ly rude one, as may be supposed, suffi-'
cient to enable him to communicate
with person half mile distant, but
not capable of receiving an answer
back from the opposite extremity. In
1886 this instrument wss shown in sue
cessful operation. This was in its
l rudest and elementary form the we'll
, known Morse instrument, in which the
: paper was indented by a, needle
Legislators, it is unnecessary to say,
/ do not look with much favor on inven-
, tors, and Morse found his proposition
for aid submitted in 1878 to Con-
gress received very coolly. He then
. went to England and was there refused
patent. In France he obtained Q
breyet d'inrention. On his return to
America he was indefatigable in trying
to persuade Congress to enable him to
practically test his invention. At last
when all hope was abandoned, it al.
lotted him $50, 900 on March 4, 1643
cat the midnight hour of the expiring
l. session." In 1874 he had constructed
J the liue between Washington ana
|, Baltimore, and sent oyer its wires thu
: first message, "W hat b id Goo
Q wrought" Within sixteen years nearly
}, 10000 miles of wire were in full work
c ing order. Cu,iously enough, in, 1873;
two other inventors had discovered. (,
. system of Observation-Disclosures il
:. England, inventing the DETECTING
, needle instrument, and steurbiel il
Bavaria, constructing recording tele
~ graph, which, however, was of to-
: complex character to come into gen
It eral use. Honors poured in. on Morse
y Yale honored her academic roll by en-
o rolling him among her doctors of law
" The Sultan of Turkey sent him o din
It mond decoration. The King of Prus
q STA gave him gold medal of merit, Sc
y, in massive snuff-box. The rulers Q
!, Wurtemburg and Austria were not be
midland. By France he was mad
" chevallier of the Legion of Honor
:, and by. Denmark Knight of th
"a Dannebrog. In 1858. Isabella tn
D. Catholic sent him the cross of tn
le knights commander of the order whic
to bears her name. In 1857 the repre-
re sentatives of ten countries which ha
j. been benefited by his labors Assem-
n. bled in Paris and voted him a graz
~ of 100000 francs. In London an
- Paris grand dinners were given to hin
~ The first submarine cables were lai
Ill by Morse across New York harbor
At 1842, an achievement which was r.
warded by the American Institute wit
IN its gold medal. In 1913 Mr.. Nor
Is. first preached the subject of the Anne
he lean telegraph. His claim to his sha
o. in the invention of the telegraph b
8, beey bitterly contested in and out
;, the public courts. His merit appea
" to rest not on the discovery of II
Il principles of the telegraph, but on t
ng adaptation Of already ascertained pri
on ciples to the work he undertook
be perform. ~. ,...-.s. ...-,
lat
u Since the war it has been t
in thing in Louisiana to count in
Of Radical congressman, no matter VII
= the vote was. This has beef do
under the manipulation of the Sta
. W.. government. Now, however, the Sts
Ivy government and the Federal Cover