The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-02-15
EhO Invented the Telegraph?


WasHINGrox, D. c. Feb. ], 1872.
To the Editor Of the Washington Star.
On reading the letter Of Mr.. Asa
Whitney-on the first telegram-puD-
Iished in your paper yesterday, l mn
mediately took up volume lying De-
fore me in which read an account
ofDr. Dyar's telegraph, and now
transcribe It and send il 70 you Inc
entire statement ia regard 70 II Is Ia
ken from the decision Of Hon. Lew
Woodbury.. a Justice Of the United
States SUPREME Court, upon the pray
er ~ an Injunction by the Morse pat
enfeeg against the House Telegraph
Company in 1880.
Hon. Justice WOOdbury-after pay
ing 3 deserved compliment to Profess
or Henry, thus proceeds:
tfBut the most surprising discovery
on this subject about this period was
by Harrison Gray Dyar, another en-
terprising American. In 1877 and
1873, he Is provided by COrnwell to
have constructed telegraph at Long
Island, at the race course, by wires on
poles, using glass insuiaUors. DR..
Bell foTtifies this statement, having
seen some Of the wires, and under
stood its operation tc be by a spark
sent from one end TO the other, which
msde mark on paper prepared by
some chemical salts.
4tDyar's own deposition, taken since
this cause was argued, and TO be sub
stsntiated by q letter from him 70 Dr.
Bell, verifies the truth Of the letter.
and goes into several details as to the
condition Of the invention, when
abandoned in 1880 from fear Of prose-
cutiOn by some OF bis agents.
ttHe used common electricity, and
not electrO-magnetism, and but one
wire, which operated by q spark,
which, after going through the paper
chemically prepared, so as TO leave a
red mark on it,passed into the ground
without a return circuit. The differ
enee Of time between the sparks, ,serY-
ed by means Of an arbitrary alphabet,
to signify differentlettens, and the pa
per was 70 be moved by the hand
while the telegraph operated, through
machinery was contemplated 70 be
introduced for that purpose. This
device of an alphabet by spaces OF
time between sparks, ,evinced remark
able ingenuity, and differs in some
degree from Morse's, though very
near In principle"
The following testimony was given
by DR.. Bell in the writ for injunction
before Mr.. Justice Woodbury. ~
was very intimately acquainted with
Harrison Gray DyGr from about 1925
till the period Of leaving the country,
insths spring Of 1881, as near as can
remember. he resided in the City OF
New York; his age was little more
than my own. In my judgment he
was 4 man of the very highest invent
i've skill and scientific attainments ;
he was engaged in various mechanic
al inventions. was engaged with
Harrison Gray Dyar for many months
In 1S48, and often conversed upon the
subject OF his having invented an cleo
tic telegraph, and 1 recollect his.speak-
ing Of having placed line Of wire at
an elevation around the race course
at Long Island TO a length which sat
isfed him that there were no practic-
al difficulties in carrying it from New
York 70 Philadelphia, which he sta
ted 70 me was his intention. Ny un-
defstanding, derived from his conver-
sation, was that the electic spark was
% be sent from one end Of this wire
TO the other, and that the spark would
leave its mark upon some chemially
prepared paper"
/ have before me the letter Of Mr. Dy-
arto Ar. Rel, In which he describes
fully his plan for an electric telegraph;
but this paper is long enough, and
the facts which establish Mr.. Dyar as
the 1rst to invent and put into prac-
tical use the electric telegraph are
sufficiently well established by the
decision OF Justice Woodbury..
MILAN G. BhYANT.