Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-04-12

| The telegraph announces the death, at
New York, last evening, of Professor
Morse, the inventor Of the electric tele-
| graph.
! Samuel Finley Breese Morse, the inventor
of the electric telegraph, was born in
Charlestown, Massachusetts,, April q, 1901,
| and was educated at ale College, where
| he graduated in 1910. Having from an
| early age determined to be a painter, he
sailed for England with Washington Ais
| ton, arrived in London in August, 1871,
where he formed an intimacy with G. r.
Leslie, and the first portraits by these artists
painted in London were ikenesses of each
| other. Mr.. Morse, who made rapid pro-
gress in his profession, exhibited at the
Royal Academy, in 1913, his picture
| ''The Dying Hercules Of colossal size,
| the plaster model which he made of the
same subject, to assist him in his picture,
received the prize in sculpture the same
| year.
On his return to the United States, hay
ing settled in Boston, he met with SO little
encouragement that he moved to New
Hampshire, where he found employment
in painting portraits at SIS per head. He
afterwards went to Charleston, 5. c.,
where he found more profitable employ
ment land about 1922 took up his residence
in New York. Under a commission from
the corporation he painted a full length
portrait of Gen. Lafayette, then on a visit
| to this country. In 1929 he paid a second
| visit to Europe, and remained abroad
| three years. On his return to the United
States in the packet ship Sully, i'll 1882,
ACKNOWLEDGING, Professor jackson, was
describing the experiments that lad just
been made in Paris with the electro-mag-
net, when question arose as to the time
| occupied by the electric fluid in passing
| through the wire. The reply being made
| that it was instantaneous, Jackson recalling
| the experiments of Franklin, suggested
| that it might be carried to any distance,
and that the electric spark might be
| made the means of conveying and recording
| intelligence. This suggestion took deep
| hold of Morse, who proposed to develop
| the idea thus originated, and before the
end of the voyage he had drawn out the
| general plan of the system known by his
name. On his return to New Y Ork he re-
| sumed his profession, but he devoted all of
| his spare time to the perfection of his in
| ventiOn. After much difficulty and dis
| couragemeDt, in 1885, he demonstrated
the practicability Of his invention, by
completing and putting in operation a
model of his ''RecOrding Electric Tele-
graph the greater part of the apparatus
| having been made by himself. In 1887 he
| filed his caveat at the Patent Office"
At convention held i'll 1851, by Astria,
| Prussia, Saxony, Wurtemburg and Bava-
| ria, for the purpose Of adopting a uniform
system of teleg taphing for all Germany,
that Of Morse was, by the advice of Stein
| he'll, selected.
In 1910 he perfected his patent at the
Patent Office, and set about getting his
| telegraph into practical operation. In 1914
the first electric telegraph in the United
| States, between Baltimore and Washing
| ton, was completed. Since then its wires
| have been extended over the country to
i the length of more than Il, 900 miles. Sub
marine telegraphy originated also with Mr..
Morse, who laid the first submarine tele-
graph lines in New York harbor in the
| autumn of 1912, and received at the time,
from the American Institute, a gold medal
for that achieve men4. In letter flom Mr..
Morse to the Secretary Of the Treasury Of
the United States, dated August 10, 1913,
| it is believed occurs the first suggestion of
| the project Of the Atlantic telegraph. Pro-
lessor Morse had his SUNNI house at
Poughkeepsie, on the banks OF the Hud-
son, and his winter residence in New ork
city.
Honors have been fairly showered upon
Professor Morse by European Govern
ments and sovereigIls, and no American,
probably, ever received so many marks OF
distinction.