Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1874-08-29
Our New York Letter.

NEW avn 90 so''
Editor Of Opinion:
1t was my intention when ! com
menced these letters, to treat, as q
general thing, upon such light top
les as would be likely to be of in
terest to the general reader, with.
out struggling with weighty mat
ters which no one can understand,
the writer included. But there are
occasionally important changes TAX
ing place in prominent interests,
which many may consider heavy
when reduced to writing, but which
nevertheless should not be thought
out Of place in letters purpOrting to
chronicle matters of interest in this
city.
The Western Union Telegraph
Go. has SO long stood at the head Of
that science in this country, that it
will he surprise to many to learn
that it has been challenged in dan.
gerOus manner by new system,
and, if all accounts are true, must
look out for itself. This strong mo-
nopoly has several times been threat
ned i; but has either swallowed the
new concern, or allowed it to die a
lingering death. But all these OPP
positions have fought with capital
only, while the new attempt is a
matter of brains.
The present working of the old
Morse system is entirely done away
with, and the advantages claimed in
favor of the new, or automatic sys-
TEN, are about as to l odds, which
if they can stand the test of practi-
cal demonstration, as am little in
clined to- doubt, must sooner or lat
rrevolutionize the present working
of the art in this and every other
country in which il is used. We
can not say that the system is one
of recent invention; but the perfect
ing of details, and the reduction of
rather a complicated process to a
practical working, has only recent
ly been accomplished. 1t is now in
successful operation between this
city and Washington and the prin-
cipal places lying between. the com
pany receiving messages at the rates
of 25 cents for 20 words, with cent
for each additional word, while the
Western Union charges, between
the same points, 20 cents, with 3
cents for each additional word. A
manifest auxiliary to the introduce
ton of this improved system is the
fact that the old wires and batteries
now in use, can be adopted without
change, the difference being princi-
pally in preparing the message,
transmitting it over the wires, and
receiving it at it's destination.
In the short space allowed this
letter, it will be impossible to give
a full description of the new pro-
cess but the method is SO ingeni-
Gus, and the results of such inter-
est and Importance, that short ex-
PLANTATION will not, trust, bring any
gray hairs down in sor row, because
Pm out of easy reaching distance.
The main feature of the process
is the preparation of the m essage,
which is in brief as follows: A
slip of paper is first passed from a
roll through the perforator, which
is a machine supplied with a num-
Der of punches each representing a
a letter of the Morse alphabet.
This machine has a key board for
lnanipulations, and is also furnish
cd with small rachel wheel to keep
in motion the strip as it is perforat.
ed. A skillful operator can perfor-
ate from 80 to 60 words per minute
one motion of the finger making
the complete character, while about
three are required on an average in
the old system. The slip thus pre-
pared, is carried to the transmitting
machine, which consists of drum,
over which is an arm and spring
used respectively to support and
press against the surface of the
drum, two small wheels. Between
the drum and wheels the perforated
paper runs. When the former is in
contact with the wheels the electric
current is complete, and it can read
lily be seen that the current would
be uninterrupted only as the wheels
dropped into the perforations, the
bridges ofpaper between, being non
conductors. Take a sheet of paper,
perfOrate OH a level several holes of
varying diameters, place another