Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-04-28
Original Conception Of the
Telegraph.

Original Conception Of the
Telegraph.
From the Life of Prof. MORSE, the inven-
tor of the Telegraph, just published by d.
Appleton & Co.. we take the following sketch
of its conception.
PACKET SHIP SULLY : ELECTRO-MAGNET-
ISM DINNER TABLE CONVERSATION {:
IDEA OF THE TELEGRAPH FIRST
MARKS MADE : THE INVENTION AN
NOUNCED TO PASSENGERS DRAWINGS
EXHIBITED: PREDICTIONS TO CAPTAIN
PELL.
The packet-ship Sully, Capt, Pell,
sailed from Havre on the LIST day
of October, 1882, for New York.
Among the cabin passengers were the
Hon. William G. Rives, of Virginia,
returning with his family from Paris,
where he had been as Minister of the
United States Mr.. J. +. Fisher, of
Philadelphia Dr.. Charles 7. Jack
son, of Boston Mr.. S. +. B. Morse,
of New York Mrs. II. Palmer, Miss
Z. Palmer, Mr.. c. Palmer, Mr. +.
Palmer, Mr.. W. Palmer, Mr.. J. Haslett,
Charleston, S. c. Mr.. Lewis Rogers,
Virginia; Mr.. w. Post, of New York ;
Mr.. Constable, New York ; Mons. dc
Ia Cande, Mons. J.iP. Chazel, Charles
ton f.; NJ. A. Schneider, Frankfort, Ger
many Mr.. and Mrs Burgy, and
others.
In the early part Of the voyage con.
versation at the dinner-table turned
upon recent discoveries in electro-mag-
netism, and the experiments of Am
pere with the electromagnetic. Dr.
Jackson spoke of the length of wire in
the coil of a magnet, and the question
was asked by some one of the com
}any, ''If the velocity of electricity
was retarded by the length of the
wire 2" DR.. Jackson replied that
electricity passes instantancously over
any known length of wire. He refer
red to experiments made by DR.;
Franklin with several miles of wire in
circuit, to ascertain the velocity of
electricity the result being that he
could observe no difference of time
between the touch at one extremity
and the spark at the other. AT this
point Mr.. Morse interposed the re-
mark, eff the presence of electricity
can be made visible in any part of the
circuit, l see no reason why intelli-
gence may not be transmitted instan-
taneously by electricity" The con-
versation went on. But the one new
idea had taken complete possession of
the mind of Mr.. Morse. 1t was as sud
den and pervading as if he had re.
ceived at that moment an electric
shock. All that he had learned in
former years, the experiments he had
seen in his boyhood, his studies with
Professors Day and Silliman, the lat.
ter, and significant discourses by Prof.
Dana, and conversations with Prof.
Renwick, were revived, aud began to
form themselves into means and ways
to the accomplishment Of a grand re-
suit. He withdrew from the table
and went upon deck. He was in mid.
ocean, aoedique coelum wdique pontus
As the lightning cometh out of the
east and shineth unto the west, so
swift and far was the instrument to
work that was taking shape in his
creative mind
Lightning and electricity had long
been known as one and the same
Signals had been made at a distance
by electricity, and intelligence thus
transmitted, as beacon-fres on hill
tops, had from time immemorial flash
ed the knowledge of events across
continents. But this was not the con-
ception of that moment in the brain
Of Morse. His was a thought that,
so far as he knew, had never entered
the mind of man before He would
transmit intelligence and record it at
distance. That is a telegraph
Nothing else is telegraph; an instru-
ment to write at a distance. The pur-