, 1875-02-24

uV6 pIoV0ls' 1C is eVlQenC CnaC (Werel ne
to dwell at the centre one of the ive)fin
order to examine the two on each side
of it, he would have to- ride only four
miles and elght-tenths ; which Journey
he could easily perform, in something
less than 40 minutes, and he would dis
cover that the defect rested somewhere
between two of the provers, a distance
of two niles and f%our-tenths. Any sorry
little twopenny post cove might take,a
canter on his Rozinantuolo, and, on his
arrival at a proven, perform the operation
on it in less time than I have employed
to describe the manner Of it's perform
ance." Now, what are these innumerable
"fush-boxes which are to be found
everywhere in the streets of London,
and other large cities, but "provers +"
of our underground telegraph system 2
Most people are familiar with the snake
like coils of apparently dirty rope, but
really telegraph wires, which are every
now and then laid bare in those curious
apertures in the pavement, and the little
clock-face, with only a single handle,
which is the invariable companion of the
workman engaged in the hole. He is
simply "proviDg" a wire which has been
found faulty or it may be, trying to
detect one which has shown too great o
liking for its next-door neighbour. Then,
again, as regards overhead wires, what
are the "linemen" stationed at certain
intervals along the route of a trunk line
but the "provers" Of the section which
it is their duty to traverse from time to
time; working on either side of their
station, precisely as Mr.. Ronalds would
have worked his "sorry little twopenny
post cove2" But besides this, there are
certain post-offices along the line which
are called testing stations 2" and here
every morning the wires are disconnected
with the view of testing.their goodness,
or the reverse. When q " fault" occurs,
it is thus easy to "localize" it between
two stations and hence the rapidity with
which communication is now restored
after a breakdown, as compared with the
time long after Mr.. Ronalds' treatise was
composed.
Mr.. Ron&ds was, perhaps, as little vain
of his achievements in the Geographic
field as the most modest inventor could
have been !; but many of his prophesies
have been fulfilled to the letter. He suf-
fered much at the hands of those who
should have been his best friends, as also
did other inventors in the same fields-no-
tably, MI. Alexander, a Scottish %electri-
clan, who could not hear the name of
" telegraph without a shudder. Speak
ing Of his treatment by the Government
of that day, Mr.. Ronalda says =
"Lord Melville was obliging enough,
in reply to my application to him, to re-
quest Mr.. Hay to see me on the subject
Of my discovery; but before the nature
of it had been yet known, except to the
late Lord Henniker, DR.. Rees, Mr.. Brande,
and a few friends, l received an intimation
from Mr.. Barrow to the effect hat tele-
graphs of any kind were then wholly un-
necessary, and that no other than the one
then is use (the old semaphore) would
be adopted. l felt very little disappoint-
ment, and not a shadow of resentment on
the occasion, because every one knows
that telegraphs have long been great bores
at the Admiralty. Should they again be-
come necessary, however, perhaps cleo
tricity and electricians may be INDUCED
by his Lordship and Mr.. Barrow with an
opportunity of proving what they are ca
pable of in this way. | claim no iudul-
gence for mere chimeras and chimera fra
mers, and I hope to escape the fate OF
beinp ranked in that u%nenviable class"