River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-07-12
A Great Lawsuit Over a Wonderful In
yention.
From the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune
An important suit, involving the posses
sion of valuable Geographic patent rights,
has occupied for two months most of the
time OF Judge Sanford, in the superior
court, and has now been submitted for a
decision. The chief invention, the title
TO which is in dispute between the two
telegraph companies that divide the bust
ness OF the country, was originated by
| Thomas A. Edison, about the year 1862
and was brought to perfection by him in
1878. For many years scientific men
had been in search of method by which
the capacity of a wire for the transmits
sion OF messages could be utilized. Some
inventors had devoted their attention to
the automatic system, as it is called, by
which machinery is employed, and the
number transmitted in given time is
thereby increased. Others had endeav-
ored to perfect process by which two
messages could be transmitted at once
over the same wire. This was at first
called double transmission. AS long ago
as 1852, a method had been invented in
Europe, by which two messages could be
transmitted in opposite directions at the
same time over a short circuit. For many
years this method, of which Ginti and
Fischer were the inventors, has been in
use between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Sir Charles Wheatstone, in England, af.
terward invented new mode of accom-
plishing the same result. These methods
were improved in this country by Profs
Farmer, Stearns, and others, and in 1872
this system received the name of the du-
pick, and was brought into exclusive use
on the lines of the Western Union Tele
graph company.
No one succeeded in solving the more
difficult problem of transmitting two
messages in the same direction on line
in actual business until it was solved by
Mr.. Edison. He conceived the idea of
employing two receiving instruments,
one of which should be affected only by
a strong current of electricity, while it
was insensible to weak current. The
other of these instruments is affected only
by change in the character of the cur
rent, transmitted from positive to mega
tive, and rice gersd, and is insensible to
an increase or decrease of its intensity.
In tins way, each instrument is as indie
pendent of the other as if it were on
different wire. In connection with the
duplex system, this invention makes it
possible to transmit four messages at
once. The value of the invention consists
largely in the fact that it is a new pro-
cess or method, and not mere improve
ment in telegraphic mechanism. 1t is
estimated to be worth millions of dollars
Prominent counsel have been engaged in
the suit. Mr.. Latrobe has come from
Baltimore, Ben. Butler from Boston, Mr..
Meyers from Philadelphia, and Mr..
Wheeler, Mr. Russell, and Mr. Hodges,
of the New York bar have united with
these gentlemen to vindicate the claims
of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph
company. On the other side have appear
ed Judge Porter, Mr.. Dickerson, Mr..
Lowrey, and Mr.. Soren, for the Western
Union, and Judge Huntington for Mr..
Prescott, who claims an interest in the
eXDected patents.