The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-11-23

II is generally conceded by sll that
Professor Morse is the inventor OF the
present system of biography, or al least
the first to develop it into practical use.
But this claim is disputed by wei
known West Virginia physician, Df. j.
Tbompson NickliD, resident OF Mldu!e-
bourne. TYLER county, West Virginia
VINO is now in his Slst year, ana VINO
CLAIMS 70 have first conceived the IDEA
snd exnerimented with such success as To
render practical the project OF transmit
ting messages from one portion Oh the
globe to the other through telegraph
wires.
THE FIRST EXPERIMENT
in ,eIepraphy, according to ZsLP8 Ency-
cLopedia, was made by NJ. Lesage' AT
Geneva, in the year 1882, he having
twentv-four wires, insulated from each
o,her and communicated with pith oall
eIectrometers, marked with the letters o,
the alphabet, but his efforts to use 1t IN "
practical manner were futile. After
wards, Lsmond, Reizen, Sommerlng,
Ronalds, Ampere, Baron Won Schllhng'
Gauss. Weber, and Steinheil expert
mented, but were unable to discover any
method whereby they could utilize cleo
tricitv aud adapt u system OF telegraphy'
All efforts in this direction were vain
until May q, 1874, when Prot 5. r. b.
Morse succeeded in demonstrating lis
prac,icability over wires between Baiti-
more and " Washington. DR.. L. L. NICK
claims that
THE FIRST DISCOVERY OF THE SCIENCE
OF TELEGRAPHY
was made by himself, and being in the
CITY Yesterday, WAS interviewed oy
REGISTER reporter. In answer 10 inc
suggestion of the reporter that he give
the facts to the public through the press
by which he supported his claim, Dr
Nicklin stated that after having made the
discovery he failed to secure any pc
cuniary benefit from too long delay to
apply for and obtain patent tor the
rignt OF discovery; that he had not IN
tended to have it published, and now
felt but little inducemenl to do so, labor
ing under sense OF his great loss, but
vie ded TO the reporter and gave the FOL
lowing
STATEMENT OF his DISCOVERY:
About the third day OF March, 1888,
lust after the close OF the medical de-
nsrtment of the Cincinnati College, the
doctor states that he was experimenting
with small galvsnlc battery, on table,
OF, which short bar or bolt Of iron WAS
placed: and above longer iron bar was
horizontally attached TO frame. bold
ing the bolt up against the under SIDE OF
the bar in the mercury at
tached to the battery he dipped
the end of the wrapped wire and
wi hdrew 1t alternately in quick
succession, rapid clicking OF the
bolt against the bar resulting, MS the CIR
Gle was formed and broken. Then hold
ng the wire in the mercury, raising the
bolt up, under and touching the bar, and
pulling it down gently 50 as to overcome
the attraction, it again raised the bolt
near the bar, and the attraction drew 1t
up and held 1t until the WIRE was with
drawn. Then carefully holding the bolt
to prevent it from slipping from his hand
and falling, to the injury OF the table, 1t
occurred To the doctor that If two bolts
were used and placed foot apart, they
would fall simultaneously to the
table when the wire was Withdraw n. The
doctor says that at that instant 1t was GER
tain that they would fall from bar or
connected bars, if q yard, rod, or
thousand miles apart, very nearly at the
same time, as Sir Humphrey Davy had
decided it from his experiment with the
velocity of electricity.
LIKE FLASH THE THOUGHT OF AN
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH
seized him, and the doctor conceived the
idea that with u battery at each end OF
the wires, speedy intelligence could be
sent many miles each way. While be was
thus perimenting, DR.. Rogers, protes.
sor OF chemistry, was IN the room with
HIM, as were si.o several others, ard he
thought of using DR.. Rogers battery, but
concluded to get some zinc and copper,
preparatory TO purchasing another bat.
terry and testing the merits of his scheme.
He left the room TO 90 to the drug store
and while there made an alphabet OF
dots and marks, dropping the letter q to
reduce the number OF characters. lie |
then returned to Dr. Rogers, and pro-
posed purchasing his battery, but the |
doctor refused to dispose of II, and as a |
last resort DR.. Nickhn resolved to return !
home and make trough battery himself. |
During his trip home
He THOUGHT OF NOTHING ELSE
but the telegraph, which constantly oc-
,upied his mind, and he finally informed
A friend, DR.. VIM. Swan, that he had
made an important discovery; that with
4 galvsnic battery he could send intelli-
sence speedily to distant points, and eX-
planned to him tine secret. Afterwards
.be doctor employed Mr.. Arr
.hur Aukrom to make him mum yer o,
zine plates, to be used in experimenting
whom he also informed of his discovery.
But the doctor states thai, having no
thought of any other person making the
discovery, fear of losing what he consid-
,red the one great triumph OF his life
'aused him TO delay applying for y pat
mt, and making known his discovery,
until Morse, some years later, stepped in
ma carried on the LOuOTS. III OTutT 10
more fully substantlate his claim, DR..
Nlckln gave US the following
CERTIFICATES AND AFFIDAyITS,
which certainly 90 to show that he had
,een at work in the matter, and that
lie hiss some grounCs tor making the
lain he does:
MIDDLEBoURNE, Aug. IS, 1876.
Early in 1888, Dr. |. T. NIcklin came
o Middleboucne from Cincinnati. Some
ime IN March or April OF that year he
anne to me with some zinc, asked me to
melt it and form 1t into plates, which l
lid. He said he had been trying to get
ome copper also to form into plates. He
old ME that Re had made discovery bv
which intelligence could be sent rapidly
/ great distance This is the substance
If what he said as near as / can recol-
ect ARTHUR ASKRoM.
Mr.. AnkrOm is reliable, and the above
statement Is no doubt entirely correct,
l.. L. STEALY.