The New York herald., 1878-03-07
TELEGRAPHY.
THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH NOT AN INVENTION
or THE NINETEENTH cENTURY-ITs SEVEN


or THE NINETEENTH cENrURY-ITs SEVEN
EEAs.
To THE EDITOR HERALp:-
Although the estaoishmo OF teieeraphie lines
which gridiron as 1t were the surface Of this
globe as also the bottoms OF the and is
of very late date yet the first idea OF this magni1
cent application of electricity new; It the
natural consequence OF the discovery OF the in
stantaneous transmission OF tho electric current
through a wire two miles long. made by DR.. Wat
son, July "a, l747. In researches through
some forty volumes published by scientists
the first mention have found tho application OF
electricity 10 the communication OF Intelligence DO.
tween distant places Is that Of M Le Sage. French
nan living At Geneva who In 1774 and tried
at Geneva, on small scale, the grand discovery FOL
lowing him IN developing It were Lamond, in 1887;
Rcisen. in l794 Saliva and Don Antonio OF Spain, in
1895; Betancourt, In l79S All these scientists used
IN their experiments what is called static electricity
frctiona electricity. because was generated by ric
tion OF glass resin and other similar substances.
Alter tho discovery OF the galvanc pile by Volta,
which gave forth dynamic electricity a continued
current so Ion. as the pile action, Soemcrng
1871 invented telegraph founded on the dscomposi-
tion OF water by tho action OF electricity and in 1898
Schweger founded his telegraph the ignition OF
poding substances by the action OF the gavanic pile
In all systems separate wire was necessary Tor
each letter OF tho alphabet.
In 1920 tho discovery, by Amperc, oil electro mag
netc reaction opened new subject Of investigation
10 scientists and simple things often found at
ter having been subjected to numerous complicated
combinations It was only IN 1887 that the electro
magnetic telegraph attained a sufficient simplicity TO
oe Tried on grand scale.
We nave SAID this much by way OF ntrod uction TO
the description OF the nrst eoctrio telegraph winch
we Oal thu nrla nf tha inu.u utnr-- rn,rn
we have found in Scots Magazine published Edln-
burgh, 17th February, 1853 No improvement had
been made on the system OF Charles Marshall until
alter the discovery OF Ampere IN 1920, which fur
nshed the means which led TO tho prosen on
OF the Invention Of Charles Marshall to whom be
attributed the honor and glory Of having conferred
upon this age the electric telegraph. dis
coveries the most important Improvement and fact
the one TO which the world is indebted than
any other for the great benefits derived from the toll
egraph, is that OF our Morse who gave alphabet TO
electricity IN which TO transmit in all written ian
guages the thoughts OF man to the iurthest confines
| the earth.
CHARLES MARsHALL's DESCRIPTION OF HIS TELEGRAPH.
"tis well known by all those VINO make experiments
In electricity that the electric force pass through
hne wire from one place TO another, without being
| suppose bundle oil wires IN number equal to
the letters OF the alphabet, stretched horizon
another and ss~sra,ep a'sS from o"o S0otnsr
| by tho space Of one inch ut distance OF each
twenty yards The wires attached to piece OF glass
| or jewellers wax on u pole TO prevent them from
touching the earth or conductor and 10 ard sup
port their weight, The electric battery is placed
near to one end OF these wires which are attached,
each separately, to glass supp0rt tho end Of
one OF these wires be brought In contact with
ends tho wires small bail 10 Suspended over each
wire, And Ut the distance OF one-tenth OF al inch
each Of which is written y letter Of the alphabet
which piecos OF paper are attached or moved, each
electric charge from tue sending end OF the wrss
each one oi which marked with the same letter Of
tho alphabet NJ both ends
| LVer6 m II m
ner:-i put The electrical machine ~ motion, and II tho
word which desire 70 send k SIR for example, press
with baton oi gnss or OF any other non conductor
tho three letters which compose the word, alter
the other IN their proper order against the battery.
ters Of the alphabet in the 0rde attracted at the
other extremity Of The wires. continue thus spell
SO not TO forget nen writes down The letters as
last they moved, and afterward tho message,
sends TO any other person. A. given signal stop
my macnine, my corrsspo udsnt puts hts machine 10
| motion, and, the arrangements for sending aud re-
ceiving oeihg tue same at ootn enos, take my pom
| AND writc down the message my Trend scnds 70 mo
from his end OF the lfuo
| 'Ii any one thinks this mode OF correspondence
somewhat Slow In the place OF balls he suspend
series Of bells. Tor each letter of tue alphabet and
signs Of punctuation, diminishing gradually their
dimensions from Tho lettor to the letter T. each
bell will DO connected 10 the end oi tho wire corrc
| spending TO It's letter.
"Hc VINO begins the conversation brings the ends Of
the wires ia contact with tho battery before and
tho electric spark communicated to the bes OF differ
Will desIgnats his correspondent, by the
sound produced, the different letters which have
touched. Ia this maLncr, and with little pracIicc,
Two correspondents VIII soon able 10 translate into
words the Language the bells without tho necessity
OF writing down each letter II Is received
| The same result can DC obtained In different man
Let the balls DO arranged in the first method,
and III place OF bringing the end Of each wro TO the
battery let there be attached to tho battery series
OF wires corresponding to each letter. in contact
the series 0f wires OF the line, arranged that
each of tho lines attached to tho battery DO
detached rom 1t by slight touch and then return
us formal position the pressure on II 10
Withdrawn. This can DO arranged by simple spring,
or IN twenty different ways ln this arrangement all
tho letters will bo constantly attached the balls by
attraction, and when any one OF tho wrea is separated
responding letter at tho other end Of the wiro
Is detached from the ball ana Is noted down by tho
correspondent. merely mention this arrangement
| AS au interesting variety.
"Some psrsous may suppose that IN very long wiro
the intensity OF tho electricity viii bc considerably
diminished and probably 10 entirely exhausted ny
tho action OF the surrounding air. Now, to obvlale
this objection and not 10 lose time in useless arzu
ments, Will say that IL will suffice 10 cover those
wires from end 10 END with thin coat OF jewellers
mastc This covering Will OCCASION "a very slight ad-
aional expense ana us II Is electrical i,ssltlhat Is
to Insulating, II will preserve eficacously tho wires
from the exhaustlng action OF the atmosphere
As Shakespeare has represented tho lilo Of man
divided into seven ages the lie oil tins great invention
may be dvdeo into crss, with this great differ
encc from that Of man, that tho seventh OF THIS
invention SHOWS just arrived At maturity In lis cen
tonnial year, and tuat II " destined to Increase in
strength ana usefulness until the end Of time.
The lrst era begins IN l747 with the discovery, by
Dr.. Watson that current OF electricity VIII travel
instantaneously from onc end OF wire to another.
inc SecOnu era nerVlueu tho INVENTION, ny Cnarlos
Marshall 1753 of tho first electrical telegraph bv
which intelligence transmitted over wire con-
Meeting two distant places.
The third is marked by the discovery OF the prin-
ciples and subsequent invention Of the Voitaic pile,
by Volta IN 1901, by means Of which continuous
| flow OF electricity is produced.
The fourth era records the discovery by Ampere Of
the reaction OF electro magnet, by Of which
current ol electricity 10 enabled call to ~ aid .
Succession OF currents over almost an illimitabIo
length oi wire.
The nI,h era begins with what Professor Page, OF
Washington, calls 'the lie soul OF the electric
teegI aDh that great discovery by Sir Charles Wheat
stone in 1885, o the magnotic electric receiver"
The sixth Is marked by the important discovery
made by Steinha IN 1857, tna the earth would
one conductor, 30 that only ono wire necessary
for geographic purposes.
The seventh and lust era Is rendered famous by tho
invention OF Morse of tho telegraphic alphabet,
adopted throughout the world. TRUTH
MILK FRLIGHIS