Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-12-25
Duplexing the Atlantic Cable,

The simultaneous transmission Of two
Geographic messages in opposite direc-
tons upon one wire, now known by the
name of duplex telegraphy, dates back
from the year 1858. In that year DR..
Gintl, the director of state telegraphs in
Austria, described a method by which
this feat could be accomplished, and in
July of the same year the method sug-
gested by Gintl. was tried between Pra-
que and Vienna. An improvement on
this method was suggested by Ger
man electrician, Frischen. by Messrs.
Siemens and Halske, of Berlin, and
other workers at this subject. Never.
theless, owing to practical difficulties,
the experlm ents were little more than
interesting additions to our knowledge.
So little hope, indeed, was there of the
practical realization Of this Important
matter that, in a standard work on tel
egraphy, published in 1867, after des-
| crlbing the early methods OF duplex
telegrapLy, the author remarks: "Sys-
tens of telegraphing in opposite dlrec-
! tlons, and of telegraphing ia. the same
direction more than one message at
time, must be looked upon as little
more than feats in intellectual gymnas-
| tics very beautiful in their way, but
quite useless in a practical point of
vleW." Such assertions should teach
all scientific. writer's the lesson of chop
ing all things not impossible, believing
all things not improbable" an attitude
Of mind which, Sir John Herschel re-
marks, should always characterize the
natural philosopher, and which, in the
present day as certainly thesisafest one.
Within six years Of the publication of
the foregoing staten ent duplex tele-
graphy was not only largely employed
in actual telegraphy, but its use on GER
tam busy lines became absolutely in
dlspensable. The changefrom theoret-
zeal to practical success, is due to an
American, Mr.. J. 3. Stearns, WHO, in
| 1872 succeeded in overcoming the
main OBSTACLE in duplex telegraphy,
namely, what is known as the static
discharge from the line. This Stearns
accomplished by using ";condenser;;"
and further, he developed a system of
duplexing" the line similar to the
principle Of the Wheatstone bridge.
More or less successful attempts were
afterwards made to duplex submarine
cables, andin the early part OF 1877 Mr..
j. Muirheadsueceeded in duplexing the
cables of the Eastern Telegraph COM
pany by his artificial condensers. But
we believe that his success was only
partial. Subsequently Mr. Muirhead
has beer. at work duplexing the Direct
United States cable, with some prospect
ofIsuccess, and lately Stearlls, who may
| be called the father OF duplex tele-
era ply, has actually &C ieved the great
feat Of perfectly duplexing the Ans, To-
| American cable. In am essage re-
ceived by Mr.. w. H.Preece,. Mr.. Steans
says, Il managed to get some speci-
mems for you this morning though we
had no time to make the balance es-
pecially perfect for the purpose"
All the messages now sent across the
Atlantic are automatically registered
by means of Sir w. Thomson's delicate
and beautiful siphon recorder, which
spirits out little jets Of ink in a fine
stream on a moving ribbon of pa
per. When no current passes the ink
marks form straight line, but q cur
rent causes this line to deviate to the
right or left, according to the direction
of the current Hence the ordinary
right and leftstrokes of a needle in
strument, Or the long and short dashes
of a Morse, are indicated by marks
above and below the middle line.
% The essence of duplex telegraphy is
to obtain an electrical balance round on
the line, such that the sending instru-
ment is not affected by currents circu-
lating round it coming from the send
ing end, but only by currents
received from the opposite end,
and fvice oersa. Hence, if the
balance be once obtained, double
TRANSMISSION is possible This balance
Stearns has succeeded in obtaining by
] the use of his system as applied to land
/ lines, and without the aid of the addl-
tional arrangements Of artificial con-
densers used by DIR. Muirhead-Nature.
| OF the late George H. Lewis, the Lon
don World, Of Nov. 80, says: "The
most many-sided man in London died
on Saturday night. In addition to be-
ing quite the profoundest German
scholar among English men-not ex-
cepting Thomas Carly le-George Henry
Lewis was philosopher, savant, bio
grapher, dramatist, critic, and novelist.
As little endowed with personal beauty
as was Jack Wilkes, he had all the
Wilkes-like talent Of talking away his
face. "A charming companion and a
brilliant wit, he adapted himself to his
company with perfect ease; and those
who clustered round the CHEEKY racon-
teur of French stories during the am
brosial nights ofthe old Fielding club, OF
listened to his .hal{-playful, halt-serious
diatribes upon the acting of Charles
Kean, could hardly recognize in the
speaker the learned ,bographer Of
Goethe or the profound philosopher o