The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1879-09-24
THE WRITING TELEGRAPH.
Description OF Mr. Cowper's Interes
Ing Invention.

Ing invention
The ingenious writing telegraph in
vented by MIR. +. A. Cowper, G.. A, is
to be exhibited at the cOnUersdziOne of
the British Association at Sheffield.
Before noticing the results of its work.
ing it will be desirable to describe the
apparatus in general terms. We premise
that the invention enables a person to
write at distant station many miles
away, just as though he We're present
there himself, without requiring the use
of any special signals, codes or signs ito
spell each letter, as is now the practicel,
and without the assistance of any per-
son to translate the signals as received.
The apparatus consistsof IA transmitting
and II recording instrument, placed in
electrical communication, one being at
one station and one at another. AT
least, this is the arrangement at present
under trial, but in carrying it out prac-
tically, which is now being done, there
will be Il combined transmitting and re-
ceiving instrument at each station, SO
that messages can be transmitted in
either direction, which at present they
can not be. The principle of the inven-
ton consists in communicating at all
times to writing-pen placed in the re-
cording instrument through two line
wires. In other words, IL means that
the latitude and longitude or the pencil
and continually given, the vertical posi-
ton of the pencil being communicated
by one wire and its horizontal position
by the other. The pencil has two light
contact rods joined to it. and one OF
these slides over the edges of a series of
contact plates, having various resistances
interposed between them and the line
wire. The second rod slides over
second set of similar plates connected to
the other wire, and ut the receiving in
strument each of these wires actuatesits
own needle. Those two needles, which
are placed at right angles to each other,
and are provided with light springs, are
so arranged that they actuate writing
pen, to which ink is constantly supplied.
This pen moves up or down and back
ward or forward in exact obedience to
the motions of the pencil which is guild
ed by the operator at the transmitting
instrument. The message is written by
the sender ON a strip of riband of paper,
which passes under his hand, being I'M
wound by clock-work. The message
which is literally written by him at the
receiving stations produced by the
DtlA Oh u
than in the pencil original, and upon "a
similar riband paper, moved under the
pen also by clock work.
The message, when completed at the
receiving station, is cut off and sent
to it destination, while that at the
transmitting end can be preserved as a
record. This apparatus, which is in ev-
cry respect "a perfect writing telegraph,
h. lnt. l.,-S,,..l.@ L.,
der the test of practical experience ON
the Southwestern railway, and has been
working between the Waterloo and
Working stations, "a distance of twenty
six and one-half miles. The receiving
instrument is placed at the former and
the transmitting instrument ut the lat
ter station, and messages have been
transmitted for practice rs well as the
regular line messages, which We're pre-
scented during the time the new APP
paratus was at work. Various distances
have been worked through, requiring
only a few cells more or less i'm the bat
teries to accommodate the power to the
work. Thus, the simple distance of 20!
miles to Working has always been work.
ell through, but on some days resistance
coils of wire to make up 62t miles, and
on others 99l miles have been added to
increase the work the apparatus had to
do. In every ease the writing has been
good and perfectly legible, and the
working of the apparatus in every way
satisfactory. 1t was found that the in
duction of the other telegraph wires in
no way interfered with the working of
the writing telegraph. 1t could not be
perceived when a message was being
written, and when the instrument was
standing and the pen drawing straight
line, induction was only feebly indicated
by very slight unsteadiness i'm the line
which varied in thickness at times
about one-half. The invention is find
ing favor with practical men, and the
new double Instruments we understand,
will shortly be at work. London Times.