Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-03-11
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHY.
An Outline Of ITS History and Methods
Of WOrlSings--An Artists Brain the
GerIn---MOrse's Early Struggles
and DlsappOlntments---Th

Of WOrliings--An Artists Brain the
GerIn---MOrse's Early Struggles
and DlsappOintments---T
Method Of Gable Trans
mission.
In the autumn OF 1882 Mr.. S. +. B..
Morse, an American artist, embarked
from England in the packet ship Sully.
The list of passengers was small but
unusually intellectual one. There was a
long voyage before them, and each
amiably undertook torelieve the tedium
of the journey by the pleasant devices
known to intelligent travellers. At an
early period of the voyage the conVer-
sation around the evening table turned
upon electricity and magnetism. The
subject at once excited very general
interest, into which Mr.. Morse, who
had hitherto felt no further interest in
electrical matters than lively and ex-
cited curiosity, now entered with
awakened enthusiasm. The question
was asked if the velocity of electricity
was retarded by the length of the wire.
A pregnant thought lay in that inquiry,
and the conversation became earnest
and practical. DIR. Jackson, one of the
oOterie, replied that electricity passed
instantaneously over any known length
of wires. At this point Mr.. Morse re-
marked: eff the presence of electricity
can be made visible in any party of the
circuit, see no reason why intelligence
may not be transmitted instantaneously
by electricity" Somehow the utter
ance of the thought aroused at once in
his mind the idea of its possibility and
accomplishment. The fact also pre-
sented itself that this had not yet been
done.
Day by day he hurdened his mind
with this thought, which now, by a
strange fascination, engrossed his whole
being. Gradually the conception took
shape and system until at last it had
assumed such form that, at the break
fast table one morning he communica-
ted the processes by which he believed
a recording telegraph could be made
serviceable to mankind. Arriving in
America, he bent all his energies to the
accomplishment in practice Of what
was, as yet, but an obscurely defined
theory. His struggles and disappoint-
ments and final success belongs no less
to the history of America than to the
mighty force with which his name will
be associated.
In the year 1843 Congress voted the
sum of $4,000 " to be used in series
of experiments to test the expediency
of the telegraph projects of Professor
Morse" The first wire erected was
between Baltimore and Washington, in
the following year. To Miss Annie
Ellsworth, daughter of the Commission
er of Patents, was given the honor of
sending the first telegram. Its Ian
guage, which has long since become
historic, was in cOnsonance with the
inventors own oft expressed thoughts
respecting the origin of his invention.
Indeed, the inventor may have suggest
ed the language, What hath God
wrought" The message was at once
passed successfully over the wires, and
the strip of paper on which it was i'm
printed was claimed by Governor Sey-
mour, of Connecticut in honor of the
lady, who was native of his State, and
of the inventor, who received therein
his collegiate education.
The first stock company organized
for the purpose of a general telegraph
business, was incorporated under the
title of the Magnetic Telegraph Com
pany," and extended from New York
to Philadelphia. The gross receipts Of
the first three months amounted to $516.
Other companies rapidly followed until
the very extremes of the United States
were brought into intimate relations by
the wires Of the electric telegraph. In
1866, the Western Union, which was
the most powerful of all the competing
companies succeeded in consolidating,
under their management, the American,
United States, California States and
Southwestern Companies, giving it at
once an absolute monopoly of the tele-
graphic interests of the entire country.
In this connection it is interesting to
compare the annual report Of the Presi-
dent of the Western Union Company
for the fiscal year ending June, 1866,
with that of 1879. In 1866 the gross
receipts were, in round numbers, &c.
100000. They had $500 offices, $4,000
miles Of wire, and handled 100000
messages. In thirteen years the gross
receipts had multiplied to $11, 100000
The number of miles had increased to
$4,000; almost 5000 offices had been
opened for the convenience of the pub
lie, and 25,000,00 was the number of
messages transmitted during the year.
The salary paid by the Western
Union Company to its operators in the
large Eastern cities range from $40 to
S110 per month, the latter being paid
to the more skillful operators who
worked the heavy circuits. In the
West the margin of salary is not so ex-
tended, but tthe labor is unusually severe.
The average salary in the Cincinnati
Office for the best men is eighty dollars
per month.
How many who read this article,
even those who are most accustomed to
telegraphing, have the remotest idea of
the manner in which their message is
handled from the time it leaves their
possession until it reaches their cOrre-
spondent. Entering the Office at the
corner of Fourth and Vine, you write
your message and hand it to the good
looking Young man sitting at the re-
-. -. ! s,-r ,,vb ~, xrro Mill oo1l Mr.