The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-06-14
A NEW TELEGRApII scI1EM l.,
Letters TO be Scnt by Wire-Quick nj
8HIA Cheap Delivery. h. lga '

| Ht Cheap Delivery. Il = & 4. Z.
CHICAGO, June l3.-There has recent,
been organizediuthe east a company incor
porated under the title Of tho "Postal Tele
graph company, OF New York, ," the desigr
Of which Is to establish system Of trunk
lines Of telegraph between the large citlc.
Of the country for the transmission BY tclc
graphofthe mail Of business ilrmsat much
lower rate tilan is charged by the present
Telegraph companies. The idea was
broached some time ago, but the perfection
Of the plans and the organization Of the
company have been kept somewhat close
The incorporatoH claim to be able 10 send
long letters Of my description over the pro.
posed wires at very much less than the
present rates. They also claim TINT their
business will notbe delayed by the weather
or any such cause. To provo this, thev
bring forward the wire now being manu-.
tacturcd BY their own company at x Ansopia,
Conn, which is n compound wire, CON.
posed OF copper in steel, which they claim
resists the. effects OF rain and snow,
It's conductiyity to the mile Is such
as TO reduce the time between Chi.
cago and New York to equal that between
New York and Boston BY the present sys-
TEN. The first line, that between here and
New York, Is already some some weeks
under way, and it is expected 10 have the
system In working order before Jan, ].
1883. 1t will only take In the larger cities
on the way, mt first, but afterward toYch
all points, and eventually do local
trade. The letters are to DO wired from
one point to another, copied out by clerks
at the latter place, and placed In the post.
office. so rs to make the inail-service do
the delivery. Business mail can therefore
be sent at tho close Of tho days work in
Chicago, and delivered by mail.carriers in
New York the next morning. The com.
pany has an authorized capital OF SCI ,O00,-
ono and the privilege of issuing an ex.
tra $4,000, 900 worth Of bonds. OF
the, capital, 100000 has already been
subscribed, and bonds will he issued AS
the work proceeds. Among those Interest.
ed in the scle,ne'are John B. Allen and
ex.Collcctort Beard, Of Boston; George b.
Roberts md S. 3. White, Of New York:
Gov. Charles Foster and several OF the lat.
ter's friends, OF Ohio. rhe system OF tel.
esraphy used will be the s"harmonic," ia.
vented by Prot. Elisha Gray, Of Highland
Park, Ill. The application Of hurmonics
to telegraphy il an invention not second in
importance 10 that Of the telephone, and,
what is somewhat singular, they wero both
the product OF the same experiments con-
Quoted by Prof. Gray several years ago. It
is based on the familiar principle OF ac-
coustics that solid body having musical
notewill vibrate by sympathy when in con-
tact with another body having the same
note. To test this principal it is only nee
essary TO touch the handle OF an "a"
tuning tork to Il piano. Strike any other
key bat an A, and the fork will remain
mute, but will respond only when its own
note, or its octave, is struck. and with less
force when its intimate harmonic, T. is
touched. Applying this to telegraphy,
a set Of tuning forks, or, similar in.
strnmenis. is connected in manner sim
liar 10 the telephone at each end OF the
wire. When fork is struck at one end OF
the line, only It's mate Mt the other will re-
spond. While these forks are still vibrat.
ing, let nothing be struck ut either end.
Immediately its relative will respond, the
two notes seeming going over the same
wire, each independent OF the other, with.
out confusion. Similarly four Of five tones
may be sounded at one end, evoking re-
sponse from the corresponding instruments
at the other. BY separating the forks ut
each end ofthe line by conducting par
titlons, and varying the period or length OF
the tones, it is easy to conceive that two or
four or six different messages may be sent
over the same wire at one time, each
pitched, so to speak, on q different key,
corresponding to the diGeren. tones OF the
gamut. The importance OF this applica-
ton in the rapidity OF transmitting mes
sages can scarcely be conceived A fast
telegraph operator can send or receive m
average OF forty words minute. Multiply
this by five or six and you have 200 or 80
words n minute sen, over the same wire,
or twice the speed Of fast speaker. s5i