The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-08
WORKING THE WIRES.
Description of the Operation of the New
Postal Telegraph Company's
Electric system.
Harmonic Tapping Eight Dispatches to be
Sent or Received simultaneously
Over One Wire.

Special Correspondence of the Evening Light
New YORK, March "A great ticking of
telegraph instruments was heard at 40 Broad
way. 1t was accompanied by musical hum
ming resembling the vibrations of an old fash
toned tuning fork. The operators of the new
Postal Telegraph company were familiarizing
themselves with their instruments. Six of
them were sending dispatches to Cleveland
simultaneously over the same wire. The
musical vibrations were caused by the use of
the harmonic system of telegraphy, each dis
patch being sent on distinctive note or
sound. The ticking of the instruments was
almost lost in the ticking of a dozen tpye wri-
tiers, manipulated by as many charming young
ladies.
They were deciphering long slips covered
with the characters of the Morse alphabet and
printing the dispatches received. Nor were
these the only tckings heard in the room.
Seven copper cylinders, about two feet long,
and OF the diameter of a stove pipe were
ranged against the south wall. A young
lady sat near each cylinder ticking the key
of a sounder. The sounder was connected
with pea which fastened above the revolt
wing cylinder. At each tap of the forefnger
on the sounder the pen recorded on the
cylinder in red ink character of the Morse
alphabet Each cylinder will carry 1900
words. When the message is recorded on
the cylinder the pen is withdrawn and an cleo
trio stylus dropped on the cylinder at the be-
ginning of the message, in red ink.
STEAM POWER is THEN APPLIED.
The cylinder revolves with great rapidity,
| and in a minute the 1900 characters appear
on a Geographic slip of chemical paper at
| Cleveland, 500 miles away. The paper is
| wound in roll the same as the strip in a
stock Indicator, and is ground out by hand
| in the same manner as an apple is pared by
machinery. There were seven of the copper
cylinders, and they could all be worked at
once over the same wire. More than that,
each could drop It's dispatch at any station be-
tween here and Cleveland. This is what is
called the Lego automatic system of sending
dispatches. The company claim by it they
can transmit 5000 words per minute, after the
original dispatch has been transferred to the
cylinder, in the Morse characters. For in
stance, dispatch containing 5000 words is
sent to the office for TRANSMISSION to a given
point.
1t is cut into seven parts or "takes," and
distributed among the operators, the same as
copy is distributed among type-setters.
Each operator transfers his take to a cyln-
der. When this is done the seven cylinders
are set in motion, and the 5000 words are
transmitted simultaneously over the same
wire. Thus the company has combined and
m hAt No tic 10
systems of telegraphy, discarding entirely the
perforationS that form the introduction of the
automatic system. 1t claims it can send
eight or receive eight dispatches at the same
time over the same wire. By the distribu-
| ton Gifts cylinders it claims il can send dis
patches direct to their destination from any
city Office without transmitting them to a CEN
| trail station.
BY the use of the harmonic system the
wires cannot be tapped between sending and
receiving stations. Under the Lego system
messages can be transmitted automatically
on single wire, received automatically at the
end of a circuit and retranSmitted automati-
cally at the same speed over any number of
circuits, all from a single
SETTING ON A CYLINDER.
The two wires in use between here and Cleve-
land are steel heavily insulated in copper
Theyeach contain over 500 pounds of copper
to the mile. Each wire will sustain a weight
Of $500 pounds. The poles are so feet high,
and OF unusual size and strength. There are
40 of them to the mile. 1t is claimed the
wires are of such supreme conductivity that
| the electric current on them will not be dis
turbed by storms and at atmospheric changes.
| The resistance TO the electric current on
these wires is only 10 ohms. 1t is averred
this brings Chicago, geographically, as near
| New York as Philadelphia, and San Fran
| cisco as near as Cleveland, compared with
the best wires now in use.
The capital stock of the company is S2I,-
ooo, 600 in SIoo shares. 1t has issued SIo.-
ooo, 900 in first mortgage six thirty-year gold
bonds. The President of the company IS
Alansop w. Beard, of Boston. George ID.
Roberts, S. +. White and Conrad N Jordan,
| of this city, and Governor Foster, of Ohio,
and Professor Elisha Gray, of Chicago, are
on the Board of Directors. The company
says that it will construct lines extend
ing from New York to San Francisco, and to
all the other large cities ofthe United States,
Canada and Mexico, and will connect with
TIE Atlantic cables of the Mexican and South
American system of cables, with terminal Off
ceS in these large cities and at cable land
ings. The completion of the line to Chicago
has been delayed by the sprirg freshets.
Whining few weeks, however the Office in
that city will be opened and the line thrown
open to business. The company say they
will cut the rates to the lowest notch. They
u