Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-07
ANEW TELEGRAPH LINE.
Three Thousand UOrds Sent to CgereIano,
in n Min"te-Chica0O TeIegrdphicauD as

Three Thousand Words Sent to CIeceIdnd
ia n Min~te-Chtca0O geographically as
Near as elphic-lUusic in the dir.
New York SUM-
great ticking of telegraph instruments
was heard at AZ Broadway yesterday after
noon. 1t was accompanied by musical
humming resembling the vibrations of an
old-fashioned tuning fork. The operators
OF the new Postal Telegraph company
were familiarizing themselves with
their instruments. Six of them were
sending dispatches to Cleveland stimuli
taneously over the same wire. The mu-
steal vibrations were caused by the use of
the harmonic system of telegraphy, each
dispatch being sent on distinctive note or
sound. The ticking of the instrument was
almost lost in the ticking of dozen type
writer's, manipulated by as many charm
ing young ladies. They were deciphering
long strips covered with the characters of
the Morse alphabet, and printing the dis
patches received.
Nor were these the only tickings heard in
the room. Seven copper cylinders, about
two feet long, and of the diameter of a
stovepipe, were ranged against the south
wall. A young lady sat near each cylin-
der ticking the key of a
sounder. The sounder was connected
with a pen which was fastened above the
revolving cylinder. At each tap of the
forefnger on the sounder the pen recorded
on the cylinder in red ink a character
of the Morse alphabet. Each cylinder
will carry 1000 words. When the message
is recorded on the cylinder the pen is with
drawn and an electric stylus drop
ped on the cylinder at the
beginning of the message in red ink.
Steam power is then applied. The cylinr
der revolves with great rapidity, and in
minute the 1000 characters appear on a
Geographic strip of chemical paper
at Cleveland, 800 miles away. The
paper is wound in a 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 these copper cylinders, and they
could be worked at once over the same
WIRE More than that, each could drop its
dispatch at any station between here and
Cleveland.
This is what is called the Legge Automa-
tic system of sending dispatches. The
company claim that by it they can trans
NIT 5000 words per minute after the
original dispatch has been transferred to
the cylinder in Morse characters. For in
stance, a 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 a printer dis
tributes copy among his typesetters. Each
operator transfers his ''take' to a cylinder.
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 perfected both the automatic and har-
monte systems of telegraphy, discarding
entirely the perforations that marked the
introduction of the automatic system. 1t
claims that it can send eight and receive
eight dispatches at the same time over the
same wire. By the distribution of its cyl
inders it claims that it can send
ispatches direct to their destination
from any city Office without transmit
ting them to central station. By the use
of the harmonic system the wires cannot
be tapped between the sending and the re-
ceiving stations. Under the Leggo sys-
tenn messages can be transmitted auto
matically on single wire, received auto
matically at the end of the circuit, and
transmitted automatically at the same
speed over any number of circuits, all
from single setting on a cylinder.
The two wires in use between here and
Cleveland are steel, heavy insulated in
copper. They each contain over 500
pounds of copper to the mile. Each wire
will sustain weight of $500 pounds. The
poles are thirty feet high and of unusual
size and strength. There are forty of them
to the mile. 1t is claimed that the wires
are of such supreme eonductivity that the
electric current on them will not be
disturbed by storms and atmospheric
changes. The resistance to the electric
current on these wires is only 1910 ohms.
1t is averred that this brings Chicago
Geographically as near New York as Phil
adelphia, and San Francisco as near as
Cleveland, compared with the best wires
now in use.
The completion of the line to Chicago
has been delayed by the spring freshets.
Within few weeks, however, the Office in
that city will be opened, and the line
thrown open to business. The company
say that they will cut the rates to the low
est notch. They assert that they will be
able to do the entire telegraphic business
etween the two cities on their two wires.