Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-08-09
THE FIRST TELEGRAPH LINE.

The first telegraph line in this country
was construed between Baltimore and
Washington about the year 1S45, under an
appropriation made by Congress. Professor
Samuel F.. B. Morse, the inventor of the
"Morse Alphabet" was superintendent of
the line, Alfred Vail was assistant superin-
tendent in Washington, Henry J. Rodgers
was assistant superintendent at Baltimore,
Lewis Zantzinger was operator at Washing
ton, and Capt Lewis A. Chasteau, who is
now in Philadelphia, was operator at Balti
more. The line was copper wire, covered
or wrapped with cotton. The instruments
were all very large, the relay magnet being
kept in 4 box three feet long, which was
always kept carefully locked, the assistant
superintendent keeping the key. No insu
latOrs were known at that time but sealing
wax, glass, oiled silk, and a very miserable
preparation Of asphaltum. The magnets
that covered the hOrshoe iron were covered
with sealing-wax, and there were no such
thing as thumb-ScreWs to connect two wires.
All connections were made by glass tubes
filled with mercury, and the operators in
handling these, in case of thunder storm,
held in their hands large pieces Of oiled
" -
A. NJ, to 2. NJ, and from ) to p. NJ.
The Congressman would telegraph from Bal
timore to the Washington hotels at which
they had been stopping to know the amount
of their bills. The answer was considered
to be wonderful test of the accuracy Of the
telegraph. In fact at first it was a little
more than plaything. The principal busi-
ness consisted in sending the names of per-
sons to Washington; the operator there
would write it back, and the paper bearing
the indentatiOns would be handed to the
party, together with a card upon which the
Morse alphabet was printed. The expert
mentor was then expected to decipher the
writing at his leisure. After the telegraph
had proved successful between Baltimore
and Washington, a company was then Or
ganiZed to operate line between New
York and Washington. A line was then
constructed from Brooklyn to Coney Island,
the object being to report the arrival OF
shipping. 1t was on this line that cable
was first used. Colt encased wire in lead
pipe, and this was sunk in the East River,
but it did not work very well. The anchors
of vessels were constantly dragging it, and
anchor of foreign vessel, the captain
thought be had a prize, and pulled half of it
aboard ship before he knew what it was.
A line was next built from Boston to Hull,
for the same object as the New York and
COney Island line. About that time Henry
ID. O'Reilly took a contract to construct a
line between Baltimore and Philadelphia.
"At the commencement" says Capt. Chas-
teau, "but little business was transacted over
the line, and the first persons to use it were
the stock brokers. B. B. French was presi
dent of the Magnetic Telegraph Company,
and it was under his management that the
first thing looking to strike of the opera
tors occurred. We were then paid fifty dol
lars month. Major French, who, l re-
member, had a singing tone of voice, he
having been reading clerk of the House of
Representatives, came to Washington and
we appointed a committee of two to ask for
an increase of pay. Major French went to
each operator and inquired minutely into
his circumstances, &c. He appeared very
much impressed by what he learned about
Washington boarding-h0uses, and our pay
was increased. We had resolved to strike
if we did not get it. After the completion
of this line Henry D. O'Reilly built anOth-
er from Philadelphia, to Pittsburg, and on
that David Brooks was engaged, and proved
to be valuable man generally. Other
lines began to be built, and the business in
creased until it reached its present proper,
tions. Most of the old operators are dead
now. There were many brilliant men
among them, but many fell into dissipated
ways of living. At first the telegraph was
a toy, and as no charge was made for eXhib-
iting it in operation, the operator was eX-
posed to the temptation to go and retresh,'
and so it was a sad arrangement"