The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-08-09
THE FIRST TELEGRAPH LINE.
som" Interesting Facts about the Building
aud t'sc of tho First Wire.

The first telegraph line in this country
was CONSTRUCTED between Baltimore and
Washington about the wear 1915, under
An appropriation made by Congress.
Prof, Samuel +. Il. Morse. the inventor
Of the Morse Alphabet" was supcrin
t"ndcnt of the line, Alfred Vail was
assistant superintendent in Washington,
Henry j. Rodgers was assistant superiu
tcndent ut Baltimore, Lewis Xantzinger
was operator ut Washington, and Capt.
Levi, \. t!Iasteau, who is now in Phila.
delpha, was operator 1T Baltimore. The
line was oi copper wire. covered or
wrapped with c0ttu:i. The Instruments
were all very large, the relay magnet
being kept in box three feet long, which
vas always kept carefully locked the
assistant superintendent keeping the key
NO insulator5 were known mt that time
but sealing wax, glass, oiled silk, and
very miserable preparation ofasphaltum.
The mngne.s tl.at covered the horseshue
iron were covered with sealing wax, and
there were no such things rs thumb.
screws tN connect two wires. All con.
nrctions were made by gluss tubes filled
with mercury, and the operators in hand
ling these, in case of thunder storm, held
IN their hands large pieces of oiled silk.
The hours of service were from 3 to 8 d.
m, 10 = p. III. and from 3 to & y. M.
ihn Congressman would telegraph from
Baltimore 10 the Washingt. hotels at
which they had been stopping TO know
the amount of their bills The answers
were considered to be wonderful test
Of the accuracy of the telegraph. In
fact at first it was little more than a
playthng. The principal business con.
sisted in sending the names Of persons to
Washington the operator there would
write it back, and the paper bearing the
inden,ntions would be handed to the
party, together with card upon which
the Morse alphabet was printed. The
expcrlment0r was then expected to de-
cipher the writing ut his leisure. After
the telegraph had proved successful be.
tween Baltimore and Washington, COM
pany WAS organized to operate line
between New York and Washington. a
line WAS then constructed from Brooklyn
to C"ney Island, the object being to
report the arrival Of shipping. 1t was
on this line that cable was first used.
Colt encused wire in lead pipe, and
this was sunk in the Fast River, but it
did not work very we'll. Tho anchors of
vessels were constantly dragging it, and
once, when the cable VAS hauled up by
the anchor Of Il foreign vessel, the cap
tain thought he had prize, and pulled
half Of it aboard ship before he knew
what it was. a line was built from
Boston To Hull, for the same object M
the New York and Concy Island line.
About that time Henry ID. O'Reilly took
IA contract To construct line between
Baltimore and Philadelphia.
"At the commencement" says Capt.
Chasteau, "but little business was trans
acted over the line, and the frs, persons
I" use il were the stock brokers. B. b
French was president of the Magnetic
Telegraph Company, and il was under
his management that the first thing
hooking To strike of the operators oc.
Cured. We were then paid fifty dollars
month. Major French, who, remem
ber, had singing tone of voice, he
'i"ing been reading clerk Of the Hnnse
OF Representatives,, came to Washington,
and we appointed IL committee of two TO
ask for an increase Of pay. Major
French went to each operator and inquir-
ed minutely into his circumstances, &c
He appeared very much impressed 10y
whnt he learned abnut Washington
boarding houses, and our pay wa.
increased. We had resolved to strike il
We did not get it. After the nmp!eti0n
of this line Henry II O'ReiIlv built
another from Philadelphia 10 Pitt-burg,
aud on that David Brooks was engaged
and proved to be valuable man gen
orally. Other lines began to be built,
aud the business increased until it reach
"d its present propnrlions. Most OF the
old operators are dead now. There were
many brilliant men among them, but
many fell into dissipated ways Of living
AZ first the telegraph was toy, and. ~
no charge was made for exhibiting it in
operation, the operator waa exposed to
the temptation to go and refresh,' and
no IT wns sad arrangement"