Morning journal and courier., 1883-05-01
gonruaI arrS Gourier.
Tuesday, May 1, 1883.
THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH.

POSVAL TELEOTRAEhs
 Several companies which have promised to do great things for the public in sending tel egraph messages promptly, accurately and cheaply have arisen, fourished more or less, and been "merged.'' And now another q making ''extensive preparations to enter it's field of business. This is the Postal Tele graph company, which has for one of it's ob- jects to supply postal telegraph system by which long messages, letters, etc., will be re- ceived through the postoffiee or otherwise and sent over the wires to be delivered by mes- sengers or through the postofice in large cities, and through the mails to places away from the lines. It is the design of the com pany to connect all the principal cities from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The present plan is to equip fully line between New York and Chicago as soon as the underground cable in the streets of Chicago is finished, which will be some time in May, and it is proposed to open the line next month for public business and to extend the system im- mediately to Boston, St. Louis, St. Paul, Philadelphia Baltimore, Washington, Harris burg, the oil region. Buffalo and Detroit. The present route to Chicago is via Bing-
 
 tended to St. Louis and another line to that city will be built via Harrisburg, Louisville and Cincinnati. From Louisville one will be built via Memphis to New Orleans and an- other from New York to New Orleans via Washington, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Mobile and other principal cities. From St. Louis line will go to Omaha via Kansas City. Estimates based on the cost of the line from New York to Chicago show that the above systems can be completed for less than $6, ,o0O. These points include 75 per cent of the entire telegraphic business of the country.
 A very important patent secured by the company is that of the compound wire. This wire has a steel core and is covered with cop per, put on by the eleetre-plating process. Copper has seven times the conductivity of iron, but copper wire is so soft that it can- not be used in telegraphing. Steel in the wire gives the desired textile strength The resistance of the largest size of iron wire used in telegraphing is ten ohms to the mile. The resistance of the compound wire is only Il ohms to a mile. Iron wire is constantly deteriorating from the time it is strung, but the appropriated wire it is said, holds it's own for an indefinite period. Mes- sages can be sent from Boston to Chicago over it without being repeated or the batter ies being reenforced, and there will be no reason why they cannot be sent to St. Louis or San Francisco. With large wire like the compound wire there is greater conductivity, or less resistance, than with small wire. Its |: i1 hx-k oIa aesntly with the telephone from New York to Cleveland and Chicago, conversation being carried on with as much ease between New York and each of the other cities as over a short distance.
 Two new systems of telegraphy are con-. trolled by the Postal Telegraph company. One is the ''Gray harmonic systen." By it from nine to twelve messages can be sept simultaneously over one wire. It has already been demonstrated that five messages each way can be sent simultaneously over one wire. The other system is the automatic. By this system the message is printed upon revolv- ing cylinder in insulated ink, with the Morse alphabet. Any Morse operator can prepare the message and read it when received. By use of this system messages can be sent over a wire at the rate of 1,5OO words a minute. This is not theory, but actual perform ance between New York and Chicago. But the regular rate at which the machinery is geared is 1,oeO words a minute. The mes- sage is received on a chemically prepared tape in Morse characters, ready for transla- ton by pen or type writer.
 It is claimed for this company that with wire of such superior condnctivity and relia- bility, with the comparatively cheap equip ment, and with the Gray harmonic and auto matic systems the cost-of telegraphing wiI2 be reduced at least one, half, that greater certainty and despatch will be secured, and that the revelation in telegraphing will be as great as that caused by railroads in travelling. These are very alluring promises, but so many similar promises have been made be- fore that it may be well to wait awhile before relying implicitly upon these.