Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-08-11
MARVELLOUS INVENTION.


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tioEsihe Telegraphy.
A now application of electric science
has been made here that promises to so
far towards revolutionizng tclegraphy
and supplanting the telephone in pop
ular favor 1t is nothing less than the
discovery of means by which anybody
capable of manipulating an ordinary
type-writing machine may, with equal
ease, rapidity, and precision, send and
receive messages over tclcgrnphic
wire. Should this invention do all that
is claimed for it, and. indeed. that it
seems fully capable Of, there seems to
be no good reason why tho places of
expert Morse telcgraphers may not be
filled everywhere by girls, clerks, en-
presSmcn, station agents, and other
non-eNperts, so at once reducing great
ly to the public the cost of tclegraphy
and increasing facilities by the cstab-
lishmeAt of at least 10000 new tcle-
graph offices throughout tho country
in places whore they have not hereto
fore been. For reasons best known to
the company controlling this most inn
portant invention its operations have
until now been kept secret. The
Office and operating rooms have been
carefully guarded against reporters.
and the men interested have been rs
close-mouthcd as II it had been a pol l.
ical mystery instead of step in pro.
gresSive science that they were con
ccaling. To-day, however the writer
found means to be present at u series
of exceedingly interesting tests of the
practicablity of the new system, which
constituted an entirely private cXhibi-
ton.
The distinguishing features of thu
new system are the entirrly novel
transmittcr and receiver employed,
These two instruments, although put
near together here upon table, have
between them about Il hundred NILS
of ordinary telegraph wire coilrd about
the room, through which their councc-
ton is made. In point of fact, the
transmitter and the receiver arr exactly
alike, the same machine serving for
either use rs required Its front is al-
most the same us the keyboard OF
caligraph or typewriter, the letters Of
the alphabet and the numerals stand
ing up on elevated KEYS. Back OF TIL
is small wheel lying HORIZONTALLY.
upon the circumference of which the
letters and numerals are in high relief
Behind this is a vertical column, around
which blank paper is placed and by Il
simple mechanical device moved NJ
line by line as desired The paper Il,
most touches the lcttcred face OF III,
wheel A small mixing roller eovernc,
by spring supplies color to the let
tered wheel. Inside the column is
small hammer that strikes the paro
against whatever letter may be drucli
before ii and so prints i upon tn sur
face of the paper. All thai seems sim
pie enough. The mystery is below. /,
the intricate and delicate electrical At
tachments by which variously gradu
atrd currents are led over the thtt,
eight or forty wires from the keys I,
the printing apparatus, aud at the sane
me to II connected instrument ia
away to record both Simultau"ousl'
and with perfect accuracy on ever
key that is struck. The wire connect
ing the instrument is single. but thOs.
graduated currents not only pass alOu,
t without confusion, but even meet il
opposite directions ut tho same time
Tie touching Of key instantly pro
durcd letter upon the paper OF loll
instruments, and letter after letter fol
lowed as rap dly as skillml type.
writer operator could touch the kcy,
until many messages had been cX
changed. 1t was observed that III,
wheel, when rctrogrcssion in the orl,t
OF the alphabet was nccesSitatod
wh'red clear back to a ilNc
point each time, us the wheel
Il gold and stock indicator" instrU
mcnt does, but it moved with mucl
greater rapdity and so little affected
transmission that forty or fifty word,
per minute were easily sent by IL person
who was not at all an expert, and rc
ce:ved automatically at the other end |
OF the line without errors.
One of the gentlemen connected with |
the new enterprise-one, by the way, OF
high standing as practical electrician
said concerning the novel invention:
"The distinctive advantages claimed BY |
this system over all other telegraphic, |
telephone. and typewrting instruments
are in its simple and inexpensive CON
Struction and the ease of operating IL.
Any person who can read can transmit |
and receive messages through it ~ cor
rectly as could the most experienced |
expert using the Morse instrument 1t
is as rapid as il is accurate, and all
messages by it being automatically |
printed, both at the point of transmits
sion and that of reception, they can be |
received with safety and reliability in |
the absence as well as in the presence
of the recipient. The recording of |
messages at both points precludes all |
questions of errors in transmission. II |
can not be read by sound, and is conse-
quently the only method for preserving
privacy in electrical communication. 1t |
is at once stock Indicator, telephone,
and type-printing telegraph. For rail
road and express companies, bankers
brokers, merchants and all CONNER
cial purposes-it being adjustable to
any system of wire communication and |
capable of working with any number
of tributaries-it is Of inestimablc value
1t is not verbal telephone, but will su-
persede that instrument by silently and
rapidly recording all messages upon
paper There are no formidable com
plications in its construction, and it is
regarded by expert electricians as u
wonderful achievement.
Greater confidence could hardly be
shown by capitalists in a new invention
than that demonstrated by the com
pany of Philadciphians who control the
patents. They have issued $4,000, 900 |
of capital stock in 200,0 shares, but |
no shares are for sale, even at par
PHILADELPHIA Cor. NJ Y. World
--Colored people are more success.
fully photographed, as rule, than