Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-21
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TEST.
sending Dispatches from Train Moving
so Miles an Hour.

From the Ne10 YORK. World.
In corner of the baggage car on the
Port Morris branch of the New York, New
Haven and Hartford Railroad telegraph
operator stood beside his key sending
messages, and from the sounder beside
him receiving them. Passengers on the
train watched and wondered, for the train
was rushing along at the rate of 30 miles
per hour, and it was manifest that the
operator was talking to the rest of the
world. Several passengers wrote out dis
patches and enjoyed the novelty of hav-
ing them sent from the flying train. A
reporter, who had left a message with
the starter at Port Morris, found it had
oYertaken him, and when it was opened
and read. "Remember the Bartholdi
pedestal fund.-" half dozen gentlemen
who stood about Clipped IN dollar each,
ana made so much more for the 100000
fund. The invention which is on trial
has been given a test of months on this
short branch line, and has worked to the
entire satisfaction of its inventors, and
negotiations are now about closed which
will put it on several Of the large through
lines. The invention is a very simple
one. On the car itself are iron tubes
running along the bottom OF the car car
rying coiled copper wire which
makes complete circuit Of the
car length by being car
ried along the interior of the car. Unless
attention was specially directed to it, it
would be overlooked. The ends of the
copper wire run to the operators desk,
where is the usual s0under, key and re-
lay, or, if it is desired to use the more
modern and more economical ''buzZer,"
there is telephone connection. In this
last the operator, in place OF the rafting
click of the sounder, has only the soft
whIstling throbbing which comes from
the ordinary telephone ear-piece. There
is no connection between the electrical
plant on the car and any outside plant,
but along the centre Of the tracks, COW
cred up securely in long bit of scant-
ling, is an insulated copper wire. This is
nothing more than one of the thick copper
wires, familiar to all, as the arc light
wires in the streets. It is mere
ly hidden from sight in the
centre of the wooden strip and
a small gang Of men might and have laid
down this at the rate of two miles per
day. Into this wire from the regular
offices on the ends of the line or at any
point the message is sent in the ordinary
way, and by induction it is caught up by
the wire of the iron tube below the car
and thus reaches the operators buzzer in
the car. 1t matters not whether the car
is standing on the track or moving at the
highest rate of speed the induction goes
on and the communication is continuous.
On the branch in question, where the
track wire is laid only on the outgoing
track, there is no difficulty in get
ting messages through with the train
on the other track, though in this case
the distance between the wires is about
IL feet. Over short culvert the track
wire is carried in a cable on the bottom
of the water, and across a drawbridge the
wire IS carried in the same way by cable.
The induction is so strong and the system
so perfect that when the train left the
branch track where the ground wire was
aud went upon the main track this buzzer
still kept up its story from the outside
world, and not until the car had left the
lower wire fully a quarter mile away did
the sound die out. This was explained
by the operator by saying that the
ground wire was using the air line
fully twenty-five feet away TO
carry on the conversation. The applica-
ton Of the invention is first 10 the rum
ming of trains, for by it "A division super
intendent is in constant and uninterrupt-
ed communication with every train at rest
or in motion, and whether fOgs obscure
the signals or not, whether IL be night or
day every train runs under the dirsct or
ders OF one man. Passengers may make
use Of the instrument for personal bust
ness and send dispatches from the train IN
motion and receive answers by the same
channel. A stock tinker could be placed
in a car and, on "A long transcontinental
run, speculation be kept up from the start
to the finish.