The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-05-14
TELEGRAPHY.
An Astonishing Invention That Threaten as
to Supersede All Others.

An Astonishing Invention That Threate rs
to Supersede All Others.
An invention has recently been per-
fected at Philadelphia that bids fair to
revolutionize all existing systems OF
electrical communication, both tele-
graphic and telephone. The secret
of it has been carefully guarded by the
inventors and the small company of
large capitalists VINO control it while
it was being fully covered by patents,
both American and foreign. Now that
all is secure, it is to be suddenly sprung
upon the public by an exhibition at the
Continental hotel probably during the
present week, rs one of the gigantic
Scientific surprises of the century. To
state in brief what it is, it is nothing
less than making telegraphy as simple,
rapid, and easily within the command
of everybody as is the operating of the
caligraph or typewriter. Efecting
what is claimed for it, it will be the
means of greatly reducing the cost of
telegraphy, OF enabling the opening of
some forty thousand new telegraph
stations in railroad and express offices
throughout the United States where
there have hitherto been none, and of
taking the place generally of the tele-
phone. Any person who can pick out
a word on the keys of a typewriter
can transmit a message by the system
accurately and with rapidity, only re-
stricted by the speed of the picking,
while, as for receiving messages, the
instrument does that automatically,
whether there is anybody superintend-
ing its operations or not. There was
private exhibition of the system re-
Gently, the results attained at which
seemed to fully sustain all that is
claimed for this most remarkable in
vention.
The instrument used is both trans
mitter and a receiver. The two in
struments used in this exhibition were
connected by about one hundred miles
of wire coiled about the offices. Each
appeared in its front part to be simply
an ordinary typewriter, with the let
ters, numerals, etc, on raised keys.
Behind this rises a small column with
blank paper wrapped around it and
moved up line by line as required by a
simple device. Inside that column is
small hammer that strikes outwardly,
so as to, whenever key is touched,
press the paper against the periphery
OF a horizontal wheel that lies between
the keyboard and the column. On
that periphery, in high relief, are the
letters of the alphabet, numerals, and
points for punctuation. The wheel
spins around with lightning-like rapid
ity as the keys are successfully touched
by an expert. When it has to recede
in the alphabetical order it flies back
to fixed point, as does the wheel of
gold and stock indicator, but much
more swiftly. All the delicate and
intricate electrical attachments neces-
sary are below, and when understood
are much less complicated than they
seem, their apparent complication be-
ing caused by their multiplicity. A
separate wire leads from each key to
single common wire, and each of those
key-connected wires serves either for
transmission or reception of messages.
The sending or receiving of a particu-
lar letter or figure is governed by the
strength of current required for just
that individual one, and for no other.
1t seems very strange that all those va
rious impulses should be flashed along
a wire-eyen in opposite directions at
the same without jostling each
other or getting mixed up, but they do.
Many messages were sent during tests
by nou-eXperts at a speed OF from forty
to fifty words per minute with greater
accuracy than is usually shown by ex-
pert sound operators, and that speed,
it was affirmed, could be very greatly
lnpJ.aus usAi nntiona hIa op1 ~ J. Ia
feature of the system is that it prints
clearly in the sight of the person trans
mitting message just what is being
sent 10 the receiver, so that errors are
avoided, or if committed are readily
corrected. The messages sent over a
wire by this instrument cannot be read
by sound, so that it is much more favora-
bic to the privacy often desirable in
business than either the Morse system
or the telephone. Inasmuch as the in
strument can be adjusted to any system
OF wire communication and will work
to as great distances as is required in
teleoraphy it will be of inestimable val
lie to railroad aud express companies,
bankers, brokers, mechanics and the
general public There are no formida-
bic complications in its construction,
and expert electricians who have exam
ined it pronounce it one of the most
wonderful achievements of the age.
Should it only do half what is claimed
for it. and that it shows it can do, it
would practically revolutionize telegra-
ply.
The company controlling this great
invention has been organized upon
capital of S2,000,O0 but no stock is
for sale, ali being held as an investment.