Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-04-08
lNAyroNisHIHo INTENTION.
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A Philadelphia special says: An in
vention has recently been perfected here
that bids fair to revolutiouixe ell exist
ing systems Of electrical communication,
both telegraphic and telephone. The
secret Of it has been carefully guarded
by the inventors, Messrs. George M.
Hathaway and James ii. Linville, and
by the small company Of large capital
lists who controlled il while it was
being fully covered by patents,
both American and foreign. Now
that all is secure, 1t is to be sud-
denly sprung upon the public BY an ex-
hibition at the Continental Hotel, pro-
badly during the present week, as one
Of the gigantic scientific surprises of
the century. To state in brief what it
is, it is netting less than making
telegraphy Is simple, rapid, and easily
within the command Of everybody ~
is the operating Of the caIigraph or
typewriter. Efecting what is claimed
for it, it will be the means Of greatly
reducing the cost Of telegraphy. of en-
sbling the opening Of some 4O, 900 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 cut
word on the keys ola typewriter can
transmit q message by the Hathaway
system accurately and with rapidity,
only restricted by the speed Of the
picking, while, as for receiving mes
sages, the instrument does that auto
matically, whether there is anybody
experimenting its operations or not.
There was private exhibition OF the
system to-day at the company's offices,
No. 327 Walnut street, the results at
tanned At which seemed to fully sustain
ell that is claimed for this most remark
able invention.
The instrument used is both a trans
mitter aud receiver. The two instru-
nents used in this exhibition were con-
nected by about 100 miles of wire
coiled about the Offices. Each appeared
in its front part 10 be simply an ordi-
nary typewriter, with the letters, nu-
mersls, &C., On raised keys. Behind
this rises q small column. with blank
paper wrapped around it and moved up
line by line as required by a simple de-
vice. Inside that column is small
hammer that strikes outwardly, so as
to, whenever a key is touched, press
the paper against the periphery of
horizontal wheel that lies between the
keyboard and the column. On that
periphery. in high relief, are the let
tiers 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 retro
cede in the alphabetical order it flies
back to fiIed point, as does the wheel
of gold and stock indicator, but much
more swiftly. All the delicate and in
tricate electrical attachments necessary
are below, and, when understood, are
much less complicated than they seem,
their apparent complication being 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 particular let
ter or figure is governed by the
strength Of current required for
just that individual one, and for no
other. Ii seems very strange that all
those various impulses should be flashed
along q wire-eyen in opposite dlrec-
tons at the same time-without justling
each other or getting mixed up, but
they do. Many messages were sent
and received in to-day's tests by non
experts at speed of from forty to fifty
words per minute with greater accuracy
than is ususlly shown by expert Morse
"souud operators, and that speed, it
was affirmed, could be very greatly in
creased. A noticeable and valuable
feature Of the system is that it prints
clearly in the sight of the person trans
hitting message just what is being sent
to the receiver. so that errors are avoid
ed, or, if committed, are readily cor
rected. The messages sent ever wire by
this instrument cannot be read by sound,
30 that it is much more favorable to the
privacy often desirable in business than
either the Morse system or the tcle-
phone. Inasmuch as the Hathaway in
strument can be adjusted to any system
Of wire communication and will work
to as great distances a. is required in
telegraphy, it will be Of ine.timable
value to railroad and express compa-
MES, bankers, brokers. merchants, and
the general public. There are no for
midable complications III its construc-
ton. and expert electricians who have
examined 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
telegrsphy.
Lively Young Doc.
A Lackswaxen PENN special says
The passengers on the morning train on