Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-17
TELEGRAPHED ON A TRAIN.
Messages Sent over the Wires from a
Car Going at Full speed.

Messages Sent over the wires from a
Car Going at Full speed.
The New Haven train that left the
Grand Central Depot at 1902 O'Clock yes
terday afternoon, says the New York
World of Feb. IA, carried 100 gentlemen
who wanted to see telegram sent from a
train going at the rate of forty miles an
hour Lucius j. Phelps, Of the Phelps In
duction Telegraph Company, explained
to the gentlemen that such thing could
be done and declared that he would send
a telegram from any place along the line
of the Port Morris Branch of the railroad
from Harlem river to New Rochelle.
When the train got onto the Branch Mr..
Phelps pointed to a long box about three
| inches in height lying between the ralls.
| The box was twelve miles long and inside
were telegraph wires.
MIR. Phelps said that any one who had
telephone in his office knows that very
often, while listening for message, ones
ears are filled by the conversation OF
| other parties, owing to the conductors
| being parallel. The inventor determined
! to put this knowledge to practical use.
In the box on the rOadbed an insulated
| wire is carried along the lire OF the road,
| and through it from battery at the lnl-
tial station a strong electric current IS
forced. In the baggage car OF the tram
! yesterday was an induction coll consist
| ing OF 80 cOnvolutiOns of insulated wire
so arranged as to present numerous par
allel surfaces. In order tO protect the
| wire it was inclosed in twO-inch iron pipe
and placed under and along the car about
seven inches from the line wire between the
/ rails. The ends of the wire forming THIS
| induction coil were connected with IN
| struments in a corner of the baggage car.
| The peculiar feature of yesterdays eX-
| pertinent lay in the fact that the lines
| were operated on an open circuit, the sig
nails being sent by closing the circuit for
| the instant of transmission and the cir
| cult being broken second later. By this
| means there is no work for the batteries
except while the messages are being sent.
| The sending of kilograms from moving
| train has been unsuccesstHlly tried be-
| fore, by attempting to use the wheels as
! conductors.
j. D. Barlow yesterday wrote a dis
| patch at the Mott Haven end of the road,
| sealed it and handed it to the regular
railroad telegraph operator. Mr.. Phelps
| said he would get it on the train when
the party was six or seven miles away
| from Mott Haven. The train went faster
than the telegram, for the dispatch didn't
| catch uD to it until the train was at New
| Rochelle, and then it was somewhat gar
| bled. Other dispatches were sent and
one or two came through all right, thus
| showing that the invention was possible,
and would be perfectly practicable after
several minor defects have been rem
| edied.
SIR. Phelps said when speaking about
| the invention, that collisions would be al
most impossible when the wires were
used on all trains, and added that the in
ventIon would be perfected so that event
| ually telegraphic communication could
be had between two trains passing one
another at the rate Of go miles an hour.
s'Fromsthe records Of 1888" Mr.. Phelps
said, "there have been 102 collisions on
railroads, involving great loss of life and
| property. and immense expense to the
| corporations. The blOck-slgnal system is
| admirable, but does not fill the necessary
| requirements. By this invention the
| train-dispatcher can sit in his office and
| tell where every train is on the road.' An
| illustration of this assertion was made by
| the Mott Haven Railroad operator, who,
when the special train was swingin g
| along at the rate of 20 miles an hour, tele-
| graphed to the man at the instrument in
| the baggage car to go slower, and the
| speed was at once decreased. Again the
| operator sent word to hurry along, and
| the signals were family heard in the bag
| gage car.
A dispatch was sent from the train to
| the Mott Haven man, asking him if he
| would like to drink little of the prime
brandy in the baggage car, and the an
swer came back in jify that the Mott
Haven operator always did have a par
TALLY for prime brandy, especially in the
winter time. 1t was Impossible to tele-
graph bottle of brandy, and hence the
| train sped on to New Rochelle. Mr..
| phnlDc said that no hplipVpd pVnrV train
would soon be provided with battery
and recounted the benefits as follows: A
merchant could go out on the road and be
| in constant communication with his
home. Accidents would be impossible,
and cashiers on their way to Canada
could be arrested on their trains. The
battery is in daily use on the Branch line.