The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-03-03
ELEGTRl0 lELtGRAPH.
a NORTH CARoLlNIAN CLAIMS THE
HONOR ACCORDED To MORSE.

atratod It's Appiication--.uis Reasons for
his Very Long silence.
Correspondence Of tie Charlotte O5sorcer.)
WASHINGTON, ID. o., February &c.
"Would luu object L" giving HE u
brief sketch OF your history, and cs-
pecially Of the history OF your con-
neclion with the invention of the
electric telegraph" so said the
Observer correspondent this morning.
to Mr.. Junius Lynch Clemmous.
"Not at ull," was the reply. 81 was
born m the village oi Ciu,umon4villr,
Rowan (nuw Da,idsnn) County;
North Carolina, on The first day De-
ccmDer, 1913, ami Am now sevrnty-taO
years OF aye. ! am now All old man
but very we'll preserved, ~ YOU can
sec. For the last year Or two l have
been troubled with II slight dyspepsia,
but apart from that my health has
always been good. Indeed, [ can ga,
what very few can say that for fifty
five consecutive Years l never lost u
meals victual, by sickness. | am sat
isiicd that, in all my life, | was never
confined to my bed SO much Us ten
DAYS by sickness. | begin, how ever,
10 feel the 4, fleets Ot aye and know thai
h end il not Tar distant.
"My father was a merchant, and
my TO! hood days were spent Tor the
most part brhlud the counter. AT
the age of eighteen | was sent TO
Randolph Macon College, in Virginia.
Alier spending u!ear aud a half in
the preparatory department | enter
ed college, and after passing through
the regular course, graduated in 1887.
"ln the year 1888. when about the
age of twcn,v Years, [ commenced
attending lectures on chemistry, and
was frcIb!y struck with the powers
of the galvauic battery, and It's CON
nection with electrical currents. In
thinking over the matter | felt con-
WINGED that electricity could be prac
tlcaiiv used III conveying intelligence
between distant points on insulated
wires. l announced this belief to my
classmates and 10 illustrate my idea
drew u diagram around the walls OF
my room, exhibiting a wire support
ed by glass brackets on upright poles
such Ms are now in use, with q bat
ter! ut each end and an independent
clock work ON which to receive mes
sages.
81 attempted frequently to explain
this to my comrade-, but was only
laughed ut for my pains. | was re.
garded ia q visionary, and my pro-
ject ~ a dream. | contcndrd that it
would work and ~pruphesied that in
the near future Il man would be sit
ting in his chamber in New York
conversing with his brother in New
Orlraus an familiarly rs if they were
seated at his own tiresiuc. Yea, more
that the President OF tho United
States would in the same manner con-
verse with the Empuror of Russia in
an instant OF time. This OF course
WAS regarded by all as the extreme of
tnuaticism. Only one OF my class
mates would listen to me with any
degree OF crcuulity aud that was u
young man from North Carolina by
the name of Baker Cligg, who after
wards became somewhat prominent as
~ Methodist preacher.
"ln after years "a number Of INV
schOo!mnies came out with voluntary
communication to different newspapers
tesLli! ing 10 whal rave above stated.
Prominent among them was j. w.
Cameron, at one tlInc editor of II
paper published at Wadc>anro, N. G..
"Bcing young and ONE what Iii Ill
lent, L did not press my suggestions
upon the public attention; but hearing
that u gentleman BY the name OF
Page, in Washington City, had become
quite eminent as an electrician, 1 re-
solved 10 communicate to him my
ideas OH the subject OF telegraphv b,
the electric current, aud to obtuin his
views ON the subject. therefore
wrote to him explaining in detail my
views, accompanying the same with
diagrams, ETC., and asking him Tor hi,
opinion. To this request | received
no answer. This failure to answer
was rather a damper upon m, entl.u-
siaslD, and l thought hat after all
probably my theory was not practical
or lis merits would AVE been appre-
ciated by a man eminent in electrical
science.
81 therefore dropped the matter and
deVoIed M self to my studies, saving
but little more about the telegraph.
l was preparing myself by a collegiate
literary course tor entering upon my
professionals a lawyer and devoted my.
self eX:lus' ycly to thai purpose.
"9ear, rolled by aud had almost
torg; ten the telegraph matter, whcn
In IT. year 1914 | opened the Wash
ingtoh GiO6e one morning, and the
first paragraph thar attracted my at
tention was All cc0un of the forma-
ton of "a partnership between Page,
Morse, Amos Kindall 81 Smith, to
erect an experimental telegraph wire
between Baltimore and Washington
City, aud ali application TO Congress
for pccuniary aid.
"Thc moment | saw the combinu-
ton the conviction flashed upon my
mind that Page had used my sugges-
tons To him made eleven years before
in the furthcrancG of the Morse pro-
ject, and when | learned that at the
time wrote to- Page in 1888, and for
some wears afterwards, he was oil ex
aminer in the patent %'ffice, and for
hidden by law to take II u patent in
bls w name, my convictions were
confirmed. Indeed, | was 80 positive
OF the fact that | wroGe q c%Ommunica-
ton to the Washington Globe, publicly
charging Page with having availed
himself Of ny suggestions.
'ISrII,U Nm. I,nIIi.I, .hn,unl ,,skl.