Wichita eagle., 1888-03-07
THE TELEGRAPH'S RISE.
THE FIRST MESSAGE THAT EVER
WENT OVER A WIRE.

THE FIRST MESSAGE THAT EVER
WENT OVER A WIRE.
| "Reminiscences Of Professor Morse Given
| to the Public by One Of His Earliest
Friends-InterestingI Incidents Gathered
from John W. Kirk.
Morse had possessed himself of little room
in the east end of the Capitol, and there, alb
stracted but active, the new attache of the
postofhce department. found him, q thin,
! spare, careworn, anxious man, in the midst
of confusing heaps of wire and pots and ap-
parent debris. A congressional committee
was on its way to see him and examine in
practical operation the machine which he
had promised would transmit intelligent
messages between points miles apart. The
line which started toward Baltimore was
built about five miles without the Washing
ton limits, and tine metallic circuit before
the day of ground wires) was in working or
der. The committee came The statesmen
approached his instrument cautiously, as if
suspecting that it might suddenly get into an
exploding fit. But finally they ranged them
selves as closely as they dared beside the ami
mated electrician and awaited his expert
ments
"Now, gentlemen, what shall we send over
the wires" calculated the old man "Pick
out your own message and I'll show you how
simple this whole thing is and how it accom-
plishes everything that I've claimed"
The gentlemen were hardly expecting q
challenge like this, but finally congressional
genius asserted itself, and one of the party
proposed that this startlingly original in
formation be flashed along
'Mr. Brown, Of Indiana, is here"
Prof. Morse bent over his instrument and
pegged away. Tick, tick, tick-tick-tick went
the electric tapping, and then moment later
came the same rattling line Of signals upon
an adjoining machine-the indentation Morse
register.
The old man grabbed the slip Of paper as it
came released from the instrument, scanned
it eagerly, and then, with the air of an en-
peror whose crown is selfwon, he thrust the
futtering white scrap forward.
''SeeT-and be displaced another sheet
on which his dot and dash sign manual ap-
peared-
''See! Take this for guide and you'll find
printed there the very words you asked trans
mitted"
The delegation did as directed, and sure
enough they spelled out SO the sensational go
ings-on Of "Mr. Brown of Indiana"
Converteds Those congressman converted?
Well, hardly. This is the recollection of Mr.
Kirk: Zone Of them hunched me and winked
In superior and knowing sort Of way, while
another whispered: That's what / call pretty
thinP and third remarked right out loud ::
1t won't do! That doesn't prove anything ,
Poor Morse's heart was almost broken. His
triumph was turned all to bitterness. Every
one of his visitors went away more skeptical
than ever"
Morse worked only the harder after his
failure to convince the wise men from con-
gress by the test of his five mile loop. Day
by day more poles were set and more wire
was stretched, and Annapolis Junction-half
way to Baltimore-was just about reached
when the Wing national convention of May,
1874, opened in Baltimore. Here, at the
suggestion OF his friend, Mr.. John w. Kirk,
Morse saw opportunities beyond any that
had come to him before. On the morning
that the convention organized he was able by
dint Of work by night as well as by day, to
get connection through to Annapolis juno
ton from his little Washington machine
shop. He had placed bright young fellow
at the Annapolis Junction, and with in
structions to get information Of what the
convention had done just as soon as the after
noon Baltimore train arrived at the junction
and telegraph it at once to Washington.
OF course the capital was in ferment;
every citizen was anxious for the news from
Baltimore; but till trains should arrive from
the scene it was recognized that nothing could
be known. The earnest old fellow spent that
eventful afternoon all alone, save for the
companionship of John Kirk.
Suddenly there came an animated clicking
He who was most interested bent forward as
if intent on fairly consuming the strip of pa
per that crept out from the register. There
was almost agony in his face as, snail like,
the paper halted and hesitated, spurted a
little. stood still, made false starts and then
spurted more till-the message completed
Morse rose erect, looked proudly about him,
and said as grandly as though he were dis
tributing Kingdoms:
"Mr. Kirk, the convention has adjourned.
The train for Washington has just left An
napolis junction. And the ticketn-he hesi-
tated, holding final proof Of his victory be-
yond all disputing-''the ticket-the ticket is
Clay and Frelinghuysen."
"You are quizzing u.s." was tho quick re-
tort he heard when this was proclaimed out
side. ats easy enough for you to guess that
Clay is at the head of the ticket, but Freling-
huysen--who the devil is Frelinghuysenl"
II only know was the diguifed answer,
that it is telegraphed mo so from Annapolis
Junction, where my operator had the news
five minutes ago from the train that is bound
this way bringing the delegates"
In those days the twenty miles from An
napolis Junction to Washington made up a
trip of an hour and a quarter for the excep-
tionally fast trains, such as that which was
bringing the Wing delegates to Washington
Long before the journey was over the news
papers-enterprisinge even in those days-had
extras on the streets. and the newsboy was
crying Justify the chronicle that Morse had
caught flashing through twenty miles Of air.
A great crowd of people was at the station.
The extras, with their cabalistic legend s.Bv
had whetted public curiosity to
ksenest edge. Out of the jammed train
came the delegates piling. each anxious to
be foremost in sending abroad to friends the
news that fortune was with Harry
Of the west. And how dumbfounded they
we're, finding in very type before them the
story they believed exclusively their own.
How but by miracle could the news have
gained such headwayi "By telegraph" 50
they read in the headlines Of the journals.
by telegraph That pestiferous Morse
They had seen the wires stretching along the
track all the way from Annapolis Junction
into Washington; they had seen it, and they
had joked about it glibly. Phew! 1t was
hard 60 realize. But-but-but what can a
man do when he can't do anythingl The
ioubters and scotfers became enthusiastically
j,,y,h