Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-11-14
TElEGRAPHS OF THE PAST.
A Brief History of How Our Present Sys-
tenn Was Evolved.


tenn Was Evolved.
w. Osborne.
Six hundred years B. O., Thales,
of ATilete, noted the electrical phe-
nomena developed by friction upon
amber; 200 years later Plato theorized
upon electricity, and A. d. 1872 Martin
igo, Venetian, the engineer In de-
Tense of Rhodes, applied one end OF q
drum head at the end Of his counter
mine to discover the vicinity and Ill
rection of the enemy's underground gall
leries, and thus, by utilizing the mo-
lecular disturbance of the earth IN
sound waves, conceived the basis OF
telephony. 1t was not. however, until
A. b. 1890, that Won Guerick made the
first machine for generating trictional
electricity. nor until A. ID. 1925. that
Wood recorded the fact that FRACTIONAL
electricity would pass through consld-
cradle length of wire, and could there
fore be utilized for the transmission OF
signals. To Wood, of England, is there
fore due the honor of first suggesting
the feasibility of electric telegraphy.
A. ID. 1885, Murschenbrok, Ger
many, invented the Leyden jar, by
which means frictional electricity could
be stored for experimental purposes.
n. T.. L.
ed the first telegraph line between
Shooters Hill and London; and A. d.
1853, G.. NJ believed to be the initials
of Charles Matthew'S published the
manner in which he had indicated the
letters of the alphabet through sys--
tenn of tWenty-slX wires, by fr1ctlonal
electricity. During the latter half of
the eighteenth century inventors of all
nations endeavored, by means OF two
or more wires and FRACTIONAL electricity,
to transmit intelligence between distant
places but it was not until A. ID. lSOO,
when Volta proclaimed his own and
Galveni's experiments in the produc-
tion of chemical electricity, that electric
telegraphy, as now developed, became
practicable.
A. d. 1909. Oersted Denmark dis
covered that a freely suspended mag
netized needle would move to the right
or left, in accordance with the polarity
of current of electricity through an
adjacent wire.
A D. 1920. Arago (France) discov-
cred that when bar OF soft iron was
wound with a copper or insulated IRON
wire, it became magnet whenever a
current of electricity traversed the
wire. and was Immediately demagne-
tized Cor nearly sol when the wires
were disconnected from the source of
current.
A. D. 1882. Faraday (England) dis
covered that when coil of insulated
wire was placed adjacent to, but not
connected with, another coil of wire,
through which an intermittent current
of electricity was passed, induced cur
rents of increased intensity and alter
mating polarity We're developed IN the
unattached coil. Also that the movement
81 M hor wit q
coil of wire, or the movement OF an
electromagnetic near the poles of a per-
manent magnet would develop currents
OF electricity.
To the foregoing rudimental discov-
cries of Galvani and Volta, Oersted /,
Arago and Faraday is the world indebt-
ed for the numerous subsequent IN
ventlons which have developed electric
telegraphy, plating, illumination, trans
mission OF power and other valuable re-
suits attained during the nineteenth
century.
From Woods first conception of an
electro telegraph, A. ID. 1726, more than
a century Elapsed before Cooke and
Wheatstone. (England), A. ID. 1887
adapted Oersted's discovery of A. d.
1919 to the first practical and CONNER
ciallv successful system of what may be
termed visual electric telegraphy; and
some months later Morse and Vail.
United States, adapted AragoSS dlscov-
cry of A. D. 1920. to the first system. of
recording electric telegraphy, Vail be-
ing the inventor Of the dot and dash al
phabet.
A. D. 1888. Steinhi1. Germany, adapt
ed Oersted's discovery to the first re-
corded system of sound or aural teleg-
raphy. and first utilized the earth IN
lieu OF second wire or all metallic cir
cult. 1t is by no means certain that
there is any electric current flowing
through a wire, or that wave of cleo
tricity like the wave of sound, traverses
it. 1t is simply a customary expression
to indicate difference in andaround a
wire to the conditions in which said
wire was when no electricity was pres
ent in it.
A d. 1889. Wheatstone invented
the step by sep alphabetical indicating
telegraph; and A. d. 1913, House, En-
gland. invented the alphabetical type
printing" telegraph, which was ,subse-
quently improved upon by Hughes, En-
gland.
A. D. 1916. Balm, England, invented
the chemical dot and dash recording
telegraph, which, combined with
hereinafter explained is the most rapid
method of conveying intelligence in
present operation.
Finally, A. D. 1876. Bell, United
States, invented the telephone, and by
accomplishing the electrical transmits
sion of speech, thus attained possibly
the highest degree of perfection in in
tercommunication of intelligence.
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The Burglar Was Very Cool.
The remarkable GOODNESS of Pittsburg