, 1888-03-08
THE CHRISTOPHER TELEGRAPH.
Making Messages Jump from Moving
Trains to the Wires Alongside.

Tram TO Inc "lTes AIOuBsIue.
A reporter was comfortably seated in
the smoking car of an afternoon train on
the Lehigh Valley road, when his atten-
ton was attracted by a peculiar sound
proceeding from one corner of the car.
1t wal interrupted at irregular short
intervals, and had the sound beer metal
lie it would undoubtedly have been recog-
nized as the "click'' of a telegraph instru-
ment. But it was not metallic; it was
more like a mosquitoes ''ping," empha-
sized and cut up into short fragments.
Upon looking around for the origin of
this peculiar sound the reporter noticed a
young man occupying a back seat.
Around his head passed q broad band
which fastened a peculiar black affair
against his ear. A moment later the re-
porter was seated beside him and learning
about ''telegraphing by induction"
The operator held on his lap a board
about three feet long and two and a half
feet wide. At one end of it was a pad of
message blanks. Near the center of the
board was the key, and on the right was
the induction coil" with n steel case.
When the reporter sat down, the opera
tor was sending a message, and the vi
brations of the armature were what
caused the sound that had first attracted
attention.
"Why does your instrument sound so
different from other ones?" the reporter
asked when the message was ended"
"Oh, we make it sound that way so
that the office operator can distinguish it
from the regular line. We can, by
changing the sounder, make it any note
that we please, but this is found very
satisfactory"
"Where is your line? Under the cars?"
ooh, no. That's it, put on those poles,
beside the track"
"But how 10 you make connections2"
w don't. That is, no direct con-
nection. We telegraph by induction.
This" placing his hand on q box about
the size of an ordinary valise, sis our bat
terry. We send a current through the tin
roof of the car, and down to the ground
through the axle box and wheels. Now,
there Is also a current passing along h
line on the poles. The presence of n
of these currents affects the other, and
when, by using the key, 1 break and
again make the current through the car
roof, it produces n corresponding effect
upon the line current, and that effect is
felt in the office. Now, some people
can't understand why this should work
at such a great distance from the line
when the currents through the wires on
tho same pole do not affect zach other
in the same way. But, 1 reply, they do
affect each other to n certain degree.
Often, when o are using the tele-
phone, you can hear the conversation of
persons using n wire near yours. The
only reason that it works better with
us is that We use n different kind
Of electricity "A stronger current,
if you willard our instruments are
made especially to be influenced by the
currents so affected. / can show you the
difference by taking something entirely
disconnected. Suppose you heat a quart
of water to boiling point, you do not feel
the heat from it until your hand comes
almost in contact with it or the vessel
that contains it. Now heat q piece of
iron that hot and you can feel the heat
from it for some distance. Our current
differs from the ordinary current in a
similar way"
"What is the affair strapped to your
carp
THAT is my telephone. We have to
use the telephone to receive the mes
sage, and | nave it strapped in place SO
that both hands will be left free. Al
though our system has been working
beautifully upon this road ever since
last October, the company is constantly
experimenting, in order to improve
upon it if possible. OF course any
one could see after a moments
thought 10Y many advantages, both to
the road and the passengers, arise from q
system of telegraphy by means of which
every two trains on a division of the
road arc in constant Geographic COM
munication with each other and with the
train dispatcher. Why, just before our
system was introduced on this road there
was an accident on the Pennsylvania road
that cost the company $25, 900 and the
lives of two employees. 1t resulted from
the carelessness of n station operator, and
could never have happened if both trains
had been in communication with the
dispatcher. OF course, too, this sys-
tenn obviates the great loss of time en-
tailed upon the freight and gravel and
construction trains by the old system.
"Then the advantages to the passengers
are very great. Every trip numerous
passengers SEND messages by me. Some
of them are of such q nature that it
would be quite a serious matter for the
sender to AVE to wait until the next
stop to send them. OF course, on some
of the fast trains, that do not make any
stop at all for hours, the importance is
increased. Passengers may send mes
sages from the car to any point reached
by the Western Union, and can similarly
receive messages from any such point.
A lady was taken sick on this train going
u to Easton the other day. fused my
instrument, and when the train stopped
there was an ambulance and a physician
waiting for her. We had hardly pulled
out of Newark yesterday when the con-
ductor received a message from n lady
who had got off there, asking him to
look put for her satchel, which she had
forgotten to take with er.'-New York
Sun.
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