The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-11-17
TELEGRAPHS OF THE PAST.
Brief History of How Our Present Sys-
tenn Was Evolved.

Briei History Of How Our Present sys-
tenn Was Evolved.
y ". Osborne.
six hundred years b. c., Thales,
of Milete, noted the electrical phe-
nomena developed by friction upon
amber; POO years later Plato theorized
upon electricity, and A. ID. 4522 Martin
igo, a venetian, the engineer in de-
tense OF Rhodes, applied one end of
drum heed at the end of his counter
mine TO discover the vicinity and iii
reelion OF the enemy s underground gal
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. ID. 1000, that Won Guerick made the
hrst machine for generating FRACTIONAL
electricity, nor until A. ID. 1875, that
Wood recorded the fact that FRACTIONAL
electricity would pass through a eonsid-
cradle length of wire, and could there
fore be utilized for the transmission of
signals. To Wood, OF England, Is there
lore due the honor of first suggesting
the feasibility of electric telegraphy.
A. ID. 1875. Murschenbrok, Ger
many, invented the Leyden jar, by
which means irictional electricity could
be stored for experimental purposes.
A. ID. 1917. DR.. Watson, England, erect
ed the first telegraph line between
shooters Hill and London; and \. ID.
1893, {. 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-six wires, by FRACTIONAL
electricity. During the latter half o.
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 1t was not until \. ID. 1900,
when Volta proclaimed his own and
GalvenPs expe riments in the produc-
ton of chemical electricity, that electric
biography, as now developed, became
practicable.
A. ID. 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. ID. 1920. Arago (France) discov-
cred that when bar OF soft IRON was
wound with a copper or insulated iron
wire, 1t became II magnet whenever
current of electricity traversed the
wire, and was Immediately demagne-
tIzed tor nearly sol when the wires
were disconnected from the source of
current.
A. d. 1892 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
.
unattached coil. Also that the movement
of a permanent bar magnet within a
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 tor the numerous subsequent in
ventons 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. d. 1926, more than
century elapsed before Cooke and
Theatstone. (England), A. ID. 1897,
adapted Oersted's discovery of A. ID.
1919, to the first practical and CONNER
clally successful system of what may lie
termed visual electric telegraphy; and
some months later Morse and Vail,
United States, adapted Argos discov
cry of 4. D. 1920, to the tir,t system of
recording electric telegraphy, Vail be-
ing the inventor Of the dot and dash al
phabet.
A. ID. 1888. Steinhill, 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 a second wire or all metallic cir
cult. 1t is by no means certain that
there is any electric current flowing
through Il wire, or that a wave Of cleo
tricity like the wave of sound, traverses
it. 1t is simply a customary expression
to indicate a difference in and around a
wire to the conditions in which said
wire was when no electricity was pres
ent in it.
A. d. 1899. Wheatstone invented
the step by step alphabetical indicating
telegraph; and A. ID. 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
iclc2idpu, WHICH, COLlJIutu Win
Wheatstone's automatic transmitter,
hereinafter explained is the mosf 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
accommodation of intelligence.