The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-05-04

Professor Elisha Gray, of Highland
Park, has just completed an invention
scarcely less wonderful and valuable
than the telephone, of which he was
also the inventor, but of which he was
defrsuded. "Withln few days, said
the Professor the other day, II shall
give private test of my new teleuto-
graph an invention which will largely
suppIant the telephone. have already
tested it to my satisfaction, over and
over again, and on Saturday | shall
give an exhibition to some gentlemen
from the East. have just taker it to
pieces to make some slight alterations
or | would show it to you now.
"By this invention you can sit down
in /, our Office in Chicago, take pencil
in your hand, write message to me,
and as your pencil moves pencil here
in my laboratory moves simultaneous
ly and forms the same letters and
words ia the same way. What you
write in Chicago is instantly reproduc-
ed here in fac-simile. You may write in
any language; write in short hand if
you like, use a code or cipher, no mat
ter, fac-simile is produced here. If
you wish to draw picture it is the
same-the picture is reproduced here.
The artist Of your paper can, by this
device, telegraph his pictures of rail-
way wreck or other occurrences, just as
reporter telegrapbs his description
in words. The two pencils move syn.
enormously, and there is no reason why
circuit of five hundred miles cannot
be worked as easily as one OF ten miles.
"rnis telautograph will supplant the
telephone for many purposes. 1t can
be worked in exchanges, just as the
telephone is, or by private wire. 1t
az many advantages, too. 1t is
noiseless and devoid of many annoyan-
| ces 81 common to the telephone. 1t
will be much less affected by induction.
There will be no trouble IN catching
words or syllables, letters, or figures.
no misunderstanding will result. Be
sides, it leaves record at both ends OF
the wire. and there can be nc DISPUTE
about what was said. For all CONNER
cial transactions this would be an in
valuable feature. in or0ering goods,
OF sales of stock or grain, or in trans
hitting names or address its superiority
over the telephone is obvious Fol-
desultory conversations, 1t Is true, II
would not be SO rapid of working, fol
the reason that one cannot write as
fast as he can talk, but, on the othe'
hand, it would save many of the delay,
aud annoyances incident to telephonic
communication.
"When one person wishes to oommun-
icate with another by the telautograpf
he pushes button, which rings au an
nunclator in the exchange, or in the of
flee of the person with whom he wishe'
to converse. Then the first party
takes his pencil from its hold,r-auC
this may be pen or pencil-and write'
his message, he adds cross, or any
other simple token that he has finished
when the second party takes down ;
pencil and writes reply. Thus a
conversation can be carried on easily
and quickly, aud when it is fiDisheo
another simple word-say the telegra
phic signal ''30'-will indicate tn,
end. Both parties have full record O.
the conversation, and each possesses
the Others autograph.
'In writing" continued the Profes
sor, your pen or pencil Is attached t.
two small wires, and these wires regu
| iata tho ourranta uuh;.h onntrnl ha ,Dp
Gil at the other end of the wire. Yol
hardly know they are there, aud car
wlile with as much facility as if the!
were absent" ....
''Can this invention be used to al
vantage commercially.
"Ye. 1t will not cost more than 81!
or S20, and is easily kept in order.
nave tried it again and again, and il
works more perfectly than the tele
phone, and is much les liable to hav
its u>efnness interfered with by induc
ton
| But this Is not the only great inven
tion Professor Grey has in hand. III
has just completed an automatic switch
board for telephone exchanges by
which the user of telephone or telau
graph can put himself in communities
tion with any other instrument. II
do this he has simply to touch butto
a certain number of times correspond
ing TO the number of the other instru
ment. II the wire leading to that in
strument is already in use he is inform
ed of the fact by the ringing of
bell, and he then waits few minute
as he is now so often compelled to dc
and then pushes tho button agair
BY this invention one person in an e,
change can do the work of thirty G
forty under the present system, tn
duties of the one beng merely to kee
the automatic apparatus in order.