Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-02-09
4allg gress aud 9akotaiaa
THE FIRST MESSAGE BY WIRE,

First Efforts TO Introduce Teiegra-
ply.
New YORK. Times: Morse had pos
sessed himself OF q little room in the easi
end of the capitol, and there, abstracted
but active, thenew attache Of the postoiffi.
ce department found him, @ thin, space
oareworn, ANXIOUS man, in the midst oil
confusing heaps of wire and pots AND
apparent debris. a congressional CON
mittee was on it's way TO see him and ex
anime in practical operation tbs ma
chine which he had promised would
transmit intelligent messages between
points miles apart. The line which
started toward Baltimore was built
about i've miles without the Washing.
ton limits, and the .'metallic ciyeult'
before the day of ground wires, was il
working order. The committee came
the statesmen approached his instru
ment cautiously, as if snspeoting that i
might suddenly get into an exploding
fit. Bnt finally they arranged them
selves as closely as they dared beside
the animated electrician and awaited
his experiments.
NOW, gentlemeh, what shall we sent
over the wire 3 calculated the old man
Pick out your own message and III
show you how simple this whole thine
is and how it accomplished everything
chat I've CLAIMED"
The gentlemen were hardly expecting
q challenge like this, but finally con
gressional genius asserted itself, anG
one of the party proposed that thi,
startling original information be flashed
along:
mir. Brown, of Indiana, is here"
Prof, Morse bent over his instrument
and pegged away. TICK, tick, tick, tick
tick. tick went the electric tappipgs apd
then a moment later came the same
rafting line OF signals upon an adjoin-
ing ~machine-the indentation Morse
register.
The old man grabbed the clip of pape,
as il came reit ased from the instrument
scanned it eagerly, and then, with th,
air OF an emperor whose crown is self.
Won, he thrust the huttering white
scrap forward.
"Seel"-and he displayed anothe,
sheet on which his dot and dash sipl
manual appeared.
"Sael Take this for o guide AM
you'll find printed there the very word
you asked transmitted.n
The delegation did as directed ant
sure enough they spelled ont 80 the sen,
s%ational goings on of "Mr. Brown o
Indiana"
Converted? Those congressman con.
verted? We I, hardly, This is the REQ
election Of MIR. Kirk; "One of then
hunohed me and winked in q superio
and knowing sort of way, while an
other whispered: That's what 1 cal
pretty thin!' and a third remarked RICH
ought loud: ut won't do! Tha
Idoesn't prove anything Poor Morse
heart was almost broken. His triumph
Yves turned ell to bitterness. Every on,
OF his visitors went away more skeptjcs
than ever
Morse worked only the harder afte
his failure to convince the wise mel
from congress- by the test of his fvemil,
aes..@HHsyg sig@aaaas ssafs44S ssiss ~sTs Sc
and more wire was stretched, and An,
napolis Junction-half way to Balti
more-was just about reached when tn,
whiR natiouaIconvention of May, 1874
opened in Baltimore. Here at the sug.
DIGESTION of his Friend, MIR. John w
KIRK, Morse saw opportunities be
yond any that had come +
him before. On, the morning that tn
tconventlon organized he was able b
dint of york by night as we'll as by day
to get connections through to Annapoil
junction from his little Wsshingto,
machine shop. He had placed a brIgh
Iyoung fellow at the Annapolis JunctloI
and with instructions to get information
OF what the convention had done Just q
Boon as the afternoon Baltimor
train arrived at the junction and tele
graph it at once to Washington.
OF course the capitol was in q ferment
every Citizen was anxious for the new
from Baltimore; but till tbs tram
shouid arrive from the scence it was rec
oRnized that nothing could be known
The earnest old fellow spent that event
full afternoon ell alone, save fog the CON
panionsh,p of John Kirk.
Suddenly there came en animate,
clicking. He who was the most ipIereste
bent forward as II intent on fairly con
Stunning the "trip of paper that crept on
from the register. There was almos
agony in his face as, snail like, the pape
halted and hesitated, spnrted q little
stood still, made false starts and the
spurted more, till-the message com
pleted-Mosse rose erect, looked proud
about him, end said as grandly as thong
he were distributing Kingdoms:
mi. Kirk, fhe convention has sd
tlourned. Thestrain for Washington ha
just left Annapolis junction. And til
ticketo-he hesitated, holding fins
preof Of bis viotory beyond all disputin
-"the ticket-the ticket is CLAY an
Frelinghnysen."
You are Quizzing us" was the quic
retort he heard when thls was proclaim
ed outside. sits easy enough for 70
to guess that Clay is at the hesi :of th
ticket, but Freiipshuysen-who th
devil is Frelinghuysen !"
Il Fl only know" was the dignifie
answer, "that 1t ia telegrRphed me 8
from Annapolis Junction, where M
Operator had the news five minutes ag
from the train that 10 bound this. va,
bringing the Delegates.
In those days the twenty miles from
Annapolis junction to WaBhingto
made np q trip of an hour and asqnarte
Ifor.the exceptionally fast trains, such q
that which was bringing the whig dele
gates to Washington. Long before th
journey WAS over the newspapers-er
terpristins even in those days-had 81
tras on the streets, and the newsboy wa
Crying Justify the chronicle that Mors
had caught flashing throught twent
miles OF air, AgIeat crowd Of peopl
was at the station. The extra, wit
their babilistic legend "By Telegraph.
had whetted public curiosity TO th
keenest edge. Out of She jAmmed trai
came delegates piling, each anxious {
be foremost in sending abroad to friend
the Inspiring news that fortuae wa
4 9TH Hnxru ~ kho yHnck pd H.,