The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-02-06
THE REAL INVENTOR.

Arc We Indebted to Professor Morse for
the Electric Telegraph?
A full and complete account of the inven-
ton Of the telegraph appeared In The Cen
fury Magazine for April, 1888, and recently,
in examining an old file of The New HorK
Sun for the year 1857, found the following
editorial in the issue Of Sept. 25, Of that year,
written by Moses s. Beach, the then proprie-
tor and editor, and who knew from personal
knowledge whereof he wrote. The article
was entitled "Honor to Whom Honor Is
Due:n
''The laying Of the Atlantic cable has
walked up hundreds OF claimants for honors
bestowed upon Professor Morse, and while
each Is so loudly telling his story, and Is 50
impatient that It Is coldly received, we VIII
mention a few incidents connected with Pro
fesaor Morse's own experience which we have
never seen In print, and which lose mono Of
their interest from the i1nassuming modesty
of the other parties referred to-
sSoon after Mr.. Morse's invention of the
telegraph which has made him famous no was
professor In the University Of New York
City As yet the invention was merely an
idea without material form. Among the
students there was son Of Judge Stephen
Vail, Of Morristown, NJ j., Alfred Vail, and
the worthy professor had no auditor more In
terested In his supposed to be vagaries Al
fred was young man of an active turn OF
mind, and he readily espoused Professor
Morse's ideas But the professor had no
means; his brother Sydney looked upon him
as chimerical dreamer who deserved no
help, and 80 Alfred Vail set about overcom-
ing that difficulty. He told the story-visions
and all-many times over to his father. The
judge was, as he is now, a liberal and gener-
Gus man, with do small degree Of contrivance
about him. He became interested and In
vited the professor to bis house The result
was personal friendship and years exper-
imenting at Judge Wallis expense
ALFRED Vail entered into these experiments
with his whole soul, and to him Is Professor
| Morse indebted quite as much as TO his own
| wit for his ultimate triumph. Itwas Alfred
| Vail who invented the far famed alphabet,
and he, too, was the inventor Of the fnstru-
ment that bears Morse's name. But what
ever he did or contrived went cheerfully to
the great end. Alfred felt rewarded In see
| Ing the gradual accomplishments Of the dream.
"Judge Vail had small factory near his
house and separated from the Speedwell Iron
Works, belonging to him, with water power,
and In 1t tho experiments were carried On.
Three miles Of copper wire, about four times
| a8 iAERo db Aldb uncu Al ttlC 1b1uhbto SsbiSs
were purchased at Belleville, N. j. The wire
was sent to New York and wound with cot
| ton, under the superstition that It could mot
otherwise be made serviceable Then the
first clumsy registering machine was devised,
and with It the writing machine, with Its me-
chanical action by means of types. Their
construction and abandonment for something
better took place In the same factory, and
there in an upper room, the remains Of them
cog wheels, ratchets and slides--may, OF q
few days since might, still be seen.
''Ths first telegraph message ever sent un-
| der the so called Morse system was both sent
and received In that same upper ROOM and
was dictated by Judge vail--.A patient
waiter Is no loser.'
scThence came the appearances subsequently
exhibited in New York and elsewhere with
such electrical effect. We have in our pos
session now a piece Of that original three
miles OF wire, and we prize It as q memento--
much more than our foot Of the Atlantic
cable.
1.-THE original plan for laying the lines Of
telegraph was by cables submerged In the
ground. For this purpose the wire was to be
inclosed In lead pipe, and preparations were
made for the Introduction Of the wire In the
Pipe simultaneously with its manufacture.
Experiments showed, however, that with sub
mersion the necessary insulation Of the wire