, 1889-09-19
The Telegraph Business of Spo-
kane Falls is Developing
Large Proportions.
New and Wonderful Appliances
For the Western Union
Office.


quarters In the Cannon block and EN-
ployed large force of operatives and
messengers both day and night. The
great coniiagratlon completely destroyed
the building and all appliances, but
Manager Campbell was found seated on
lumber pile couple of hours after the
flames had subsidized with small, some-
what Anticipated instrument fastened to
board and with wire reaching up to
tho main line overhead. In this way the
tidings, at first In meager details, were
sent to the outside world. by the next
evening temporary quarters had been Sc
cured in the Northern Pacific Elevator
office and these were abandoned soon
after and the office placed in Il. X.
Moores stable on Washington street.
The office has now located in the new
emporary brick structure OH the corner
of Riverside and Stevens. The present
quarters represent a considerable i'm
provement over the stable and tn @ lum.
Der pile. The present Office, when com.
pletc,l, will be both commodious and
comfortable.
The business of the office has now be-
come so great as to demand new and
greatly improved appliances. The office
has been supplied lin addition to their
npplinnces) with two sets of duplex in
struments, by which the capacity of the
eastern and western outlets Is doubled.
For the information of those who
have not made u study of modern elec-
trical appliances, II may be stated that u
ullnlpN in9tlnDlpnt pIiuhlpa nm
ators to work at the same time and over
tho same wire. This they are enabled
To do without interfering with each
other, u feat which Prof. Morse or Prof.
Henry, in 1882, would doubtless have re-
garded as far beyond the range OF possi.
| bility. This duplex instrument enables
the operator ut Ogden, Utah, for exam
pie, to send the press report along ono
side OF the wire, SO to speak, while the
other side of the wire il being used In
sending commercial messages, both east
and west ut the same time. An instru.
ment capable of taking from the wire
its own messages, when mixed with
great volume oi other messages pouring
over the wire in both directions, is cer-
tainly a wonderful invention. As
matter of fact each message whizzcs
along, regardless of those it meets or
those rushing along in the same direc-
lion, and when II reaches its destination
Il reports TO the instrument correspond
ing with the one from which 1t was
transmitted. These new instru-
ments, though powerful In electrical
force, are yet more sensitive than those
in ordinary use, and this enables them
to perform their seemingly superhuman
mission, each duplex trunsmittcr being
equipped with duplex repeater.
But even these new duplex machines
are regarded as insufficient ior the bu,i.
Ia.aA .ut ..II a y
James Swan of Helena, who has been
here experimenting the setting up of
the instruments IN the new offices, has
sent recommendation To the effect that
this city should be supplied with quad
rupleS machines, such as those used in
the compapy's great office at New York.
The messages handled here in the course
OF q month amount TO about 1900, bc-
sides about half million words of press
dispatches.
The guadruplex when supplied will be
equivalent to an addition of six through
trunk lines from this point and will
place this city in the front rank of tclc-
graph stations-superior 10 anything in
the West.
The great strides that have been made
In telegraphing during the past half
century are wonderful to contemplate,
and yet II is not improbable that won
derfill ieats are yet in store for the cleo
trical inventor. Had the promoters Of
the telegraph foresecn the extent OF It's
subsequent Improvement, they would
then have considered its perfection as
substantially assured. But the modern
telegraph doubtless seems to us even
further from perfection than did Morse's
system appear to him when he first sue
cecded In working from Washington to
Baltimore. For the telegraph might
now have almost unlimited speed if
difficulties, which have become apparent
IN the course Of its development, could
be successfully removed.
The transmission of messages be-
tween points not connected by
wire is now AN assured possibility, while
the idea OF tclegraphing to moving
train Of cars is Il practical success. The
latter has been shown In daily practice
upon the lines of the Lchigh Valley rail-
road for the past two years. A moving
train may now receive messages passing
along neighboring wire almost as read
lily as New York communicates with
Philadelphia by ordinary methods. Nor
docs the great speed OF the train inter-
iere with successful communication. If
II could attain the. velocity of n meteor,
signals upon the wire would fly across
the intervening space, inductively I'M
pressing themselves upon the metal
roofs OF the cars, with the same GER
upon side track and II Is not even
essential that the train and the line be
separated by clare air-space, for nom
conducting or non-magnctic substances
may be interposed without impeding
transmission.
Charles Il. Buckingham, In review of
the telegraph system of the present day,
Aoscribes this invention ut some length,
as well as other interesting develop
ments in electrical science. According
to his statement the train-telegraph OF
the Consolidated Railway Telegraph
Company, which has Just been described,
Is now used upon more than 200 miles
of tho Iehigh Valley railroad, and al
deserves, as a scientific achievement, a
high place among electrical improve
ments Of the last ten years. II certainly
would seem to be of great value in oper.
ating trains, for 1t offers means where
by dispatcher may instantly COM
niunicate with every train under his
supervision.
In 1881 William Wiley Smith OF In
diana proposed to communicate be-
tween moving cars and stationary wire
by induction; but he appears to have
thought this practicable only at small
distances. The remarkable possibilities
OF long-distancc transmission by induc-
tion seem to have been discovered by T.
by others, have added Improvements
adapting II to every requirement of
commercially successful telegraph sys-
tenn.
The outfit of an Office upon train
consists essentially of u telegraph key,
with an induction coil mounted upOn a
small board which the operator holds IN