Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-06-20
The REAL INVENTOR.
Are We Indebted to Professor Morse fol
the Electric Telegraph?

| Are We Indebted to Professor Morse fol
the Electric Telegraph?
Aft, II and complete account Of the inven
| ton Of the telegraph appeared In The Cen
| fury Magazine for April, 1888, and recently
| in exf mining an old file Of The New Yorl
| Sun for the year 1857, I found the following
editor al in the issue Of Sept. Is, Of that year
| write by Moses 8. Beach, the then proprie
| tor an I editor, and who knew from personal
| knowledge whereof he wrote. The article
| was entitled "Honor to Whom Honor I.
| DUE"
..Tho laying of tho Atlantic cable ha.
| walked up hundreds of claimants for honors
| bestow ed upon Professor Morse, and whils
each is so loudly telling his story, and is sc
| impati mt that 1t Is coldly received, we will
mention few incidents connected with Pro
fessor dorse's own experience which we have
never seen in print, and which lose none OF
their interest from the unassttming modesty
Of the other parties referred to-
"Soon after Mr.. Morse's invention of the
telegra oh which has made him famous he was
a prof ssor in the University Of New York
City As yet the invention WINS merely an
idea without material form. Among the
students there was son Of Judge Stephen
VAIL OF Morristown, N. j., Alfred Vail, and
the worthy professor had no auditor more In
terested in his supposed to be vagaries. AL
fred WIS a young man of an active turn OF
mind, and he readily espoused Professor
Morses ideas. But the professor had no
means; his brother Sydney looked upon him
as climerical dreamer who deserved no
help, ard so Alfred Vail set about overcom-
ing thai difficulty. He told the story-visions
and albany times over to his father. The
judge was, as he is now, a liberal and gener-
NTH n n4,fx-
about him He became interested and in
vited tie professor to his house The result
was personal friendship and q years exper-
mentiny 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. It was Alfred
Vail WHO invented the far famed alphabet,
and he, too, was the inventor Of the instru-
ment that bears Morses name. But what
ever he did or contrived went cheerfully to
the gree end. Alfred felt rewarded In see
ing the gradual accomplishment of the dream.
Judge Vail had a small factory near his
house ard separated from the Speedwell Iron
Works, belonging to him, with water power
and In it the experiments were carried on
Three miles OF copper wire, about four times
| as large as that used in the Atlantic cable
were purchased at Belleville, N. j. The wire
was sent to New York and wound with cot
ton, under the superstition that it could NOT
otherwise be made serviceable Then the
first clumsy registering machine was devised
and with it the writing machine, with its mo
chanical action by means of types Their
construo ton and abandonment for something
better took place in the same factory, and
there In an upper room, the remains of them
L.. IL.
few days since might, still be seen.
1.-THE first telegraph message ever sent un-
| der the 80 called Morse system was both sen,
and received in that same upper --oom,' and
was dictateS by Judge Vail-'A patient
| waiter l. no loser
| Thence came the apparatuses subsequently,
| exhibited in New York and elsewhere with
| such ele, trical effect We have in our DOS
session now piece of that original three
| miles of wire, and We prize it as a 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 tn.
| ground. For this purpose the wire was to b
inclosed in lead pipe, and preparations were
made for the introduction of the wire in tn,
| pipe simultaneously with its manufacture
Experin ents showed, however, that with sub
mersion the necessary insulation of the wiz,
would be difficult, if not impossible, and thu
cheaper and more effectual method of suspen
sion was adopted.
| "Anot ler incident and we are done Morss
was In those days, if he is not now, no meaI
hand at painting. To testify his appreciation
| of the kindness and invaluable material aid
rendered by the judge and his son Alfred, b,
painted q series of family portraits, md thes.
| specimens of his skill still adorn the walls Of
Judge Walls parlors, and though not the per
lection o. art they display more than ordinary
skill in the use of the brush
| Judge Vail and his worthy son still live
The judge is rs hale and hearty at 50 as mos
men at 81, and enjoys a well earned affluenc.
In the OLD style-quiet retirement
| "Alfre1 Vail retains in maturer age tn,
characteristics of his earlier years, and i
now turn ing his attention to authorship"
With the statement that concludes you
correspor dents article, that "a nephew o.
Mr.. Morse is one of the best known duel
hunters about town." know of no reason fol
disagreeilg, and viii only express the hop.
that his claim to that distinction is NOR.
sohdly b; sed than was that of his uncle to be
ing 1.-THE inventor of the telegraph As 9
son of Alfred Vail 1 am naturally DESTROYS
that justice should be accorded his memory
| Stephen Vail in New York World
| ADVICE Tu lOTHKRa