Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-18
THE REAL. INVENTOR.

Ou-HNoW deralQ.
 THE REAL INVENTOR.
 Are We Indebted to Professor Morse for
 the Electric Telegraph?
 A full and complete account of the inven- tion of the telegraph appeared in The Gen. tury Magazine for April, 1888, and recently, in examining an old file of The New York 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:"
 '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 30 impatient that it is coldly received, we will mention few incidents connected with Pro lessor Morse's own experience which we have never seen in print, and which lose none of their interest from the unassuming modesty of the other parties referred to.
 Soon after MT. Morse's invention of the telegraph which has made him famous he 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, N. 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 chlmerical dreamer who deserved no help, and so Alfred Vail set about overcom- ing that difficulty. He told the story-visious and all-many times over to his father. The judge was, as he is now, a liberal and gener- ous man, with do small degree of contrivance about him. He became interested and in- vited the professor to his house. The result was personal friendship and a years exper- imenting at Judge Vail's 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 bis ultimate triumph. It was 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 sec ing the gradual accomplishment of the dream.
 Judge Vail had a small factory near his house and separated from the Speedwen Iron Works, belonging to him, with water power, and in 1t 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 Belleviue, N. J. The wire was sent to New York and wound with cot ton, under the supposition that 1t could not otherwise be made serviceable Then the first clumsy registering machine was devised, and with 1t the writing machine, with its me chan1cal 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, or a few days since might, still be seen.
 ''The 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.'
 Thence came the apparatuses subsequently, exhibited in New York and elsewhere with such electrical effect. We have in our DOS session now a piece of that original three miles of wire, and we prize it as 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 It's manufacture. Experiments showed, however, that with sub mersion the necessary insulation of the wire would be difficult, if not impossible, and the cheaper and more effectual method of suspen- sion was adopted
 Another incident and we ars done Morse was in those days, If he Is not now, no mean hand at painting. To testify bis appreciation of the kindness and invaluable material aid' rendered by the judge and his son Alfred, he painted series of family portraits, and these specimens of his skill still adorn the walls of Judge Vail's parlors, and though not the per- lection of art they display more than ordinary skill in the use of the brush.
 Judge Vail and his worthy son still live. The judge Is as hale and hearty at 30 as most men at 50, and enjoys we'll earned af1iusnce in the old style-quiet retirement
 "Alfred Vail retains in maturer age the of his earlier years, and is now turning his attention to authorship"
 With the statement that concludes your correspondents article, that ia nephew of Mir. Morse is one of the best known duck hunters about town" I know of no reason for disagreeing, and will only express the hope that his claim to that distinction is more soidly based than was that of his uncle to be- ing "the inventor of the telegraph" As son of Alfred Vail am naturally desirous that justice should be accorded his memory. Stephen Vail in New York World.