Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-22

THE FIRST NEWS DISPATCH EyKn GENr PUBLISHED
IN wAsHrSerox--A TALK WITH Nh. STEPHEN
vAn-HIs FATHERS CONNECTION WIFI MORSE
AND THE TxIEoRAPH.
II il something TO think Of that when wire
FIRST began 10 talk il spoke English. The first
SENTENCES it uttered TO the public ear was TO re-
late an event in American history. A STAR re-
porter was sitting in the Metropolitan club
house the other afternoon talking with Stephen
Vail about the birth Of telegraphy. Mr.. Vail
Is . son OF Alfred Vail, with whom Morse must
divide the honors of the invention Of telegraphy,
if indeed, posterity does not decide that the
''crown goes with the Vail" II il claimed for
the deceased Vail, senior, that he was truly the
inventor Of the Morse telegraph. and that the
instrument first used in telegraphy, which is
now at the National Museum, where il was
placed by Mr.. Stephen Vail, was invented
and built by Mr.. Vail, senior, as well as oper-
ated by him as an associate Of Morse. Much
evidence has been produced to prove this.
The telegraphic alphabet used-the combina-
ton Of dashes and dots, of brief and of pro-
tracted sound waves-was the invention of Vail.
For the use of the magnet the world is indebted
to Prot. Henry.
WIRE WITH 4 HISTORY.
A bit Of wire was introduced into the CONVEX
sation between The STAR reporter and Mr..
Stephen Vail at the club. 1t was a silent, un-
communicative bit Of copper, about sixteenth
OF an inch thick and inches long. Most any
hardware merchant would give you similar
bit OF wire, because its value would be so little
he could not reckon q price for it. But this
particular piece Mr.. Vail carries in his pocket
book as carefully as if it we're gold many times
more weighty. 1t is passive, plant sub
stance-an inanimate bit Of copper, but it gave
the first electric thrill that has brought the in
habitants OF the world close together, con-
quered time, and annihilated distance. 1t is a
bit of the first miles of wire ever used for tel
egraphy; 1t is piece from the eI-
testing their inventions. Only little of this
wire, Mr.. Vail, jr., informed THE STAR man,
has been preserved. After it was taken down
from the experimental line his father used part
OF it as trellis for vines on his front porch.
Part OF it may have been used in the construc-
ton OF the line between the capital and Balti-
more, but If so it was lost track Of II was
from the trelllis that the mementoes were re-
covered. II think got less than six feet Of
it, said Mr.. Vail. "After telegraphy became
wonder of the world we began to appreciate
the value of such a memento, and we saved
what we could of the original three-mile wire
have given pieces OF it to a few persons who
have been especially interested in it, and some
was arranged on card with a photograph of
Museum, that was sent to the Paris exposition -
THE FIRST MESSAGE.
sThere have been a number of sentences
quoted as the first message sent by tele-
graph" continued Mr.. Vail, after he had care
fully put this bit Of wire back in his pocket
book. "'What hath God wrought is often
quoted as the first message. Another statement
is that Mrs. Madison sent the first message:
Mrs James Madison's compliments to Mrs.
WetherilL' These messages were sent with
Mr.. Morse at one instrument, and my father.
Alfred VAIL at the other-Mr. Morse being at
Washington and my father in baltimore. But
the truth is that the first message (of course
reference is to public messases-in con-
Quoting experiments much must have been
sent was sent from Annapolis Junction
to Washington by my father, Mr.. Morse
taking the message from the wire at the
capitol 1t was newspaper message,
and that day, for the first time in the life of the
world, newspapers came out with news by tel
egraph.' Thus the first news by telegraph
ever published was in Washington. It was the
news of the nomination of Clay and Frelihghuy-
sen by the wing convention in Baltimore May
/, 1874. At that time the wires had not been
run as far as Baltimore. 1t was twenty-three
days later when that end of the line was made.
On the first day OF May one end of the wire was
at Annapolis Junction and the other at the cap
itol. My father was at the end halfway to Bal
timore, ready to get the news from the Balti-
more train concerning the convention and
send 1t ahead on the wire before
the train could reach Washington. IL
then took the fastest train about an hour and a
Junction and Washington. Prof. Morse was
waiting at the capitol to receive the message.
The world had not then heard Of such a thing
and was incredulous. Some public men and
editors OF the Washington papers were at the
capitol with Prof Morse. Presently he got the
frpm fpt at no 9TH cfo he
instrument clicked. Each click made a mark
on the paper strip. That instrument marked
down on a slip the dots and dashes that COM
posed the alphabet. Now the operator merely
listens to the sound. The paper rolled out of
the little instrument and Prof. Morse read the
message eagerly. Turning to those in the room
with him he said: The train for Washington
has just reached Annapolis Junction. 1t brings
the news that the convention has adjourned.
Mr.. Vail has telegraphed me the ticket nomi-
mated. 1t is--it is Clay and Frelinghuysen-
who the devil is Frelinghuysen?
Those assembled in the room thought he
was quizzing them. They knew they might
have guessed Clays nomination, but who was
Freinghuysen?
"They had to accept the evidence of their own
senses and await the proof on the arrival of
the train. The newspapers got out extras
giving this dispatch, and when the train ar
rived, an hour and half later, the people on
board, who thought they were the first bear
ers OF the news. were astonished to find extra
papers at the depot with it all in print.
"A great crowd Of people were at the depot to
meet the train, and there was a marvel to the
world-news by telegraph. met Representa-
tive Plumb, OF the last Congress, and he told
me OF his being on that train and of his seeing
my father at the little brass machine sending
the message by wire. The instrument nv
father then used is the one now at the National
Museum.
WHO INVENTED THE ALPHABET.
''My father" he continued, '.joined Prof
Morse when he was thinking and working over
the problem of electric communication. Nv
father at once took the deepest interest in the
matter and set to work with Peof Morse to dis
cover some means of accomplishing this Prof.
Morse was portrait painter and had no money.
He had the idea that a telegraphing machine
might be made. The two set to work and my
grandfather furnished the money. Prof Morse
made a machine that printed word signs 1t
was an impracticable thing. My father worked
on, Prof. Morse then devoting most of his time
to painting portraits of our family-they were
at my grandfather's house. BY the terms of
the contrac. entered into between them all in
ventions by either should be put i'm the name
of Prof. Morse. This contract was lived ND TO-
Alfred Vail invented the alphabet now in use
and constructed the machine known as the
Morse instrument. This is acknowledged now
in scientific circles. Before Prof Morse died I
was in New Orleans, when proof-slips of an ar
ticle attacking Prof. Morse's claims and
giving the evidence in the case was sent
IN ma honAat m "A