Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-11-10
THE CHRISTOPHER TELEGRAPH.
Making Messages Jump from Moving
Trains Co the Wires Alongside.

A reporter was comfortably seated in
the smoking car of an afternoon tram on
| the Lehigh Valley road, when his atten-
| ton was attracted by peculiar sound
proceeding from one corner Of the car.
1t was interrupted at irregular short
| intervals. and had the sound been metal
lie il would undoubtedly have been recog-
nized as the s.click' of telegraph instru-
nept. But it was not metallic: it was
more like u mosquitoes ping" empba-
sized and cut up into short fragments.
Upon looking around for the origin of
this peculiar sound the reporter noticed a
young man occupying back seat.
Around his head passed broad band
| which fastened peculiar black affair
against his ear. A moment later the re-
porter was seated beside him and learning
about ''telcgraphing by induction
The operator held on his lap board
about three feet long and two and half
feet wide. At one end OF it was pad of
message blanks Near the center Of the
board was the key, and ON the right was
the induction coil" with steel case.
| When the reporter sat down, the opera
tor was sending q message, and the vi
| brations Of the arfnature were what
caused the sound that had first attracted
attention.
"Why does your instrument sound 80
different from other ones?' the reporter
asked when the message was ended.
''Oh, we make it sound that way SO
that the Office operator can distinguish it
| from the regular line. We can, by
changing the sounder, make it any note
! that we please, but this is found very
satisfactory"
"Where Is your lneg Under the cars?"
ooh, no. That's it, out ON those poles,
beside the track"
.But how do YOU make connectionsg"
| .We don't. That is, no direct con-
nection. We telegraph by induction.
This, placing his hand on box about
the size of an ordinary valse, sis our bat
terry. We send current through the tin
roof of the car, and down TO the ground
through the axle box and wheels. Now,
there is also current passing along the
line on the poles. The presence of one
of these currents affects the other, and
! when, by using thu key, break and
again make the current through the car
roof, it produces corresponding effect
upon the line current, and that effect is
! felt in the office. Now, some people
| can't understand why this should work
at such a great distance from the line
when the currents through the wires on
the same pole do not affect each other
In the same way. But, reply, they do
affect each other to certain degree
Often, when you are using the tele-
phone, you can hear the conversation of
persons using wire near yours. The
only reason that it works better with
us is that we Use different kind
OF electricity "a stronger current,
II YOU willard our Instruments are
made especially to be influenced by the
currents 40 affected. / can show you the
difference by taking something entirely
disconnected. Suppose you heat n quart
Of water to boiling point, you do not feel
the heat from it until your hand comes
almost in contact with it or the vessel
that contains it. Now heat II piece of
iron that hot and you can feel the heat
from it for some distance, Our current
differs from the ordinary current in u
similar way.
'What is the affair strapped to your
carp
THAT il my telephone. We have to
use the telephone To receive the mes
sage, and | have it strapped in place so
that both hands will be left free. AL
though our system has been working
beautifully upon this road ever since
Inst October, tho company is constantly
experimenting, in order TO improve
upon it if possible. OF course any
one could see after moment 5
thought how many advantages, both to
the road and the passengers arise from a
system Of telegraphy by means Of which
, every two trains on u division of the
!, road are in constant telegraphic COM
munication with each other and with the
train dispatcher. Why, just before our
system was introduced ON this road there
was an accident on the Pennsylvania road
that cost the company $4,000 and the
. lives of two employees. 1t resulted from
the carelessness of Il station operator, and
could never have happened if both trains
had been in communication with the
dispatcher OF course, too, this sys-
tenn obviates the great loss Of time en-
, tailed upon the freight and gravel and
, construction trains by the old system.
, "Then the advantages to the passengers
: are very great. Every trip numerous
passengers send messages by me. Some
. of them are of such nature that il
would be quite serious matter for the
: sender to have to wait until the next
stop To send them. OF course, on som,
of the fast trains, that do not make any
stop at all for hours, the importance is
increased. Passengers may send mes
sages from the car to any point reached
, by the Western Union, and can similarly
, receive messages from any such point
A lady was taken sick on this train goins
, out to Easton the other day. used my
. instrument, and when the train stopped
, there was an ambulance and physician
e waiting for her. We had hardly pullet
! out of Newark yesterday when the con
a ductor received a message from lady
t who had got off there. asking him t.
D look out for her satchel, which she had
9 forgotten to take with her. New Yorl
Sun.