The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-06-17
THE TELEGRAPH.
HOW A GREAT INVENTION HAS
GROWN.
Morse's System Has Been Developed
to q Marvellous Degree-The Unit
cd States Leads the World
in the Extent of Lines.

ulSIauI pOluiS tspeCially Wy ineauo VI
preconcerted visible signals representing
words or signs transmitted by electro
magnetism" The apparatus for per-
forming the requirements of this detini-
ton was invented in 1888 by Professor
Samuel Finely Bresee Morse, an his
torical painters.
The first telegraph line constructed in
the United States was from Washington,
D. c., to Baltimore, Nd, distance of
forty miles. This line was completed
and opened for business May 81, 1910,
Professor Morse himself transmitting the
first telegram. There was little or moth
ing done toward promoting the advance
ment of this new art until in 1854, when
it was taken up by several capitalists,
and lines were pushed rapidly forward,
the line of wire reaching out to San
Francisco. "The overland route" was
subsidized by the Government by the act
approved by Congress June 16, 1850, to
the extent of S40O, 900, or, $40, 900 per
year for ten years. The line was built
by Hiram sibley, on his own account,
though he was at that time President of
the Western Union Telegraph Company.
The line was completed during the win
ter of 1862, just at time when its
use was indispensable to the Govern
ment.
In 1S4S it was discovered that the
dots and dashes of the alphabet could
be readily distinguished one from another
by the peculiar tap of the embossing pen
of the register upon the paper band,
thus enabling the receiving operator to
perform his duties with greater celebrity
and exactitude than by the old method,
which was promptly discontinued. Sev-
eral telegraphers, among whom is ex-
Governor A. B. Cornell, Of New York,
now a director of the Western Union
Telegraph Company, claim the honor of
having been the first to receive a dispatch
hy sound, and from this fact it would
appear that four or five operators made
the discovery at about the same time.
Up to 1872 but one telegram at a time
could be sent on single wire. In that
year, however, the duplex system for
sending simultaneously two messages,
one in each direction, on single wire
was improved and reduced to practice
by Joseph B. Stearns, of Boston. Stearns's
improvement on the duplex made pos
sible the quadruple for sending four tele-
grams, two each way, at the same time
on single wire. In 1887 Thomas A.
Edison introduced his phonopiex sys-
tenn for using an independently induced
current as circuit. To day, by combin-
ing the quadruplex and phonoplex sys-
tens, FIVE kilograms, two one way and
three the other, can be sent on single
wire at the same instant.
The modern electromagnetic telegraph
is based upon the very same principles as
the original. 1t is applied, however, in
a more convenient manner. Instead Of
the clumsy register and unwieldy circuit
breaker of 1874, which weighed in the
neighborhood of 200 pounds, we have at
present the neat little Office outfit which
might be carried without inconvenience
in ones coat pocket. The growth and
development of the telegraph during
the last three decades has been marvellous.
The following figures will serve to give
one general idea of this development
and Of the tremendous volume of business
handled by the largest companies: In
1866 the whole length of telegraph line
in the United States was less than 40, 900
miles, with mileage of wire not exceed
ing 1000, and there were less than
24OO offices. In 1890 there were $780,
900 miles of wire and over "a, 900 offices,
the Western Union Company operating
65O,000 miles of wire, working $4,000
Offices and handling over 10000, 900
kilograms year. The Postal Telegraph
Company owns IS, 900 miles of wire, has
1900 offices and transmits annuity 6,OOO,-
900 kilograms. About fifty smaller COM
panies have total of 5000 miles of wire
aud carry annually about two hundred
thousand messages. One-third of oil the
telegraph lines, one-half of all the tt!e
graph wire and o7e-quarter of all the tee
graph stations in the world are within the
United States. No better example of the
development of the telegraph than the
Chicago office of Western Union can be
mentioned. In 1856 seven operators
found it rather difficult to keep them
selves busy. A toy switchboard with
fifteen strips accommodated all the wires
running into the Office and 200 cells Of
gravity battery were sufficient to supply
every circuit. To-day $50 telegraphers
are required to work like Trojans; ten
fifty wire svitchboards are necessary for
the main line wires alone, and nineteen
electric dynamos, driven by three motors,
two of fifteen and one of ten horse
power, furnish the electric currents.
The length of the submarine cable
systems of the world is 12O, ,070 nautical
miles, and the oldest cables now in opera
tion between Europe and America are
those of the Anglo-American Telegraph
Company, founded in 1854 by Cyrus
Field. The story of the several attempts
to lay a cable in 1857 and 1865 is too
we'll known to bear repetition. Yet it
may be stated that the first cable between
Valencia and Newfoundland was com.
pletcd August S, 1853, but ceased to
work September 1 following. This
calamity, coupled with the losses caused
by laying the cable of 1865, wrecked
the Atlantic Company and resulted in
its amalgamation with the Anglo-Ameri-
can, then organizing. The first cable
for the new company was successfully
dropped from the Great Eastern in 1866.