The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-19

~o9oS ~ a. the Morse tclc-
+ graph was in
vented Perhaps it will interest the
readers to be told how two boys rein
vented one of these forms Of telegraph
ing when they could not put up wire
tc be worked by q battery.
These boys, Tom and Eugene, were
sons of physician, and lived in the
backwoods of North Carolina far from
railroads and towns. Eugene attended
a school in the ncighborhood, while
Tom was older, and Il clerk in n country
store near by. There was often need
of means of communication between
tho store and the doctors residence,
especially after dark, and as the distance
was nearly u mile, these boys conceived
the idea of constructing Il telegraph line
between the two places.
AS preliminary to this work, they
learned to write i'll the tclegraphic al
phabet, which, as every boy knows, is
composed of dots and dashcs, thus:
-. -.
This is called the Morse code, because
it was invented by Prof S. e. b.
Morse. and they soon became quito ex-
pert in writing it and in spelling SEN
fences to each other by tho sound of
rapping on table with u key or pocket
knife. They were now ready for the
wires and instruments, but were aston
ishcd to find that the necessary outfit
at that time, would cost them upward
of twenty five dollars, Il sum far beyond
their means.
Since their leisure time was mainly
after dark, they concluded to try some
means of signaling to each other by
using lamp. The apparatus they
finally made was SO simple and effect
i've that any boy handy with a jack
knife can easily make one.
BY referring to the cut, it will be
seen that it consists of lamp inside a
small box, with q hole on the side at
the height Of the flame, and a means
of opening OF closing the hole easily
and rapidly. The box was an ordinary
cigar-boX, and the lamp n small one
burning kerosene oil. Several small
holes were made in the bottom Of the
box to admit air, and a large one in the
top just over the lamp-chimney,
When closed the light was entirely
concealed except when the cover to the
opening on the side was pushed back.
This cover was shaped as seen in the
cut. and made of thin cigar-box wood
also. 1t had single screw at the bot
tom and small knob to push by. The
movement of the cover or shutter was
from side to side, like an inverted pen
dulum. There was q tack on each side,
one to keep the shutter from going too
far one way, and the other to stop It
exactly over the hole, when closed. A
small spring of whalcbone or a rubber
hand fO
closed position.
When this box and lamp wcrc used at
might the opening and closing of tho
shutter served to show the light as a
succession of quick or long flashes.
which look at a distance exactly like a
FREELY. To open and close the shutter
very quickly makes mark to repre-
sent dot, and to make n dash the
shutter is held open about half sec
ond. For n long dash, representing an
1, the shutter is simply kept open
trife longer than for the regular dash.
A little practice will soon enable one
to make the short and long flashes cor
responding to the characters of the
Morse code, and the signals are easily
read, even at distance of several miles
Of course the operations must take
place between stations visible from
each other, and the box must DO turned
In the direction of the distant observer.
For very long distances larger lamp
and reflector will be better.
With such box under his arm, while
out OF doors, or at table near win
dow looking in the proper direction,
Tom would telegraph long conversa-
tions to Eugene, and read his replies in
the distant sparks. On cold, dark or
rainy nights these boys were able to
talk with each other, and were some
times able to send messages of impor-
tancc, which saved them many steps.
Many boy or girl may thus find q
means OF amusement in communicating
with friends, even across wide rivers, or
at long distances in hilly or mountain
GUS country, with such homemade tel
egraph. There are situations where a
couple Of enterprising boys might make
considerable money out of ,it.7-T. G.
harris. in Youths Companion.