The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-06

The Wonderful Discovery Of IN Oper-
ator I'm Tacoma.

TACOMA, Feb 6--fspeciaL III. l. Mcdonnell.
day chief operator In the Western Union Office
In this city, has developed and applied Tor
patents on the sextuple system OF telegraphy,
upon which Edison claims 10 have spent 10000
fn experimenting, but which he failed 10 make
work. II is difficult for other than students OF
electricity TO comprehend the intricscies of the
saxtuple, but all can understand what Mr.. Nc
ponnell claims for his instrument II will add
20 any ordinary telegraph wire two phantom
wires, at very slight expense, say so, which Is
the average cost per Get OF Morse instruments,
while the battery required will cost less than
one-twentieth OF the first cost of that required
TO work other systems OF multiplex telegraphy.
By the duplex and the quadruplex two and
four wires or circuits, respectively, are worked
over one wire, that 10, two or four messages can
be sent over one wire at the same time To
any of these circuits Mr.. Mcdonnell can by his
instrument still add TWO phantom wires or
circuits, and can send ak messages, three each
way, at tho same time. To illustrate: The
Western Union has four wires between this city
and Spokane. Each wire represents $4,000 of
actual investment. Mr.. Mcdonnell comes in
and adds two wires TO each OF these at cost OF
500 1t the most for each wire. Further. by the
quadruplex or duplex system, way stations
cannot work on the same wire, but
by Mr.. MeDonnelfs system the way stations
can work just as II his appliances
were not attached. So, too, bis principle can
be applied to quads and the duplex wires with
out affecting them. Again, the new invention
will work without repeaters, over great dis
tanees, Mr.. Mcdonald being confident 1t will
work successfully over 5000 miles OF wire,
which is equal TO the distance Sbctween San
Francisco aud New York. At present repeating
instruments, costing 300 per set for qusdruplex
and 500 for duplex, and about $3.50 for battery
for each set, are used at intervals of 700 miles
The sextuplex has been successfully worked on
1900 miles OF artificial wire, which is not as
difficult to work al an air line, having no
"induction" or escapes" to encounter. An
artificial line is composed OF coils of wire. Next
Sunday an air line circuit OF Zoo miles will be
patched up via Portland, Pendleton, Pasco and
Ellensburg on which the sextuplex will be
tested.
The secret OF Mr. MeDonnell's invention is a
current which does not affect, and is not af-
feeted by the instruments now In use. that IL, 90
far as the working OF his instruments are con.
cerned. His principle il 10 send a current
through wire already In use, which current
will respond only to his instruments, which are
inexpensive as compared with the quadrupex
and duplex instruments now In use. "After
further experiments now in progress" Mr. Nc
Donnell said today to a correspondent OF the
PosT-INrELLIeRscKR, 81 will furnish you with
absorption of the principles OF the invention.
The principle Ii entirely original"
Mr.. Mcdonnell Is native of Malone, N Y
aud this IL his maiden invention OF which the
officials OF the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany. with whom he IL now in correspondence
Tor the lease or sale OF his patent say II is very
valuable Invention aud far ahead OF any APP
planes for multipiex telegraphy now In use
In the course OF few weeks special iustru-
ments adapted to the principles of which the
Inventor makes use, will arrive from the East
when the sextuplex viii be put into practical
use. The value OF Mr. McDonnelis invention
may be learned from the following statement
recently made by Thomas A. Edison
The quadrupiex system OF telegraphy is in
nee on 72,olU miles OF Western onion wire
Eleven years ago the Western Union reports
stated that the qusdrupex system saved $500, 900
In interest and repairs. Inasmuch as every
mile OF ware acfually built does the
work of four miles of wire, the quadru-
pick system represents 2l6,000 miles of
phantom wire, worth $40. SOC. 600 On these &c.
10000 worth ot wires there is no repairing 10 be
done. The value of those phantom wires is
therefore represented by saving of $4,000 In
repairs at 81 mile annually, besides the inter
eat on the sin,Soo,000 which il would have taken
90 build them. Three thousand men work on
my duplex Instruments