Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-03-22
AN INTRICATE DEVICE
A SYSTEM OF SECRET TELEGRAPH
CALL FOR RAILROADS.

An Invention That Insures Certain
Amount of Secrecy Along the lane of q
Railroad Where There Are Many Sta
tions with Operators at Each.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad com
pany has adopted an ingenious contriv-
hnce for use in the telegraph depart
ment, and worlmen under the direction
of Superintendent Charles Seldom have
put in little plant in the basement Of
Camden station, where the men employed
at headquarters can become familiar with
its use. There are along the various
lines of the great Baltimore and Ohio
system scores of offices where the agent
rs also the telegraph operator. His du-
ties as agent frequently call him so far
away from his instrument that it is i'm
possible under the present system to
make him hear this call when it is de-
sired TO communicate with him.
The new device is so arranged that in
all offices where these circumstances ex-
list bell will be placed, and the operator
at terminal or division headquarters can
call the operator wanted without in
forming any other Office on the line, no
matter how many offices there may be
which have these bells in them. AS tel
egraph lines are operated at present, it,
for example, the Baltimore office desires
to call the Wheeling office, nearly 400
miles away, the call passes through every
intermediate Office, but under the new
system the turning Of "A switch viii cut
off all the offices except the one wanted.
The system will also be applied TO
those offices where the amount Of bust
ness done at night is not sufficient to jus
tify tho employment of a night operator,
and where the day operator resides in
the depot building, there being instances
when it is desirable from various causes
to communicate with the operator after
the close of the regular business hours.
The invention is the result Of over 30
years Of experimenting, and the combi-
nation Of more than 20 patents
The contrivance Is the New York cleo
trio secret service system, The trans
mitter at the central point is operated by
an ordinary telegraph key. This trans
mitter can send ont any combination Of
dots, dashes and spaces. At each station
there are Instruments 50 arranged that
they will respond only to the particular
combination for which they are ar
ranged
When the operator at the central sta
ton desires to call up station along the
line he places the K y where it will make
the necessary combination that cuts out
all other stations but the one he wants.
This causes a bell at the station hewants
10 ring, and nc the same time operates a
magnet which causes an answering sig
nal 10 sound in the central station. He
thus knows that his call was audible at
the station ne desires to communicate
with The bell at this station will CON
tinue to ring until the operator answers,
and if no answer is made the bell will
ring all day.
The system may bc likoncd in some re
spects To the system Of the combination
lock For instance. it 10 unlock door
having . combination lock it he neces-'
sary to turn three points in one direction,
two points in the opposite direction and
one point in the first direction certain
bolts must fan in certain positions. II
these turns be- made nn another lock hay
ing different combination, they will
have no effect
In like manuer, when u certain combi-
nation is made at the central station that
corresponds with the combination of n
certain station along the line. the obstruc-
tions fall and the electric current is
closed between that station and the cen
trail station while the obstruction to the
closing Of the circnit with all the other
stations still remains
The transmitter is composed of rub
Der tube about the size of an ordinary
lead pencil, which serves rs an axis for
20 or 30 small metallic wheels which are
fastened to H. a metal finger projects
over each wheel Each wheel is provided
with teeth. but no two wheels have the
same number of teeth. When it in de
SIRED 10 call n certain station. the key Is
placed at the proper point, which causes
the axis TO turn and the metal finger TO
fall upon the wheel which has the num-
Der Of teeth corresponding with the mum
her of dots in the combination of the sta
tion.
"A the wheel rcvolves it's teeth strik,
at given times the metal finger. Thu
causes the making of the combination
and the two stations are in communica
ton. The station can he called and tn
return signal rcceived in 10 seconds
This system can bc used TO great advar
taxe in the railroad signal service. in tn
Telephone service and in the lighting an
putting out If electric hghts--Ralti
more American.