Evening journal., 1893-03-24
AN DEVICE
A SYSTEM OF sEcRET TELEGRAPH
CALL FOR RAILROADS.

An Invention That Insures Certain
Amount Of Secrecy Along the Line OF a
Railroad Whore There Arc Many sta
tions with Operators at Each.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad COM
pany has adopted an ingenious contriy-
ance for use in the telegraph depart
ment, and worlunen under the direction
of Superintendent Charles Seldom have
put in q 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
is also the telegraph operator. His du-
ties as agent frequently call him so far
away from his instrument that it is inn
possible under the present system TO
make him hear this call when it is do.
sired to communicate with him.
The new device is so arranged that in
all offices where these circumstances ex- /
ist bell viii 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, If,
for example, the Baltimore Office desires
to cali the Wheeling Office, nearly 400
miles away. the call passes through every
intermediate Office, but under the new
system the turning of a switch will cut
of all the Offices except the one wanted
The system win also be applied to
those offices where the amount of busi-
ness done at night is not sufficient TO JUS
tify the employment of n 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 90
years of experimenting, and the combi-
nation of more than 90 patents.
The contrivance is the New York cleo
tric secret service system. The trans
mitter at the central point is operated by
an ordinary telegraph key. This trans
mitter can send out any combination Of
dots, dashes and spaces. At oach station
there are instruments so arranged that
they win respond only to the particular
combination for which they are ar
ranged.
When the operator at the central sta
ton desires TO call up a station along the
line, he places the key wheroit will mako
the necessary combination that cuts out
all other stations but the one he wants.
This causes q bell at the station hewants
TO ring, and at the same time operates a
magnet which causes an answering sig-
nal to sound in the central station. He
thus knows that his call was audible at
the station he desires to communicate
with. The bell at this station will con-
tinuo 70 ring until the operator answers.
and If no answer is made the bell will
ring all day.
The system may be likened in some re-
spects To- the system of the combination
lock For instance, if to unlock door
having q combination lock it bo 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 fall in certain positions. If
these turns be made on another lock hav-
ing a different combination, they win
have no effect.
In like manner, when q certain combi-
nation is made at the central station that
corresponds with the combination of a
certain station along the line, theobstruc-
tions fan and the electric current is
closed between that station and the CEN
tral station. while the obstruction to the
E oil
stations still remains.
The transmitter is composed Of a rub
Der tube about the size OF an ordinary
lead pencil. which serves as an axis for
20 or 30 small metallic wheels which are
fastened toit A metal finger projects
over each wheel. Each wheel is provided
with teeth. bat no two wheels have the
sumo number of teeth. When it is dc.
sired TO call a certain station, the key is
placed at the proper point. which causes
the axis TO turn and the metal finger tC
fall upon the wheel which has the mum
ber of teeth corresponding with thenum
ber OF dots in the combination the sta
tion
AS the wheel revolves its teeth strik,
at given times the metal finger. This
causes the making of the combination
and the two stations are in communica
ton The station can be called and th,
return signal received in 10 seconds
This system can be used TO great advan
tagc in the railroad signal service, in th'
telephone service and in the lighting an,
putting ont of electric lights. .-Balti
more American.
Professional Jealousy.