Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1893-03-31
INTRICATE DEVICE
A SYSTEM OF SECRET TELEGRAPH
CALL FOR RAILROADS.

An Invention That 1nsures Certain
Amount OF Secrecy Along the Line of n
Railroad Where There Are Many Sta
lions With Operators at Each.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad COM
pany has adopted an ingenious contriv-
ance for use in the telegraph depart
ment, and workInen under the direction
of Superintendent Charles Seldom have
nut in a 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 1t Is i'm
possible under the present system to
make him hear this call when 1t 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, II,
for example, the Baltimore o.Ace 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 switch will cut
off all the offices except the one wanted
The system will also be applied TO
those offices where the amount OF busl-
ness done at night is not sufficient to JUS
tify the employment of 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 70
years of experimenting, and the comb
nation of more than 90 patents.
The continuance 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 out any combination of
dots, dashes and spaces. At each station
there are instruments so 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 a station along the
line, he places the key 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 ewants
to ring, and at the same time operates
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-
tinue to ring until the operator answers,
and if no answer is made the bell will
ring all day.
The system may be hkened in some re-
spects to the system of the combination
lock. For instance, if to unlock door
having a combination lock it be 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 hay
ing a different combination, they will
have no effect.
In like manner, when a certain combl-
nation is made at the central station that
corresponds with the combination of a
certain station along the line, the obstruc-
tons fall and the electric current is
closed between that station and the CEN
trail station, while the obstruction to the
closing of the circuit 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 as an axis for
90 or 30 small metallic wheels which are
fastened to it. 4 metal finger projects
over each wheel. Each wheels provided
with teeth, but no two wheels have the
same number of teeth. When it is de-
sired to call 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 num-
Der of dots in the combination of the sta
ton.
AS the wheel revolves its teeth strike
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 the
return signal received in 10 seconds.
This system can be used to great advan-
tage in the railroad signal service, in the
telephone service and in the lighting and
putting out of electric lights.-Balti-
more American.