Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-01
FIFTY YEARS OF TELEGRAPH
Today the Semi-Centennial Of the Sending
Of the First Message
How the News of Clny's Nomination
Was licked to Warrington
by Alfred Vail.

The first important message ever sent
over an electric telegraph was transmitted
just fifty years ago today over the wire
which had been constructed between Wash
ington and Annapolis junction. The message
which has gone into history as the first, and
which was sent when the telegraph line was
completed between Washington and Balti-
more. was not transmitted until twenty-four
days later. The message from Annapolis
junction to Washington on the LIST Of May.
1874, was significant because 1t was the first
news dispatch ever wired 1t brought to
Washington, in advance Of all other means
OF transmission, the news Of the nomination
Of Clay and Frelinghuysen by the wing
national convention. Recently an effort has
been made to commemorate the invention
of the telegraph on the semi-centennial Of
the day by making provision for the cree
ton of a suitable memorial in Washington.
The day fixed as the semi-centennial Is
reckoned from the completion OF the tele-
graph to Baltimore, but the LIST of May
really has prior claim to this honor.
The transmission of intelligence by cleo
tricity was first conceived by ). F. B. Morse
in the month of October, 1882. but it was
not until early in September, 1887, that he
was enabled to show to a skeptical audience
at the University of the City of New York
feet in length could be reproduced at the
other end. and, by the aid of a code or die
tionary, be made Ineligible.
Want of funds necessary to extend his
operations prevented any further advance
until some weeks later, when Alfred Vail. a
recent graduate of the university, In which
Morse was a professor, having witnessed
the experiment before alluded to, and being
deeply impressed with the possibilities of the
invention. became a partner with Morse in
the patent, for which only a caveat had
then been filed. He entered into contract
with Morse to supply all OF the means nee
xzft hAfAr n
committee of Congress lone of the tele-
graphs of the plan and invention of Morse"
and that he should give his time and per-
sonal services, without pay. to the work and
assume the expense of exhibiting the ap-
paratus and OF procuring patents in the
United States. Morse and Vail shortly after
left New York for Morristown, N. j., where
were situated the Speedwell Iron Works,
belonging to Judge Stephen Vail, the father
of Alfred. Repeated attempts to obtain
satisfactory practical results from the crude
apparatus invented by Morse proved I'M
availing, and it and the dictionary were
cast aside, and an alphabet, known as the
dot and DASH alphabet, was devised by
Mr.. VAIL and the mechanism necessary for
it's utilization.
On the 9th of January, 1893, the new ap-
paratus being ready for formal trial.
Judge Vail dictated to his son the message,
"A patient waiter is no loser" and II was
transmitted over three miles of copper wire
hung around the walls of a large room in
the iron works, resulting in the judges sat
isfaction and withdrawal of his declared in
tention of soon stopping the supply of funds
necessary to continue the experiments in
consequence of the many delays in COM
pleting the invention.
Exhibited in Washington.
Shortly after this public exhibition was
made. and late in the month Morse and
Vail left Mor-istown for Washington. In
February an exhibition was given before
the House committee on commerce. result
ing in instructions to the chairman to re-
port bill appropriating $4,000 to con-
struct an experimental line between Wash
ington and Baltimore. The bill did not pass
that session, nor did it meet with any
better fate in succeeding sessions. until it
finally received an affirmative vote in the
Senate (having already passed the Housel