The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-22
ELECTRIC PRINTERS.
How Messages Are Sent by the Wheat
stone System.
Morse System Outdone - The Latest
Practical Advance Made in Printing
Telegraphy-Testing Both Systems.

IS that of the Wheatstoue electric tele-
graph printing apparatus 1t has been
frequently referred TO in the daily press,
but no elaborate detail Of its working has
been made. Through this system mes
sages may be sent between the large cities
tthe rate Of about 80 words a minute
and a speed Of so words minute has
been known 10 have been made in test
cases. That il has not come into more
general Use : On account Of its elaborate
machinery sud s demonstration Of real
speed when the occasion demands.
Ii will De remembered that the ap-
paratus that Prof Morse set up at the
very inception of telegraphy was a print
ing machine ressm bling somewhat in
miniature the lately patented threshing
machines 4 paper tape that had been
prepared was run through the machine
and the characters were registered
thereon by indentation. The telegraph
operator that could register speed OF
thirty-five words minute in those days
and then read what he had sent was
wonder. At that time all that was neCes-
sary to fit one to act as receiving operator
was knowledge of the Geographic sig
nails and their meaning, which, at
most, was matter of
few hours study. Then
by transmitting the characters at very
slow rate of speed the veriest student of
telegraphy could make q correct transla-
ton of the message sent This mode Of
telegraphing was in vogue a long time
before receiving operators began to find
out that they could distinguish the tele-
graph signals by sound alone. The idea
of receiver combining his attention
wholly to the sound, however, was not
entertained for some time, as such pro
ceeding was considered too risky, though
operators were allowed TO copy messages
from the sound and then compare their
copies with the signals registered on the
slips.
When it had been conclusively proved
that operators could interpret the signals
by sound as well as by sight the instru-
ment was abolished and communication
was carried on entirely under the new
system. Although the Pennsylvania rail-
road is considered one of the most pro-
gressive in America they had the paper
slip register in use on their main line up
until about ten years ago. This was no
doubt done to keep down the salary list
of the operators, as a new man could learn
to read by sight inside of four months,
and as a consequence the waiting list was
alwaS large
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE MORSE ALPHA
BET.
The mode of first registering the
Morse alphabet by indentation was no
doubt taken advantage of by Sir Charles
Wheatstone, who, some thirty years ago,
perfected the system of telegraphy bear
ing his name, of course going further by
sending and receiving automatically.
This system is in general use in the Brit
ish empire and upon the continent and no
doubt fits to a nicely the ideas of speed
held by the members of the business and
social world of the old country.
Some years back a set of Wheat
stone Instruments was placed in the big
Western Union building up on Fifteenth
street, but Manager Marean quickly com
pretended its weakness on account of
speed and they were removed about three
years ago. This will appear strange to
those not acquainted with the business of
the Washington Office as of all things,
the Wheatstone idea would seem to fill a
long felt want on account of tho press of
matter going out from that Office But
Mr. Marean has had dealings with press
correspondents, yea, these many years, and
no one knows their impetuous ways better
than he.
Imagine press correspondent with the
knowledge in his head that his matter
was being delayed about ten minutes up
stairs TO be perforated. Then collect
dozen of them in the Office under the
same circumstances Bulls brave
warriors in height of a war dance would
not be a marker to it. The press CORE
spondents know the value of time, and
also know that a tirst-class man at both
ends of a wire will handle his matter in
such style that it will be in the Office for
which it is intended while another mans
copy is being perforated for the Wheat
stone instrument.
Some years back when the system was
in use between Baltimore and Washington
trial was made between those two points
on a press message of 500 words. The
copy was given TO the lady perforator and
and the sending Morse operator at the
same time. The item reached Washing
ton over the Wheatstone circuit just ten
words ahead of the Nose circuit, but the
time where the "beat'' counted was
while the perforated message was being
on a typewriter in the latters office.
This delay became known to customers
and typewriter message at that time
was looked upon with much disfavor
This was especially noticeable among
stock brokers and it was known among
the telegraph craft that Wheatstone
messages were frequently written out
with pen so as to deceive.
The WheatStone system has been in use
on eastern circuits for about fifteen years
and about six years ago was put in use on
the long western circuits. On the latter
circuits a speed of about $50 words a min.
ute is registered, but this is not considered
an exceptionally hlgn speed Tor the Sys-
TEN. In France, Germany and England
where the intervals between stations are
comparatively small in comparison with
distances in the United States, the
average speed on unabbreviated mat.
ter is between $50 and 500 words
a minute, while it is asserted that
in France the ] 600 mark has been reached
with abbreviated words In the trans
mission of dispatches by the WEeatstone
system abbreviaJion may be practiced
with impunity, as the signals are in.
scribed on a roll of paper at the receiv-
ing station and the receiving operator, or
copyist, may study the characters al
his leisure The characters are regis
tered on the slip and may be referred to
frequently, so there is much less danger
of authorizations being Incorrectly inter
preted than in the Morse sound system
A SOURCE OF AMUSEMENT,
1t used to be great source of amuse-
ment up in the Western Union office
watching the lady Wheatstone copvist,
going around amongst their companions
carrying a couple yards of tape messages
and beseec hing them to help out on a more
than usual difficult problem in the abbre
Walton code. More work was done OF
the Wheatstone machines in this city il
the way of sending out messages than re
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