The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1896-10-15
THE TELEPHONE IDEA.


to those familiar with electrical ana
telephone history, That the first tele-
lhone was constructed in Racine, Wis,
nd that the inventor, DR.. S. D. cush-
nan. is now resident of Chicago, says
the News, Of that city.
His litigation with the Bell Telephone
company, extending over period OF ten
years and costing one hundred thou
sand dollars, has been reported from q
legal standpoint, but as 1t is one Of Mr..
CushmAns principles that personal
"reminiscences are in bad taste, he has
seldom given formal interview, The
venerable inventor, seventy-seven years
Of age, who built the first telegraph
lines in this part Of the ''far west, "
pursues his business with more alert
ness to affairs than the average young
man.
In q corner Of the room is q large,
wcrn piece Of muslin on which Ia paint-
edin thin colors representation Of q
Telegraph line stretching away in
ths distance, connected with q crude
instrument, set on twologs, near which
10 frog sitting by stream. This old
relic represents the telegraph line of
good cedar posts, which DR.. Cushman
constructed west from Racine for the
Erie q Michigan Telegraph company
in 1851, and the experimental lightning
arrester which led to his discovery.
1t is a reminder Of the days when
Dr. Cushman was associated with Prof.
iorse in the pioneer days of teleg-
my. On his desk is the first tele-
ane transmitter, constructed in 1851,
enty-five years before the Bell
ents were taken out. 1t is small,
aare box, with speaking orifce and
ltaining mechanism on the same
inciple rs that Of the modern trans
aitter.
In 1851 DR.. Cushman undertook the
obstruction Of lightning arrester, his
hject being TO take the lightning that
aTuck the wire and run it into the
ound, the instrument being so con-
-ucted that it would not interfere
nth the light current used in tele-
.raphing. This instrument was placed
cut on the prairie on two logs and in
order to know when it had operated
triple magnet with sheet of thin iron
at the poles, similar in construction to
modern receiver, was placed in the
corner Of the box. In case the light
ming passed through the instrument
the electro-magnet would pull this
strip Of iron down into the range of q
permanent magnet, which would re-
tain it until the instrument was in
spected.
A similar device was placed in the
basement Of the building at Racine and
connected with the other end of the
line, One day while thunderstorm
vas coming up, and DR.. Cushman was
Watching the instrument, the croaking
Of frogs was heard, thirteen miles
way. This is the explanation Of how
ne old painting with the crude instru-
laent and the croal1ing frog is identi-
ed with the discosefy .Df the tele-
none.
In. Cushman Is the inventor Of the
lre-alarm system in use in Chicago.
Ills patent-ofice reports, he says,
would weigh a ton," and contain a
,reat number OF his electrical patents.
To the priority Of Dr.. Cusliman there
IS said to be no doubt, and the contest |
q the validity Of the Bell patents be- |
Tnn in 1855 was at last taken to the I
United States district court of Boston
IA 1898, where it is now pending.
DR.. Cushman is descendant of the
historical Gushmans who carle to Vir-
ginia in 1910. He was friend of Hor-
ace Greeley and most of his prominent |
contemporaries in what might be called |
the era OF rapid mechanical develop
ment- In early life he was newspa- |
per reporter Some twenty years of I