Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-04-02

20 words each can be sent every uds
from New York to Chicago. Mr.. De-
lany has figured it out that at five cents
for each message OF seventy words
there would be a satisfactory proft TO
the telegraph companies. The TWO
cents which the government receives
for forwarding letter is almost equal
ly divided between the cost OF railway
conveyance and local delivery OF the
letter. The cost of transmitting the
words of letters at the rate of 1000
words a minute. if the government
should do the telegraphing, would be
insignificant. and therefore the outlay
of the government would not be linn
tied to one cent for local delivery. This
being so. the possibility of 10 word
letter delivered 1000 miles away in |
one hour for one cent at once becomes
attractive.
Mr.. Delany's instrument is known as
the chemical telegraph and has been
in existence in Il crude form for many
years 1t has long been known that a
sensitized ribbon would indicate an
electrical impulse fifty times quicker
than an electro magnet such as is used
in an ordinary telegraph receiver A
practical application OF this knowledge
had not hitherto been made to any CN-
tent.
The instrument, which was exhibited
before the New York Electrical Society,
spelled out message sent from the
transmitter at the rate OF over 1000
words minute. When an artificial
resistance was put in which represent.
ed the resistance of the wire between
New York and Chicago a speed of 1000
words a minute was attained. The
greater the distance between the send
ing and receiving point the slower, OF
course, is he speed.
Mr.. Delany obtained speed of l 900
words minute over the telegraph wire
between Philadelphia and Harrisburg,
Pa. some time ago, The wire between
| these two points is very thin and the
! resistance as great as between New
York and Chicago
The reason that Il Telegram is now
| mparatively costly is the impossible
ity of sending more than very limited
number of messages over the line in a
day. Time is the all important thing
! in sending matter over telegraph wire
! and high price must be charged by
the companies in order that the limited
number of messages may recoup them
for the large force employed and the
! heavy unrk in
pacity Of the line is increased twenty
fold without working expenses being
raised the price of kilograms will drop
to one-twentieth of their present prices
The principle of the new chemical
telegraph is the recording of the mes
sage in the Morse code on a long STRIP
of sensitiZed paper of the same size and
shape as that seen in the familiar stock
ticker. An operator in New York, for
instance. sending a message to Chicago
just perforates the message in the
Morse code upon a long strip of ordi-
nary paper. He does this by putting
the paper in a preparatory machine
which he works by three ordinary tele
graph keys. One key is for the dots
another for the dashes and the third
for spaces between words. The KEYS
actuate powerful electric bolts which
punch small round holes in the stri,
of paper at the direction of the KEYS
The space key works by moving the
strip along and thus making the re
quired spaces. These keys can be Cd
Grated very rapidly and the messas,
is soon perforated in the strip Of paper
The strip is then handed to thu
transmitting operator. who places it i,
the transmitting machine, between tw,
revolving rollers, and in contact Will
two sets of fine wire brushes whicl
connect with the line. These brushe
have tendency to come together, bu
are kept apart by the paper. AS tn
paper is ree!ed off the brushes com
together, when one of the perforate
, holes is reached, and by doing so clos
the circuit. Thus the circuit is alter
{ nately opened and closed the same a
: in an ordinary telegraph circuit, onl
: with enormously greater frequency, be
cause the paper strip is run through tn
:, machine at the rate of eight feet a sec
: md.
., Such terrific speed as this has neve
:. been reached before. The multiple
q system invented by Mr.. Delany an
adopted by the British Postoffice an
:. the Wheatstone system, used to som
!. extent by the Western Union, in TIL
a city, both reach higher speed tina
is possible in the ordinary way. The
g do not, however. obtain a speed of nue.
c more than $50 or 200 words a minut
Il With the 1000 words-a- minute svste
S once established. people would sen
: letter kilograms to their friends instes
OF ordinary letters, and also receive a
: answer in as many hours as it no
! takes days.
1t is predicted that the new systel
! when it-or something like it's adop
ed. will practically eliminate the tvp
'e writer. A tape perforator will be
every business Office.