The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-01
THE ZEROGRAPH.
A Typewriter which Prints at
Distance by Electricity.

Distance by Electricity.
From the London Times.
Mr.. Leo Kamm's zerograph is described
as a telegraphic typewriter; in other
words, It is an instrument which is worked
from keyboard like that of a typewriter,
but which prints its characters at a dis
tant place, with which it is connected by
a Geographic wire. The idsa Of such a ma
chine is. of course, not "a all novel; indeed,
the Hughes Geographic printer, to men
ton no other, has been in extensive use in
various parts of the world for many years.
Mr. Kamm, however. claims - have in
vented an improved method of maintainicg
the absolute synchronism between the
sending and receiving Instruments, which
Is necessary in such machines, and which
constitutes their chief difficulty. His syn
chroniZing device consists of a horizontal
metal arm, pivoted at one end on vertical
axis, and able to swing through nearly
half circle under the influence of a small
weight connected to it by a chain and pull
ley. The type wheel is mounted on the
same axis and moves with the arm. Each
instrument is furnished with an arm and
weight precisely the same in every re-
spect, and Mr.. Kamm relies for his syn
chronism on the arms of the two instru-
ments moving exactly the same distance
in the same time. When one of the keys is
depre ssed TIE arm of the sending ma hine
is released from the catch that holds II,
and a current is Transmitted along the line
WIRE which similarly effects the release Of
the arm in the receiver.
Under the swinging end of the arm, and
disposed along the arc which it traverses,
is a row of spring pins, each of which is
connected to one of the keys, and the re-
suit of depressing a key is to raise up
one of these pins and thus stop the fur
Their swing of the arm. But in coming
into contact with this pin the arm com
pletes the circuit of an electromagnetic in
the receiver, and this in turn acSIates an
armature that arrests the swing of the
arm in the receiver. Therefore since both
the arms are ex hypothesi moving in alb
solute unison, they must both be stopped
at the same place, and the same letter
must be in position for printing. The con-
tact of the arm with the pin also closes
local circuits in both machines, the print
ing mechanism is brought into play, the
paper is fed in, and finally another cir
cult is closed, which brings back the arm
to it's initial position in both instruments.
The whole cycle can then be repeated
again.
The machine is made to write either in
column or on continuous tape, and does
not require any knowledge of biography
for its manipulation It's inventor claims
that it is not liable to get out of order,
aud therefore does not require the skilled
attendant necessary with other machines
of its class That, however is a matter
which probably experience in practical
working alone can definitely decide. The
speed at which messages can be sent is
determined by the time taken by the
swinging arm to travel from its position
of rest to and from the raised pin CORE
spending to the letter being signaled If
key is at the left-hand end of the key
board is being employed that time rs
very short, since the am swings from left
to right but it mustI be a considerable
fraction of a second when the key used is
at the contrary extremity because the end
of the arm has to traverse total distance
of foot or more. However, the most fire.
quently used symbols are arranged at the
left-hand end of the keyboard, and the in
ventoF considers that an average speed of
about twenty words a minute can be
maintained. "44