New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-25


tape Is indicated at T. The current wires are
SHOWN at w w, but the brushes arc hidden by
the adjustable support S. An actual speed Of
I'-~ words minute was secured in this way,
ana three or four times that rate is said to be
tircly feasible.
Inc precise form Of receiver used on this
casion need not be fully described because it is
not especially preferable to several other we'll
Known forms OF automatic receivers 1t is suiii-
Gent for present purposes to say that the cur
rent was led through a coil of wire around an
optical instrument known "anafyzer" A
beam of poarizcd light had been sent from
arc lamp through a series OF apparatus OF which
the analyzer formed part. and this particular
object had been rotated far enough to extinguish
the ray when no current flowing In ac
cordance with a we'll known law. the passage Of
an electric current rotated the plane OF polari-
cation in such way az TO permit the light to
pass again highly sensitive and moving
Photographic plate beyond therefore recorded
the rapid flashes which resulted.
LIEUTENANT SQUIER'S STATISTICS.
Here are some Of Lieutenant Squier's obser-
vations. in the closing part Of his paper: The
sum paid last year by Uncle Sam for mail serv
i've S9O,626, 900; the largest annual receipts
of the American Bell Telephone Company in
one year $3.50 were SIG, 100000; while the great
est receipts Of the Western Union 1883 were
S24,9ISOOO 1t thus appears that while the num-
ber OF messages sen: by telegraph is only an
eighty-sixth Of the pieces OF mail sent. the sum
paid for the former service is fully quarter OF
that paid for the latter Then again. though
the number of telephone messages is eleven and
/ One-half times as great the telegraph mes
sages. the sum paid for the latter is one and
half times as great as the former. Lieutenant
Squier goes on 10 say:
"A conclusion to be drawn from the above
general data seems to be that the people are
willing to pay more in proportion for kind Of
service like that of the telegraph than any other.
From the point Of serving the people. well as
from a business standpoint. IT appears that i'm
provement in this class Of intelligence trans
mission is at present much to be desired. The
present state of the art Of telegraphy points TO
/ improvements along the line Of automatic ma
| chine transmission.
| ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM.
ut Is Of interest to inquire what effects sys-
/ TEN Of telegraphy capable Of sending continu-
! ousy 1900 words minute would have on the
! existing methods. To take single example of
the business between New-York and Chicago,
where about 10000 letters are carried daily, it.
would require but two lines In continuous opera
ton to handle the entire business At present 1t
| takes three days to receive business reply be-
tween New-York and Chicago. This transmits
sion by machine telesraphy could be accom- nr.
! plished easily the same day. 1t Is thought that
/ an effect of this would be to increase business
transaction to such an extent that the total vol
ume OF intelligence transmitted would be aug
| mented rather than TO diminish the business
now done by existing methods.
The class of business which such system
would probably at frs, obtain would be the less
urgent telegraph business Of greater volume.
such as the Associated Press dispatches and
! newspaper press reports. Among the possibilities
| is the simultaneous publication Of the same news
/ paper in different parts Of the country. For ex-
| ample. in edition Of a daily paper having
twelve pages and eight columns per page. MAX
inc civ colin in oil DC n
| 5000 words At the rate of 5000 words per
! minute ii would only require about an hour 10
transmit the entire contents of the paper This
calculation Furthermore assumes that the whole
paper is uniformly printed in fine type. IT would
! require single operator working by hand and
averaging twenty words per minute. over SIX
| DAYS Of twenty-four hours each to send this
| amount.
The system proposed in this paper is espe-
, cially adapted to meet the demands OF this class
of business; for the great iexibility Of the alter
| mating current as employed permits If neces-
sary considerable amounts Of power to be trans
mitted over the line which may be used FOR max
| ing simultaneous manifold copies Of the same
dispatches in each of widely separated cities. In
this manner each Of the several newspaper
/ company subscribers in each city receives the
! identical service with the minimum delay. since
| each copy received is original. Each addi-
tonal subscriber to this service represents no
| appreciate expense to the company. since 1t re-
/ quires but another receiving needle. Further
, more the Of the alternating current per-
/ mits the line to be used quadruplex at very
rapid speeds, that is four entirely different dis
| patches may be sent over one wire at the same
time. two in each direction. and any number of
copies Of all the dispatch may be re-
| ceived Independently at the same time.
In addition 20 the above it is practicable to
employ the line for system or the Ordinary
! ouadruplex telegraphy at the same time. In
| trial experiments in the laboratory, particular
| instructions were given to the operator Of the
| Morse instrument to observe if possible when
| messages were being sent by the alternating
| current. and absolutely no effect was de-
! tected"
telegraph office OF the future will probably
/ present a different appearance from that which
/ may now be seen In any of the large cities. At
| present. in operating the Wheatstcne system in
! this country, sending to long dist&r ces at the
| rate of 80 to 200 words per minute. both those
| who prepare the sending tape and those who
| translate the receiving tape are employees or
! the telegraph company and are near the send
ing and receiving instruments. II it requires
about ten men to prepare tape, and as many
more to translate 1t for single instrument
/ operating at 100 words per minute. II VIII re-
( ouire twenty times this working force FOR one
of the rapid machine transmitters. Evloen n.
changes would he required in the present meth
DDS TO handle this business.
COMING FUNCTIONS OF THE TELEGRAPH
1t Is thought that a telegraph company or
the future will fulfil somewhat different func-
ton from the present ones. The company VIII
own It's wires and rights OF way as now, but
tho tendency OF the offices proper Will be to
transmit and receive letters already prepared,
rather than to undertake the preparation or the
letters as well. The income OF the company
win be derived from the rent OF its lines at a
fixed price per minute, or fixed price per
hundred words. The service OF the Telegraph
Gca I'm. become like that Of the postoiice, its
Gmtv being to receive and deliver letters al
ready prepared. The difference between mo
two Offices is in the manner In whlch thls Is a a.
! co,nnlishcd The telegraph becomes postofice
which employs an electr, current IN copper wire g
n carry the letters, instead OF railroad
when the system comes into general use,
hrsiness Offices will nave their own perfora'ors'
"a ~ will become necessary for the operator 10
inorn the telegraph alphabet as TART or ms
nrenaration as q stcnographer and typewriter