The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-31
THE SINE-WAVE SYSTEM
BY ITS USE 1900 WORDS MINUTE
ARE SENT BY TELEGRAPH.
Superiority of a Modern Alternating
Current COnclusively shown Over
the Old Code system.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30.-One point in the
annual report of General Greedy has escaped
public attention, owing to it's disassociation
with the late war 1t relates to the dis
coveries of two young physicists, Prof. A. c.
Crehore and Lieut.. Col George o. Squier,
volunteer signal officer who have lately
pursued, under the direction of the chief
signal officer of the army, certain scientific
Investigations that promise to work revo-
luton in methods of ocean biography Gen.
Greedy expresses his belief that these dis
coveries and inventions have assumed such
form and phase as to be of the greatest
value to the commercial world
The discoveries outline the true scientific
method of biography known the "sine-
wave" system. The first experiments were
made at the Artillery School, Fort Monroe,
Virginia, and were discussed theoretically
in 1887 under the title of THE Synchrono-
graph new method of rapidly
transmitting intelligence by the alter
mating current The next step was
the testing of this system on
a long telegraph line, and for this purpose
Professor Crehore and Colonel Squier Wis
tied England, where they were afforded
every facility for experimental work over
the government telegraph lines through the
courtesy of the postmaster general and the
distinguished electrician, Chief Engineer
William Fl. Preece.
These experiments the report sets forth,
proved conclusively the superiority of
modern alternating current smooth wave,
the typical form of which is a simple "sine-
wave" as compared with the system now
exclusively used throughout the world in
code telegraphy. Under the 'sine-wave''
CxyCfn dc
line LOO miles long at a rate of over three
thousand words minute. Under this new
system the speed of the Wheatstone COM
mercial receiver was increased as much as
threefold when operated under identicaly
the system of the old code biography. The
superiority of the ''sne-wave' having been
decided by experimental apparatus, the
next step was to construct transmitters for
actual commercial conditions Two special
appaTatuses were devised one for operating
land lines and the other for the transmits
sion of messages over long cables. The
cable tranSmitter was completed and the
land instrument advanced when the late war
interrupted progress, which has only lately
been. renewed by direction of General
Greedy.
The first practical tests of the cable trans
mitter have Just been made through the
courtesy of George Clapperton and other
Ofnc1alS of the Commercial Gable Company
or New York. The experiments were made
over the cable between New York city and
Canzo, which had length of 1921 knots, an
electrical resistance of 3d. 700 ohms and an
electric distributing capacity of 291 micro
farads. These tests were made between
Sept % and Oct is, 1858.
The change from existing Geographic
methods consists in the substitution for the
present appliance of a transmitter sending
smooth waves, such as are obtained in alter
mating currents working, without making
any other changes whatever in the ele
ments Of the present system. The condi-
tons for the transmission of messages over
long cables are distinctly and widely diff
ferent from those on aerial lines. The ne
cessity of increased speed over ocean cables,
the report continues, while not generally APP
preciated is strikingly obvious when ex-
amined from a commercial standpoint.
Since every cable spanning the Atlantic
ocean costs several million dollars the value
of any discovery that will increase the
working power of these cables is al once
apparent. General Greedy says he has no
hesitation in expressing his opinion that the
''sine-wave" system. which also admits of
easy dupleXing, within year or two will
increase very materially the working ca
pacity of every cable to which it is applied.