The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-15
A SCIENTIFIC MARVEL,
'rortrnlts Tran,mlttsd- over hundred, OF


4 Miies ofNyire by Telegraph.
Philadelphia Inquirer: Through the
courtesy OF the New York Herald the
Inquirer Is enabled TO lay before its
readers In to-day's issue two pictures
received by telegraph from Key West
yesterday. They were sent, and receiv-
ed by means OF transmtter and re-
celper invented by Ernest a. funnel,
manufacturing jcwelcr. Of st. Paul,
Mimi tits more than 2,GcJ miles by
wire from Key West to TIE Hcrald's
library. where the pictures were re-
celved, by far the longest distance that
pictures have ever been sent in that
way In an alcove OF The Herald's
library the receiving machine stood,
looking much like miniature printing
press. Beside It was n telegraph table.
The wire connections had been carefully
made by veteran operator. who cat
before It waiting for, the machine to be-
gin work.. A wire had been provided
by the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany. 1t ran out OF the Herald building
to the main New York office oe the
Western Union Telegraph Company.
then through Philadelphia, Washington
Punta Rasst, on the southwestern coast
OF Florida, and then by 10 miles Of ca
BILE ut the bottom Of the Gulf OF Mexico
to far away Key West.
Clicking over the wire from the main
Office of the telegraph company NJ half
past three O'Clock came the message:
I'VE have Key West and will connect
you Mt once" Their the clicking stop
ped, and In few minutes the machin!
cry of the receiver began to move. A
carriage run by n minute motor and
having a projecting arm. the end hold
Ing fine steel point, commenced nov
Ing backward and forward. Under tho
point and held firm and smooth on IL
bed of brass werc-t two sheets Of white
paper, each four and one-half inches
square, and between them carbon
sheets to make n copy. Across the pa
per Travelled the point, making broken
lines OF dots and dashes. AT each trip
across the point was moved by finely
graduated ratches very slightly from
the lines In which 1t had moved the
preceding time. -F5F
In Key West the inventor, Mr.. Hum
mel, Herald artist, Herald corre-
spondent and Il telegraph operator were
sitting beside the transmitter. The
artist had drawn picture on tin. He
had redrawn the lines with n fine brush
dipped in a solution OF shellac, which Is
n non-conductor Of electricity. A plat
mum point on the projecting arm OF the
transmitter was moving backward and
forward across the picture regulating
the notion of the steel point moving
over the paper on the brass bed Of the
receiving Instrument in the Herald IL
brary.
Wherever the platinum point In the
transmitter touched a lire Of the shell
lac the surface was broken and the steel
point in the receiver was thrown on the
paper, tracing 4 line corresponding to
that taken by the platinum point.
When the latter passed the shellac the
circuit closed again and the steel point
lifted. Slowly the outline of n mans
head appeared on the paper Then the
chin, the nose and the cheek bones were
drawn Hardly had, the outlines OF the
eyes appeared when those at the re-
ceiver recognized the face Of General
Maxine Gomez. The steel point moved
down to the edge OF the picture few
minutes later and stopped. 1t had been
moving just three minutts. Immedi-
atey the telegraph instrument. began
to click. Key West was talking.
Now YOU have the latest picture of
General Maxine Gomez, taken in the
field In January, 1885," the operator
said. Received In good cordition."
went back the reply Of the Herald oper-
ator. Key West spoke again. Next
picture American cruiser Montgomery
entering Havana harbor and salutinG
Moro Castle" The machine that
draws pictures at n range OF 1000 miles
began to work again, and twcnty-three
minutes later the sketch of the Amer
|, lean cruiser stood out on the paper.