Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-09-18

were unknown.
George Stephenson was then among
the humble employees of the Killing
worth colliery company not even
dreaming of the revolution he was to
effect in the social and commercial life
of the world. 1t was fifteen years
after Wellington and Blucher won
their decisive victory that he sent his
engine, the Rocket" over the Liver
pool and Manchester road at the rate
of twenty-nine miles an hour, thus ST.
lencing the criticisms of a large band
of self-appointed obstructionists whose
representatives are to be found in ev-
cry age and against whose opposition
every new and worthy enterprise is
driven to contend. 1t is true there had
been some interesting experiments
with locomotives before that time; but
beyond experimenting nothing was at
tanned. 1t can be truly said that it
was at the opening of the Liverpool
and Manchester road in September
1880 "the modern era of railways was
definitely inaugurated." In our own
very progressive country it was not
| until 1882 we decided that as a means
of travel and transportation steam
is superior to the horse. In 1915, and
/ for some years thereafter, there was
stage route between the cities of Bos-
ton and New York. Passengers trav-
cling from one city to the other paid
ten dollars for seat and were fifty
six hours and often longer on the
road. Now it is possible to travel half
way across the continent in that
length Of time, the additional expense
being exceedingly small if the differ
ence in the distance travelled be taken
into the account. And the thing that
makes all this possible was entirely
unknown to THE Old Guard" that
preferred death to surrender on the
| field of Waterloo only eighty-four
years ago. While that awful battle
upon which hung the destiny of ma
tions was in progress Samuel F. B.
Morse, then young man of four and
twenty years was studying painting in
England under the instruction of
Washington Allston and BENJAMIN
West. From that time until 1882 most
of his time was devoted to the study of
art. On his way home from Europe
in the fall of that year he met Charles
T. Jackson, then lately from the lab
oratories of the great French physi-
cists, where he had made special stud
les in electricity and magnetism.
While discussing the velocity of cleo
tricity Jackson, referring to Benjamin
Franklin's experiments, declared that
it passes instantaneously over any
known length of wire. Morse re-
piled: "1f the presence of the electric
ity can be made visible in any part of
the circuit, l see no reason why intel
ligence may not be transmitted in
simultaneously by it." To the solution
of the problem thus suggested Morse
diligently devoted himself. 1t was
long and hard struggle that followed.
1t took him until spring of 1S43 to
awaken sufficient interest in the minds
of his countrymen to get an appropri-
alton Of thirty thousand dollars with
which to construct line between Bal
timore and Washington for the pur-
pose of giving his idea a thorough
test The line was completed and the
twenty-fourth day of May, 1874, was
selected for the first public exhibition.
On that day the words: What hath
God wrought" were flashed over the
wire from Washington to Baltimore
and back again and the future of one
Of the greatest inventions the world |
has ever seen was assured. The pos
sible effect of telegraphic communica-
tion on that historic struggle at Wat |
erloo must ever remain matter of !
conjecture because such communca-
after the sullen Bonaparte, realizing
that all was lost turned his back upon |
the battle field and started to Paris |
The news of that battle was three days
reaching London. 1t was then print
ed in the newspapers and sent out to
the different parts of the country by
means of the old stage coaches that
rolled along at what would be to us
the eXasperatingly slow pace of seven !
or eight miles an hoIr. Thus was in !
telligence conveyed during the first
forty-four years Of the century in the |
last decade of which we are yet living.
Now if an important event takes place
anywhere in the civilized world, it is
Immediately telegraphed to nearly ev-
cry quarter of the globe. Miracle of
modern progress" l said to myself as
| stepped from the train contemplate
ing the changes the two great inven-
tions indicated have wrought in the
life Of man. ALFRED.
Trustee Appointed.