The record-union., 1898-10-31
Discoveries by Two Young Volunteer Signal
Officers.
They May Prove Of the Utmost
Value to the Commercial World
by the Sign Wave System
Over 5000 Words a Minute
Were Sent Over a Long Line
Not Known Yet When Troops
Will Sail for Cuba.


in the annual report, of General Greedy
has escaped public attention, owing to
it's disassociation with the late war. 1t
relates to the discoveries of two young
physicists, Professor A. c. Crehore and
Lieutenant Colonel George 0. Squier,
volunteer signal officers, who have
lately pursued, under the direction of
the Chief Signal Officer of the army
certain scientific Investigations that
promise to work a revolution in meth
DDS of ocean telegraphy.
General Greedy expresses his belief
that these discoveries and inventions
have assumed such form and phase
as to be Of the greatest value to the
commercial world The discovery out
lines the true scientific methods of
telegraph known as the sign-wave
system. The first experiments were
made at the artillery school, Fort
Monroe, Va, and were discussed the
oretically in 1897 under the title of
the "synchronograph. A new meth
cd of rapidly transmitting information
by the alternating current. The next
step was the testing of this system
on long telegraph line, and for this
purpose Professor Crehore and Colonel
Squier visited England, where they
were afforded every facility for exper
mental work over the Government tel
agraph lines through the courtesy of
the Postmaster General, and the dis
tinguished electrician, Chief Engineer
Preece
The experiments, the report sets
forth, proved conclusively the superb
ority of a modern alternating current
smooth wave, the typical form of
which is a simple sign wave as COM
pared with the system now exclusively
used throughout the world in code
telegraphy Under the sign-wave sys-
tenn words were sent and received over
a line ], 100 miles long at a rate of over
5000 words per minute.
Under this new system the speed of
the Wheatstone commercial receiver
was increased as much as three-foid
when operated under identically the
system of the old code of telegraphy
The superiority of the sign wave hav-
ing been decided by experimental ap-
paratus, the next step is to construct
transmitters for actual commercial
conditions. Two apparatuses were de-
vised, one for operating land lines and
the other for the transmission of mes
sages over long cables. The cable
transmitter was completed and land
instruments 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
transmitter have just been made
through the courtesy of George Clap
perton and other officials of the Com
mercial Cable Company Of New York.
The experiments were made over the
cable between New York City and
CansO, which had length of S27 knots
and electrical resistance of 1900
ohms, and an electric distributing ca
pacity of 231 microfards. These tests
were made between September 25th
and October 16, 1896.
The change from existing telegraphic
methods consists in the substitution
for the present appliance of a trans
mitter sending smooth waves, such as
are obtained in alternating currents
working, without making any other
changes whatever in the elements of
the present system. The conditions
in the transmission of messages over
long cables are distinctly and widely
different from those on aerial lines.
The necessity of increased speed over
ocean cables, the report continues,
while not generally appreciated, is
strikingly obvious when examined from
a commercial standpoint. Since every
cable spanning the Atlantic costs sew
eral million dollars, the value of any
discovery that will increase the work
ing power of the cables is at once an
parent. General Greedy says he has
no hesitation in expressing his opinion
that the sign-wave system, which also
admits of easy dupleXing, will, within
year of two, increase very materially
the working capacity Of every cable
to which it is applied.