The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-04-06

ing the dots and QaShSS, the operator
merely WORKS three keys-one for the
dot" one for the dash, and one for
| the space, as the case may be. \
paper ribbon is punched by the dot or
the dash key and moved forward with
out puncture for the space key. Four
punches of fine wires, like four fingers,
| form the terminals of the two opposite
| electrical contacts. Two of these wires
or 'fagots' are above the paper-one
on either side OF the center-and two
others are beneath and only prevented
from making contact because of the in
tervening slip Of paper. The holes
made by the operating keys represent
dots above the center and ''daShes"
below. Now, as this paper feeds past
the fingers first of the one or the other
current the wires make contact
through the holes, complete a circuit,
and set in motion a bit of mechanism
that with more than human speed
translates these simple punctures into
the proper electrical equivalents The
saving in time is represented by the
difference between the time required
to point out a letter and to write it.
Thirty years ago the fastest work on
the Atlantic cable was only about
twelve fve-letter words a minute,
while to-day we have reached fifty
Even now we have not realized the pos
sibilities of the instruments used in
dispatching and receiving messages,
and there is little doubt that the next
great advance will be made through
some change in the form OF cable or
cable core, the real conductor. AS
has been pointed out ahead, induction
is the stumbling block This can be
prevented by providing a proper leak
for the retarding electricity that gath
ers on the surface of the conducting
wires. Just this very thing occurs at
a fault at times and explains the fine
signaling then possible under certain
conditions on a faulty cable. The wis
est and most experienced electricians
are at work on this problem, and al
ready several forms of artificial leak"
have been suggested, and there is but
little doubt that a working, practicable
system will be discovered before long
To-day the cost of a message is a
pretty steep one even on the cheapest
lines, and some Of the short cables are
the most expensive. The prices range
anywhere from cents word to $6.13
a word, and that means even the adj
dress of the message. To the end of
economy, most business houses have a
single code word for the address, such,
for instance, as albion London,
meaning Smith & Co., IA Trafalgar
square, London. The same system of
code words is also used for commercial
purposes, and a single word has a cor
relative in the shape of perhaps a
whole sentence of instruction of some
kind.
By the modern duplex system of sub
marine telegraphy It is possible to
send two messages, in opposite di-
rections, over he line at the same
time. The principle is little bit too
complex to make it popular, but in it
the inductive tendency of the cable is
put to good use in connection with
what is known as an artificial cable
really a tin-foil equivalent of the area
of the outer surface of the conducting
wires of the real cable. A balance
even for leaks-is main
tanned in this artificial cable, half of
which is stored at each end of the
working cable, and all of the storage
or electro-static conditions of the sub
line are simulated with won
derful cunning The result is a tug
of-war, by which the regativing or
of opposing currents pass
ing in opposite directions, though APP
parently lost in the shuttle, so to speak,
produce records at the reading ends
without interference. The same Mr..
Delany has contributed a vast deal to-
ward the accomplishment of this Won
der as now applied, with the CORE
spending advantage both to the stock
holders OF the cable companies and the
patrons of all nations, but more espe-
cially to the stockholders.
With an average outlay of between
$1,000 and $1,000 nautical mile for ev-
cry mile of cable laid, not to mention
the annual cost of repairs and the |
building and retention OF ships pecu-
Iiarly fitted for the work, the price |
of % cents a word to London does not |
really seem much; but when we go fur
Their, and by relays over other lines, |
then comes a heavier pull upon our |
purses, and the words Of the stupid |
est at such times become in truth gold