The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-29
THE HOME OF THE TELEGRAPH.
Imstruments Juss FOnnd In Porto
Rico Used Fifty Years AGO.


Cot w. A. Glassford. Z. s. A., now
chief signal officer In Porto Rico. has
discovered in Arroyo the telegraph lnstru.
menss Of the great inventor. Samuel r. b.
Morse. says the New fork Herald.
with which he made some OF his Initial
attempts TO control and transmit wcrd
lightning through space. These crude
devices. which modern electric. ans mar.
vel should have been capable OF convey
ing messages at all will IN a short time
doubtless find a permanent resting place
with sofne Of Prof Morse's other early
ln.trumens in the Smithsonian institu.
ton mt Washington.
On the day of the landing OF the Amert .
can forces at Arroyo Col. Glassford has.
tened to the nearest local spanish teie
graph office and took possession, In the
hope that the equipment might be a valu-
able addition TO his field service. He
found however instead Of modern in
EtrGments, a most miserable set OF anti.
1uated paper recording machines and
clumsy keys. A few days afterward he
discovered. stored away on the top shelves
OF an old closet. the experimental ma
chimes Of Morse. There they had lain for
years. corroding In the moist salt air. and
covered with a gsnerat.an's dust. The
story Of these machines was put together
link by link from "reminiscences OF the
older puertoriqucnos Until there remained
no doubt Of their authenticity.
1t seems that in the 's0s Prof. Morse
went with his daughter Susan TO Porto
Rico to escape the rigors OF a Northern
climate. and while living at hotel IN
the picturesque little village by the blue
Caribbean sea they met wealthy and
Influential sugar planter named Lind He
soon fell In love with Miss Morse. and
their marriage quickly followed. Senior
Lind was a wealthy man. and at once
-. -
conceptions OF his inventive father.n-
law. and through his generosity Morse
was enabled to carry out the experiments
In electrical transmission OF language
which a few years later made go mucn
stir In the world. He lived in his SON
H.law's country home. and II was TO this
same house. mile and halt from tho
sea. that Morse brought the now famous
Daguerre for the purpose Of experiment
Ing with him in the then mysterious art
OF photography.
After many futile attempts to construct
set OF instruments which would send
and record a message. Prof Morse's work
was at last crowned with sufficient success
to warrant the building OF telegraph
line from Sencr Linds residence to his
Office In Arroyo. a mile and a quarter
away. Such an undertaking today seems
mers bagafeile to US who see from our
windows the maxes OF wires at the top
or dizzy poles. in iooped festoons all
carrying living messages but In the DAYS
OF the whale oil lamp and the pioddinx
mail coach. a mile and a quarter OF suit.
able iron wire was not only very expen
sive. but was difficult TO obtain In fact.
all the now common electrical acces.
series had TO be practically manufactured
for the occasion. With the aid of his SON.
ir-,aw, however. Morse AT last go, HIS
Hne completed and the really rnomentous
instant for sending a long distance mes
sage had arrived.
Senior Lind laid a wayer thar n en,,rssr
mounted on pony could go from the
house 20 the office more quickly than an
electrical message could ard the bet was
eagerly taken by the inventor day
Was set and an enthusiastic crowd gath.
cred az both ends of tho lire 10 SEQ ,ha
start ana anssh, At given signal of
dashed the speedy little pony, and Prof
Morse began the laborious tick lacking Of
the kss which recorded dots and dashcs
on a narrow ribbon OF paper at Arroyo
" hen the heaving pony was pulled hard
up at the office the operator had received
out half the message, which was being
slowly spelled cut at the other end of
The Tine. II IL reported thar Prof Morse's
chssrin at this defeat was So great that
ne almost despairea OF his new contrfv.
aace, hrt IN less than SIR months he had
turned the tables and was able Ia out
distance the fastest horse on record
IL seems an odd coincidence that two
crude attempts az .eiegraphsng- nj
most FAILURE and the other co,,1pl@..
suec@sS-snoud have been made near m.
hitle port of Arreyo half century az
more apart The tfr.t was Prof Aforxa.s
initial effort. with hand mad. instr.
naenss. over defective ard poorly tu-
sulated wire. and the second was e-aI
0iassfoTds undertaking &, IN. landing
81 oar tro~p. In July last. Our advance
toward Gasyaua was made so rsnisl,-
that tie signal corps had net been ahta
10 land . sufficient supply az wire hsrar,
we were already engaging tse enemy a,
IN" autSkirss ~ ihs town FIVE miles fr.v,
the water front The emergency was sue,
erss'ahy met by using the top wire ~
an almost continuous Aarbss wire tenea
iest "a Z s'eesi stapiea 90 TIRE nos.s
Al the "lsaa spaces were lo~apssl in vrs.A
shors pieces 81 wire. saa whiIe the ,srs,
wef'S on messages raced - and frs, s-ot,.
tF0as u coast aHer tbs r9vsl ;essa~v.,s
ans After shat day the signal csrns 80
ai~aFs elsse behind tha army VIM -.
eva equipments. '''