The times., 1899-03-20
THE rYpEwR1rEn TELEGRAPH.
Prediction That II VIII supersede
the Morse System

Chicago. March 19.-Teiegraphy with the
typewriter as a sending and receiving
instrument has begun in Chicago. and the
Morse alphabet. with its dots and dashes.
will soon be abandoned From two indie
pendent sources has the art of telegraphy
been advanced. and in. the near future
there Is promise OF conflict and litigation
over patents. The two men who have pr
fected the great improvement In ;eie2raphy
that will revoiutionize the transmission OF
language over land and sea are residents
CT this city.
simultaneously with the announcement
that John S. Thompson has perfected his
application OF the typewriter to the electri-
cal current of a single wire comes the in
formation through the Western Union
Company that for almost a month the in
vention of another Chicago man has been
in daily use in the workroom on the
twelfth floor OF its building in this city in
the receipt and sending of messages. Ii
| is said to have passed the stage of expert
ment and established its utility under all
the varying conditions TO which a slender
telegraph wire is subject by heat and cold
wind and rain. bad and good insulation.
| The identity of the man who has made a
| machine along the same lines as Thomp-
son is withheld from the public, urless to
tapplied TO the invention In use, Identifies
some electrician or telegrapher bearing
that. name. Manager durford. of tas
| Western Union company. admitted ysster-
day that the system was being used in his
office.
We do not control it," he said. "and
am not permitted to talk about il. II Is
successful. and that is all can say. The
people who own the invention are securing
some patents, and they do not desire any
publicity until after they have strength
ened their property rights in the inven-
| ton"
! The telegraphers' typewriting machine
| as it is used in the Western Union office
sits on desk partially boxed. Attached
to the bars operating the types are Sc
| ries OF pinions engaging with a train oi
circular clutches. which in turn are oper-
ated by the current running through tbs
| telegraph wire. The striking OF key or
the typewriter exerts a strength OF current
which at the other end of the wire, wheth
er yard or / 600 miles away. acts upon
the particular clutch that pulls down the
bar of the type corresponding to the key
touched.
Just what device is used is kept secret
from prying eyes. In the Thompson in
yention the current is regulated by cleo
tro-magnets. whose armatures are wound
with wire Of different gauge in order TO
secure evenness in registering by actuat-
ing the current. To each type bar is at
tached the magnet which operates it
through the spring armature. The differ
ent gauge of wire permits a quick response
to the touch Of the type at the other end
of the wire
A wire can be worked twice as rapidly
by the buckingham system as by the
Morse alphabet. The machine does away
with the expert operator. and anyone able
TO manipulate typewriter can send mes
sages. The machine does its own receiv-
ing and recording without the interposi-
tion OF any operator. except to tear the
typewriter messages from the unroIling
paper The receiver will tick away mere
ly as long as there is current, and will
transcribe its message as long as the pa
per is furnished 1t. Within few months
both the Buckingham and the Thompson
systems will be superseding the old tickers
in the telegraph offices