Arizona republican., 1899-05-26
HOME OF THE TELEGRApH
Instrument Found That Samuel
 Morse Used Fifty Years Ago.

Colonel W A Glassf3rd. L. s. A,
 now chief signal officer in Porto Rico.
 has discovered in Arroyo the telegraph
 instruments Of the great inventcc,
 Samuel F. B Morse with which ha
 made some of his initial attempts to control and transmit wcrd-lightning
 through space. These crude devices,
 which modern electricians marvel
 should have bean capable of conveying
 messages &t all, will in a short time
 doubtless find a permanent resting
 place with scme Cf Prof. Morse's other
 early instruments in the Smithsonian
 institute at Washington.
 On the day Cf the landing of the American forces at Arroyo ColoneR GlassfOTd hasteGed to the nearest local Spanish telegraph office and took pos session, in the hope that the equipment
 might be valuable addition to his field service. He found. however, in
 stead of modern instruments. a most
 miserable set of anticipated paper re- c0rding machines and clumsy keys. \
 few days afteeward he discovered
 stored on the top shelves of an old closet, the experimental machines Cf Morse. There they had lain for years, corroding in the moist salt air, and covered with Q generations dust. The story of these machines was put to- gethe., link by link from "reminiscences Of the older Porto Ricans until there remained no doubt of their authentic ity.
 It seems that in the sos Prof Morse went with his daughter Susan to Porto Rico to escape the rigors of a ncrth- ern climate, and while living at 3 hO- tel in the picturesque little village by the blue Caribbean sea they met q wealthy and influential sugar planter named Lind He soon fell in love with Miss Morse, and their marriage quick Iy followed. Senor Lind was a wealthy man, and al once became deeply in terested in the startling conceptions Of his inventive father-in-laW and through his generosity Morse was en- dbied to carry out the eXperim enJs in electrical transmission of language which few years later made so much stir in the world. He lived in his son in-laws country home, and it was 70 this same house, a mile and a hali from the sea, that Morse brought the now famous Daguerre for the purpose Of experimenting with him in the nys- teri0us art Of photography
 After many futile attempts to con struct a set Of instruments which would send and record message, Prof MOrse's work was at last crowned with sufficient success to warrant the build ing of a telegraph line from Senor Lind's residence to his CfIice in Ar royo, mile and a quarter away. Such an undertaking today seems a mere bagatelle to. us who see from cur win dows the nYazes Of wires at the top Of dizzy poles, CT who lock at the huge cables which hang in locped festcons. all carrying living messages, but in the days Of the whale oil lamp and the plodding mail coach a mile and quarter of suitable iron wire was not only very expensive, but was difficult to obtain. Tn fact, all the now com i men electrical accessories had to be | practically manufactured for the oc- casion. With the aid of his son-in- i law, however, Morse at last got his | line completed, and the really mo i ment0us instant for sending long | distance message had arrived.
 ScDCT Lind laid wager that colir- fer mounted on q pony could go from the house to the office more quickly i than an electrical message could. and i the bet was eagerly taken by the in 1 ventOr. \ day was set, and an enshu- { siastic crowd gathered at beth ends Cf | tile IlH9 u S6e tn5 start ana 0n1S2- At a given signal of dashed the speedy little pony, and Prof. Morse began the labori0us tich-tacking of the key which recorded dots and dashes on narrow ribbon Of paper at Arroyo When the leaving pony was pulled hard up at the office the operator had received but half the message, which was being slowly spelled out at the other end of the line It is reported that Prof Morse's chagrin at this de- feat was so great that he almost de- 5paired cf his new contrivance. but in e7-5 ti.sE><. i75--..1itaa : T l. lad turnfFd t4e l