Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-09-07
FIAT HATH GOD WROUGHT
let Formal Telegraph Mes
Iage Sent in This Country.
OMWASHlNGTON TO BAL TIMORE
the Public Opening of the
Initial Telegraph Line.

words Made a FEATURE of tho Deco
/ ,,on, at the Grand Opera House for the
,ac,r,cal Convention The Story Of Their
J. an the Telegraph Line, ana Some
oinments.
among the electrical decorations at
Grand Opera House, where the
,ral convention Of the National
sociation of Municipal Electricians
sned Tuesday an arch, bear
I NV e,ectrio iieht bulbs the Bible
otation: what hath God wrought"
Numbers %, 23.
tfhis appropriate feature OF the deco
ions gives text for an interesting
I'M When il was proposed, there
question as to when this quotation
I'M the Bible was first used in con-
lction with telegraphy. There was
ntention and which found the
cator number of supporters that it
d Tho text Of the first formal message |
n by Samuel Finley Breese Morse,
rentor of the magnetic telegraph,
az the first telegraph line constructed
4 his country, between Washington
M baltimore. Another contention
that it comprised q message sent
ar the Atlantic cable by its great
omoter, Cyrus w. Field, to Queen
|etorja. upon the successful opening
the cable limo to Europe, in 1866.
XThe discussion naturally drifted to
Eery Evening office for n decision.
d an investigation Of the authorities
n begun. Strange to say, the in
Rmation with reference to this mar
cular message was not contained ID
by Of the chapters devoted to tele.
taphy or its promoters in Chambers
Encyclopaedia, the Cyclopadia Britain
ca, Johnson's 0yclonadia. and other
|andard authorities that were 10 turn
nsnIted. Reference to a life of Cyrus
Fold, in tho Wilmington Free
library, gave an incident of Morse
aking use Of this Scriptural quo,
Etion in a speech at a banquet ten
Bred him in New York City, Decem-
b Goth, 1868, upon his return from
urcpe after very successful tour in
10 interest of trans ocean telegraphy,
bd nj which Chief Justice Salmon
Chase Of the United States Supreme
ourt presided.
Finally, recourse was had to that
bmirable publication, Appleton's
Cyclopadia of American Biogra-
5hg," and there was found a settle-
mt of the contention. 1t is hest told
the following verbatim extract from
be pages devoted to biography of
be great Morse, in connection with
be story of the appropriation of
0,0O0 made by Congress by the
arrow vote in the House Of Repre-
entatives of so to S2--for the COM
truction Of an experimental line of
esraph between Washington and
Baltimore:
There we're yet many difficulties to
. overcome, and with renewed energy
began to work. His intention was
place the wires in leaden pipes,
uried in the earth. This proved inn
tacticable. and other methods were
evised. Ezra Cornell then became
ssoriated with him, and was charged
it'll the laying Of the wires, and after
arious accidents it. was ultimately de-
ided to suspend the wires, insulated,
b poles in the air. These difficulties
ad not been considered, as it was
imposed that the method of burying
BIO wires, which had been adopted
broad, would prove successful.
Nearly year had been exhausted
y making experiments, and the con-
ressonal appropriation was nearly
consumed before the system of poles
Eas resurted to. The construction Of
he line between Baltimore and Wash
ngton, distance of about 40 miles,
Eas quickly accomplished, and on May
lth, 1874, Mr.. Morse wrote to his
assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore
Everything worked we'll.
Among the earliest messages while
The line was still in an experimental
Condition was one from Baltimore, an
bouncing the nomination of Henry
lay for the Presidency by the Whil
National Convention in that city. TIT
lewS was conveyed ON the railroad Il
fhe Eearest point that had beer
feached by the. telegraph, and theme,
Instantly transmitted over the wires t,
Washington. An hour later, passenger
Rrriving in Washington by train wer
surprised to find that the news hat
preceded them. BY the end of tn
month communication between tn
EWo cities was complete and PRACTICAL
perfect,
Tho day that was chosen for tn
public exhibition was May oath, 1874
when Mr.. Morse invited his friends t
assemble in the chamber of the Unite
states Supreme Court, in the Capitc
10y Washington, while his assistant
W. Vail, was in Baltimore at tn
Mount Claire depot. Miss Annie G
Ellsworth, daughter Of Henry |. Ell'
worth, then Commissioner of atent:
Chose the words of the mes sage. A
me had been the first to announce
MT. Morse the passage of the hi
Granting the appropriation 10 bull
'ne line, he had promised her til
.,@r,nnetion. Sne selected the word
what hath God wrought taken frol
Numbers %, %. They were receive
NJ once by Mr.. Vail and sent bac
again in an instant. The strip I
PAPER ON which the telegraphic chara'
yrs were printed was claimed by Co
Thomas II. Seymour of Connecticut 3
Ine ground that Miss Ellsworth was
native of Hartford, and is now pr
served in tho archives by the Hartfol
!, Two days later, the Democrat
National Convention met in Bait
more and nominated James X. Pol
,9r the Presidency. Silas Wright
New York was then chosen for, Il
vice. Presidency, and the informatit
was Immediately conveyed by tel
graph to Mr.. Morse, and by him cor
annnicated to Mr.. Wright, then in Il
senate chamber. A few minutes late
tlse convention was astonished by r
SeEing telegram from Mr.. Wrigh
uecllning the nomination. The di
patch was at once read before the co
vvention, but the members were
ihcrodulous that there, was an adlour