The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-25
Verag's New System Sends
10000 Words Hourly.
Tests Made Successfully From
Chicago to Milwaukee.
RAPID TELEGRAPHING
Device Has a Tiny Mirror
Which Throws Reflection
On Sensitized Paper and the
Characters Are Recorded.

Chicago, Nov. 25.-Telegraph mes
sages were transmitted today by the
PoIIak-Verag system from Chicago to
Milwaukee and return at the rate of
122, 900 words an hour. Later on a test
covering the longest distance ever at
tempted by the inventors of dots and
''dashes'' was sent to Buffalo and back
at the rate of so, 600 words an hour, COW
ering a total distance of 1, O62 miles.
The experiment was not completely
satisfactory, owing to the absence of
some necessary apparatus A second
attempt at 2 o'clock this morning prov
ed more successful.
Preliminary experiments We're made
during the morning, and in the after
noon a number of electricians witness
ed the demonstrations. Through J. G.
Barclay. electrician for the Western
Union Telegraph company, the wires to
Milwaukee were placed at the disposal
of the inventor The light flashed their
return on the message and Herr eraS
gradually increased the speed OF the
machine until it was working success
fully a the rate of 10000 words an
hour. Then he closed il down, smiled
with satisfaction, and said in broken
English: 1t is working all right"
WAS A SUCCESS.
Shortly afterwards the connection to
Buffalo and return was made over the
wires running along the Lake Shore
and the Nickel Plate railroads. COndi-
lions We're new to the inventor, the
longest distance previously covered be-
ing less than 700 miles. The message
went and was flashed back to the end
less ribbon, but it was found that the
receiver blurred, and the experiments
were temporarily Interrupted.
Within a few days, when needed ap-
paratus is placed in position, the Buff
falO experiment viii be repeated. Later
Herr Verag will take the sender to Buff
falO and transmit messages to Chicago.
Proceeding to New York he will try to
communicate with Chicago, and later
will make the same experiment, reverS-
ing the Instruments.
Those who were present during the
tests were DR.. Barclay, J. ]. Grafton,
AdOlph Wiener attorney for Messrs.
Polk & Verag, and Adolph Herman,
Of Hamburg. European representative
of the Guardian Trust company.
Arriving here last Wednesday the
tests were delayed by failure to get
all of the apparatus in position. To-
days experiments were the first made
outside of Budapest, and the longest
successful test made previously was
in sending messages from Budapest to
Berlin-Iess than ZOO miles
TWO OPERATIONS REQUIRED.
The system includes two operations
the mechanical transferring of the mes
sage to be sent on an endless ribbon
and its translation through the receiV-
ing instrument by means of the appli-
cation of certain principles of electric
ity. magnetism, optics and chemistry
through the newly invented transmitter
it must be transferred upon an endless
ribbon with a perfOrating machine. The
Morse alphabet is used, but dots and
dashes are simply marked by holes
of equal size punched into the strip of
paper by the WheatstOne perfOratOr.
The tape thus prepared is run from
one spool to another over a metal cylin-
der, electrically connected with the tele-
graph line Two brushes slide over the
strip of paper, one connected with the
positive pole of one battery, the other
with the negative OF another equally
strong battery, the loose poles of which
are connected with the wire of the
telegraph lines and with the return
line.
If one or the other of the brushes
comes in contact with the metal cylin-
der through a hole in the ribbon tape
a positive or a negative current passes
through the line and through the re-
ceiving apparatus. The electric I'M
pulses at the receiving station are COM
municated to a telephone, whose dia-
phragm vibrates in accordance with the
impulses of the current.
A MIRROR USED.
The vibrations of the diaphragm are
communicated to a little mirror. The
latter is held in position by a weak
back of the mirror rests against the
points of one pole Of a magnet These
two points form a hinge for the limited
turning movements of the mirror. The
latter is held position by a weak
spring and responds to the vibrations
of the diaphragm by a little movement.
The light of a small incandeScent
lamp is concentrated upon the cOncave
mirror, and from it reflected and
thrown through a condenser upon a
revolving drum covered with sensitized
paper. The drum has a double motion
like the cylinder of a photograph, and
the light record upon the SenSitized pa
per, after having received the light rec
ord of a message, is placed in a de-
velOping bath, which makes the writing
of the reflected oscillating ray of light
visible.
The record upon the paper can easily
be read by any one who is acquainted
with the Morse alphabet. Every up
ward hook represents a. dash, every
downward hook a dot, and the letters
and words and separated by horizontal
lines. The writing is continuous and
can be deciphered without difficulty
The rapidity of transmitting MESA ges
| by the system has been repea tedly test
/ ed, and it has been found that it is
possible to send $500, 900 words in "A
| hours. Another advantage is that no
| mistakes are possible, the record being
| obtained by purely mechanical means.