Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-25
THE WORLD ONE HUNDRED
YEARS AGO TODAY"
Copyrighted, 1900. by r. E. Hughes.
LouiSvilIe)

The idea of using electricity for tele-
graph purposes was uppermost in the
minds III many scientists at the close
OF the century, though the history of
practical electric telegraphy did not
begin Tor many years later. Lomond,
OIL france. had just made an important
advance by using only one line of wire
and an alphabet of motions. Prior TO
TINS the use OF as many insulated con-
ductors as there are letters in the al
phabet had been suggested. Each wire
was to be utilized for the transmission
of one letter only, and the message was
TO be sent by charging the proper wires
in succession and received by observ-
ing the movements of small pieces of
paper marked with the letters of the
alphabet and placed under the ends of
the wires. An interesting modification
of this was to attach to the end, of each
wire n small light ball, which, when
charged, would be attracted toward adj
Jacent bell and strike It. Lomonds
proposition Will be seen. therefore, to
be n great forward step. The same
period brought out the spark telegraph
of Reisar. of Don Silva, and of Cavallo
the pith bali telegraph of Ronalds and
several others. The famous discovery
of Galvani and Volta at this time
caused n fresh set of proposals in
which voltaic electricity was to be
used. A system of experiments was
thus inaugurated that has its finale in
the recording telegraph by Morse. of
America. who. in 1885. constructed the
first rude working model of an instru-
ment.
Automatons were not altogether
novel at the close of the century. Vau-
canson. the celebrated mechanician,
had on exhibition three admirable
figurcs-the flute player the tambourine
DlaVpr nd the duck which wa po M hle
of eating, drinking and initiating the
natural voice of that fowl. These gave
great impulse to the construction oil
similar figures, among the best known
of that period being an automaton
which wrote, exhibited at Vienna by
| Kaanss.
European historians were much in
terested in some stakes found in Il ford
on the Thames about Il furlong west of
Walton bridge, in Middlesex county,
England They established beyond
doubt the locality of the ford by which
Caesar crossed the Thames, Caesar
having made special mention of the
sharp stakes which he had to encoun
ter.
a series of journeys into the interior
of that portion OF the South African
continent settled by the Dutch in 1850
WIS commenced by SpOWndn, result
ing in valuable information the world
knew naught OF.
There were only four institutions for
the blind in the United Kingdom
Among the births of the year of per-
sons who won fame in life were the
following:
John Nelson Darby, English theolo-
gian.
George Friedrich Daumer German
writer.
Rev. William Rutter Dawes, English
astronomer.
William Chetwood De Hart, Ameri-
can soldier and writer.
William +. Des Barres, Nova Scotian
juriSt and statesman.
Peter Desnoyers, French pioneer in
America.
Daniel S. Dickerson, American jurist
and statesman.
Morenv Diego. Mexican Roman Cath
Ollie bishop.
Charles Dimmock, American engineer
and educator.
Andrew Jackson Donelson, American
lawyer and diplomat.
George Thomas Doc, English en-
Graver.
Thomas A. Dorning, American naval
officer.
Ben1. NJ. Drake, American NJ. T.. cler-
gyman and educator.
Elisha j. Durbin, American Red
Cross missionary and educator.
John p. Durbin. American NJ. e. cler-
gyman and author.
Bryan Edwards, English merchant
and author in America
Francis l.. G.. Egerton, Earl Of Files,
English author.