Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-21
CAN TELEGRAPH
BY TYPEWRITER
GREAT INVENTION PROVES TO
BE A SUCCESS
Process Of Transmitting Messages Is
smplifed so that Any Key
board Operator Can Be
an Expert

The end sought by hundreds OF In
ventors has been attained. The type
writer telegraph at last is reality-a
proven success. Nothing more import
ant has been known to the telegraph
world since Edison introduced the
quadruplex than Is this apparatus,
which is the product of the brain of
John G. Barclay, assistant general man
ager of the Western Union Telegraph
company, and for many years one of
the Western Union officials in Chicago.
For two weeks the instrument has
been in use on the New York. Buffalo
circuit. Within the next month or so 1t
will be working on the Chicago-New
York circuits. Before 1905 is six
months old every big trunk line Of the
telegraph system of the Western Union
will be equipped with the new device.
All sorts Of improvements may be
made In the Barclay machine, but as 1T
stands today 1t carries out every claim
of the inventor. Any person who can
manipulate a keyboard can operate 1t
can, by simply touching the keys,
print messages at the other end Of the
wire. knowledge of telegraphy Is not
essential Accuracy of transmission is
dependent only on accuracy In touch
ing the keys.
Hundred Words Minute
The inventor says the speed of the
typewriter telegraph is limited only to
the speed at which a person can manip-
ulate the keys of a typewriter One
hundred words a minute is easy A
few days ago, without making any
particular attempt to speed up" a
man at a typewriter in Buffalo sent
324 messages to New York in four
hours There was not an error in any
one of these 324 kilograms. Captaiza-
ton, punctuation and every detail of
spelling was followed absolutely.
The Barclay apparatus is extremely
simple in its operation. The sending
operator manipulates typerwriting
machine which is "in circuit" This is
not a synchronous system, but the
sending of the signals preserves the
proper relation of the sending and the
receiving apparatus. At the receiving
end the messages are printed in page
form on ordinary telegraph blanks, the
blanks being fed to the receiver as
they are needed. A detailed descrip-
tion of the device is withheld until pat-
ent rights abroad, for which application
has been made by Mr.. Barclay, are
granted.
Effect on Morse Operators
Mr. Barclay believes that his inven-
ton will go long way toward elimi-
mating the Morse operators. Other
men who are high up in the telegraph
business do not think as he does. The
new machine unquestionably will bring
about one of the greatest economics
the Western Union company has had
in score of years, for with it one man
can do what four now are doing, and
these four the most expert in the bust
ness.
In times when there are no weather
disturbances on the circuit the service
will be practically automatic. There
|
orators other than a general super
visor to see that everything is going all
right That the use of the system
will be restricted to trunk lines is al
most certain. There would be little
economy in introducing 1t on local
wires.
Company Owns Invention
One of the queer things about the
new invention is that it will not bring
two cents of profit to Mr.. Barclay
unless the Western Union Telegraph
company chooses to be generous to
him. His device may be worth mill
lions OF dollars to the corporation, but
he does not own it. Because he is the
agreement to give all the products of
his brain to his employers this, the
greatest of his inventions, is the
property of the corporation. He has
worked out his idea on the time of
the company and they own it,
There are some men high up in
electrical circles who say that .Mr.
Barclay is the best man the Western
Union has ever had. This is high
praise when it is considered that Edi-
son has been under contract with the
Western Union for twenty-five or
thirty years. Unquestlonably how
ever. Mr.. Barclay has done more in
the last two years to bring the Wes-
tern Union service up to date than
was done by any other man since the
days of Edison's greatest activity.
His success has been so great that
he is now practically second in COM
mand of the great system. He was
born In Greensburg, Pa, on April II,
1856. Like Col. Clowry, president of
the Western Union, he has risen from
the ranks of messenger boys. He has
the distinction of having been mes
senger boy under Andrew Carnegie
when Carnegie was plug" operator.
Every position in the telegraph field,
from messenger up to the one he now
holds. has been filled by Mr.. Barclay.