New-York tribune., 1911-01-04
MUlT|PLEX TELEPHONY
Patents Issued to Army Officer
Gift to People.
MAY SAVE MANY MILLIONS
Major squier's Invention Elk.
pected to Result in Great Ex-
tension of Telephone System.
rFron The Tribune Bureau !

Washington, Jan. 3.--Patents for a multi
pleT telephone system, the adoption OF
which is expected 10 result eventually in
saving many millions Of dollars in tolls 10
the people of the country, were issued by
the Patent Office to-day. The inventor Is
Major George o. Squier, assistant TO the
chief signal officer of the army, General
lanes Allen. who announced the discovery
to-day, By the terms OF the statute nnder
which the patents are granted the system
is a gift TO the people Of the United states
and may be used by any one who chooses
m do so without payment OF royalty or
en1olurnent of any kind.
Bv the use Of the multiplex system which
has been thoroughly tested at the labora.
tory of the signal corps. one ordinary teie'
nhone is made 10 do service in carrying
number of messages at the same time. Sew
sral conversations may be carried on simul-
taneously over the same circuit The inven-
ton has also demonstrated that two wires
are no longer necessary for efficient te!eph-
onv, but that single wire with Silent
earth" connections is sufficient The ne"
svst am can be used with ordinary telephone
instruments and requires no mobilization III
existing exchanges.
Major SQUleT l0NeNllcH - llSlcIy atloN4i|l
nhase of the marvels OF wireless" In
reality his system does not interfere with
the telephone circuit at all The additional
messages are carried BY wireless" the tel
anhore wire merely pointing out the path
the impulses are to take. Instead of being
scattered broadcast, as In ordinary wireless
tslegraphy. the waves stick close 10 the
invisible tube Of ether surrounding the wire,
following the circuit obediently through ex-
changes and switchboards without swerv-
ing.
II is probable that the nulttplea system
will first be adopted for use In long dis
tance telephoning. At present TO send
message from New York 70 Chicago, for
example, one must have q clear wire be-
tween the two cities. and a single conVer-
sation monopolzes that wire.
BY the multiplex system the one wire nay
carry a. number Of messages at the same
time-just how many experiments are Yet
TO determine. The system now in use by
the signal corps between the research
laboratory at the Bureau Of STANDARDS ana
the construction laboratory in Pennsylvania
avenue carries two independent conversa-
tions
The telephone companies will derive I'M
mediate benefit from the invention, but IN
time it is expected that there VIII be a re-
duction in tolls Of sll kinds as the system
becomes generally adopted. In the cost OF
wire alone. OF which there are many mill
ions Of miles In the United States there
will be marked saving and the annual eH-
pendtures for new equipment will be much
reduced. Al the same time the reduction
| in cost will probably be followed oy mueh
/ more general use of the telephone IN tne
where the cost OF installation Is excessive.
The patents in which the method IS de-
scribed are numbered 9so,iS6 10 sSl,Sos lnclu-
sive All the instruments necessary LOT we
! muIttuieY system are already developed and
| can be purchased in the open market.