Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-30
acApaupl,no WORK OF WIRES.
Remarkable invention Will Revolu.
tienise Telegraph and Telephone
Systsms.

He ought to know what he is talk
ing about because he became head of
the American Telephone and Telegraph
Company in 1907 and last year was
elected President of the Western
Union. And but recently it was that
he announced that contracts had been
signed by which telephone wires would
be used for telegraph messages and
vice versa.
This, of course, would tremendously
increase the earnings of the wires,
which, not counting poles, are worth
SIC mile. For instance. when q man
talks from New York to Chicago he is
using $l25, 600 worth of property.
Now, on top of all this. comes word
Of new invention that will permit
wires to be used for the phone and
tile telegraph at the same time-that
will, In fact quadruple the service of
each line. When one thinks what this
might mean. he is driven right back to
the old thought that wonders will new
er cease. 49,
On November 80, George F.. Hines. Of
New York City. was granted the list
of three. patents for a Geographic sys-
tenn that differs fundamentally from
our present. the adoption of which is
expected to revolutionize the methods
o. commercial telegraphy now in use.
The, new system. ii is believed. will
qnadruple the present capacity of
wires by making it possible TO operate
a quadruplex telegraph and telephone
simultaneously fon one wire. In fact,
II will do more than this. At present
telegraph circuits require but one wire,
while the telephone requires two. The
circuit Is completed on telegraph lines
through the ground, while the telc-
phone requires a return wire. 1t Will
enable the company that adopts it to
utilize one wire as a single, duplex of
anadruplex telephone and telegraphic
circuit simultaneously
Tits is made practical by the fact
that Geographic and telephone i'm
pulses pass through different media
the Geographic through condensers-
which prevent them from interfering
with each other. There is now an at
tempt to telegraph and telephone oil
the same circuit, but it is not very sat
isfactory. Furthermore. the new sys-
TEN is particularly adapted to work
under adverse weather conditions, and
Is said to require but fraction of cur
rent required to the types of instru-
nepts now in use.
In an article captioned "Mutilation
Of Telegraph Signals" in the Postal
Telegraph of December. 1910, the fol-
lowing paragraph appears: 1T is Of
ten necessary to operate telegraph eiry
cults during the prevalence of condi-1
tioi1s which render their operation i'm
perfect. Wet foliage swinging against
wires during transforms makes vari-
able leakage. 1t is impossible to adj
Just receiving instruments TO exactly
meet the constant Variations of the re-
ceiving current, and false signals are
therefore often recorded under such
conditions"
The writer enumerates. among other
causes OF Interruptions, sunspots, au-
rora borealis, electrically charged snow
clouds and sand, high winds that
swing the wires into contact with each
other, broken branches of trees, Kite
tails, electrical storms, and one that Is
becoming more common every year
induction from high potential wires
that run parallel. SO that, by the
statement of one OF the Postal Tele-
graph Company's engineers. the accu-
racy of the present system is not only
subject to weather variations but to
many other influences.
Signals are distorted in these in
stances because of the fact that the
wires are continuously charged with
an electrical current. There can be no
Interruptions of this nature with the
new system, because the wire is used
as q conducting medium only, with the
exception of an infinitesimal period of
time, during which the signal is pass
Ing over it. the instruments not being
subject to outside influences, as there
will be no current outside OF the office.
There will be no such thing as impe-
dence. leakage or induction; therefore,
the Instruments Will always be in ad-
justment.
Because of the liability of the pres
ent method to become subject to these
frequent interruptions, that prevent
the elements of perfect signals reach
ing the receivers sounder. messages
ale now sometimes SO changed as TO
be either unintelligible to the receiver
or to mean something entirely different
from the original. The Morse alphabet
IS composed of dots; dashes and
spaces. The letter "a" for instance,
is dot and dash. II in transmission
the dot should drop off. the dash
!. alone would signify the letter ~"
fQse the dot into the dash and it
w0ld render the letter Il" drop the
dash Apd it would be ''e:;" drop part of
the dashSepd it would be 90" In fact,
{ 1T is impossible to give all the muta-
tons TO which a h subject.
8 II is necessary FOR hxge Offices to en-
pIoy a number of clef1 to make COR
fections. This is acedaplished by
1bding what are called "ssssice" mes
sAipes 10. the Office at whichNshe tele
gram originated, causing greaSsdelay
aid often serious consequences.In
!. sorne cases the corrections are mae
at relay points. Mistakes are es-
peciallyA disastrous and annoying or
the exchanges and in brokers' Offices
! An error or delay in an order to sell
estuy Ii exasperating to the receiver
Mnn 1IeauentIy causes great loss. So
a1A1E1kages are subject TO the same
tkasGa Of dt1aster. In fact. the receivers
- all Mnsxls of messages are liable t.
~ xaEfety of moods.
IlnAeins the perplexity of husband