Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10

presence could be observed at any part
| Of the line by breaking the circuit.
So intensely interested did he become
that he not only worked out roughly a
plan for employing electro-magnetism
in biography, but also completed his
telegraph code during the same trip. It
was not until 1885, however, that he
was able to exhibit an instrument that
was found to work we'll
BY July, 1897, this instrument was
perfected and later exhibited In New
York and Philadelphia, and subsequent
ly in the rooms of the House commit
tee on commerce. In 1888 the question
was taken I'D by the Government, and
the House passed a resolution request
ing the Secretary of the Treasury to
report on the ACCESSIBILITY Of establish
ing a Government telegraph system.
Five years later. on March 3, lS43.
Congress appropriated $4,000 for test
ing Morse's telegraph.
the system, at salary Of $4,000 year,
under the first appropriation, and his
four assistants, Leonard .. Gale, j. 9.
Fisher, Alfred Vail and Ezra Cornell,
were each given an annual salary Of
81 600.
AT first the line-which, when COM
pleted, extended from Washington to
Baltimore-was laid underground In a
deep trench made with a specially In
vented pillow, but when 1t was nearly
finished. and most of the appropriation
of $50, 1000 had been expended, 1t was
found that this idea would not work,
On account of the great escape Of cur
rent caused by bad insulation, and
poles had to be substituted and wires
strung for the entire distance.
The stringing OF the overhead wires
began on April /, 1874, and toward the
close of that month communication
could be had for 80 miles, or from the
Junction to the Capitol. Thus it hap
pened that on May /, one month later,
the first public message was received
here from the Junction" announcing
the nomination Of Henry Clay and T.
Frelinghuysen as the choice for PreSi-
dent and Vice President by the Demo-
cratic party, then meeting in Balti-
more.
vain was at the far end of the wire
keeping Morse informed Of the doings
of the convention, and Morse's knowl-
edge of what was going on so many
Washington. On the 14th Of May a
further message came from the Relay
House, and finally, on May "a, was
flashed over the wire the celebrated
message, What hath God wrought"
the words Of which were chosen by
Miss Annie @. Ellsworth, who was the
daughter of the Commissioner of Pat
ents, friend Of Prof. Morse, and who
had brought the inventor the joyful
news that the appropriation had been
granted, just before midnight on March
3, 1843, that session of Congress clos
ing just few minutes later.
Morse had given up all hope Of the
bill going through at that session, and
he felt so grateful for the welcome news
that he promised to let Miss Ellsworth
dictate the first message, which she so
cleverly did.
A S is we'll known, the washington sta
ton was first located in the Capt.
toll, and 1t was this station which was
soon afterward removed to Seventh
street between E and F streets. In 1845
Congress appropriated $4,000 for oper-
ating the line between here and Balti-
more Morse was named as superintend-
ent and Alfred Vail and Henry J..
Rogers as assistant superintendent.
Vail, whose services Morse appreciated
as an early partner, generally looked
after the Washington end and Rogers
the Baltimore station, while Morse filled
| In when it became necessary to do so.
Public ownership in this case proved
| poor business, and the next year the
Government made no appropriation.
The telegraph ceased to be operated un-
der Government supervision.
The idea of sending messages by wire
was slow in taking root, and Morse him
self thought hundred thousand dollars
would be as much as he ever hoped to
realize out of it. Indeed, 1t was at this