Evening star., 1944-04-23
Otanps
By James Waldo Fa,cceft

By James Waldo FatOceff
A stamp intended to recognize
the centennial Of the electric tele-
graph may be added to the issues
for the 125th anniversary of the
flrst transatlantic teamshi ip
crossing and the 18th anniversary
Of the completion Of the first trans
continental railroad. Rejecting
local as well as national interest in
such a commemorative label, The
Star on Monday last advocated it
in an editorial appealing to POST
master General Frank G. Walker
not to neglect the opportunities Of
the celebration long planned for
May "A.
It was from the old Supreme
Court room In the Capitol that
Prof. Samuel F. B. Morse, a dis
tinguished painter as well as q
famous inventor, sent the first mes
sage over the experimental wires
to the Mount Glare station in
Baltimore, q hundred years ago q
month from tomorrow. 81
The story of the pioneer trans
mission is as dramatic as anything
ever produced by q professional
writer Of fiction. Prof. Morse, born
at CharIestown, Mass, April ~,
1891, and graduated at Yale in
the class of 1910, had been at work
on his endeavor to solve the prob
lens Of electrical communication
ever since 1882. He had persevered
with the labor despite innumer-
able discouragements. The worlds
need for quick facilities for ex-
changing ideas was demonstrated
to him in a tragic manner in 1925
when his beloved wife died in
suburb of Boston and news of her
death did not reach him in Wash
ington until a whole week after
the funeral.
Efforts to interest Congress in
financing the necessary experiments
were made again and again, but
they failed-until in the last few
minutes Of the closing session OF
i943 an appropriation of $4,000 was
passed and President Tyler signed
the bill. Word Of the Governments
decision to support q trial series Of
wires was brought to Prof. Morse by
Annie, the daughter Of his friend
Henry Leavitt Ellsworth, commits
sioner of patents. In gratitude, he
promised her the privilege of select
ing the text of the first message to
be dispatched over the line.
Ezra Cornell, now immortal as the
founder of the university which
bears his name, was chosen to con-
struct the projected system" He at
tempted to lay the wires in pipes
along the right of way of the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad, but the
insulation was defective, and he was
obliged to adopt the so-called "over-
head" alternative Of wires strung
from pole to pole.
When the line finally was COM
plete, a crowd of celebrities gathered
at the Capitol on May "a, 1874, to
watch the sending of the premier
message. Among those present were
Dolly Madison and Henry Clay.
Prof. Morse sat down at the key
shortly before 8 am. A few min
utes later Miss Ellsworth arrived
with the words Of the communica-
ton she had chosen. They were:
hath God wrought" from the 23d
verse Of the 23d chapter of the Book
of Numbers in the Old Testament.
The actual transmission began at
8:45. In Baltimore Alfred Vail
received the message and repeated
1t back to Washington, where it
was received with cheers"
But some of the spectators still
declined to be convinced. Prof.
Morse offered to sell his invention
to the Government, but it was re-
fused on the theory that "it was
merely scientific toy and that it
never would be self-supporting." It
remained for private enterprise to
make the benefits Of the telegraph
available to the world"
Meanwhile, however, the Post
once Department briefly was in
charge of the operation of the line
to Baltimore. At least there is
a bronze plate on the postal sub
station In Seventh street between
D and F streets NV, reading:
Samuel F. B. Morse, artist and
inventor, opened and operated on
this site under direction of the
Post Office Department, the first
public telegraph Office in the United
States, April /, l845. What hath
God wrought"
Collectors who agree that a
stamp should be issued for the
centenary of Prof. Morse's inven-
ton are invited to write to Deputy
Third Assistant Postmaster General
Roy M. North to that effect.
The Ralph A. Barry Trophy COM
petition among phi ilatenc writer's,
sponsored by Col. Hans Lagerloef
Of New York, has been discontinued
''for the duration"
Dealers allegedly are "cashing in"
on the present fad for everything
Russian, including Soviet issues
which only a few years ago could
not be given away.
The Collectors Club of Washing
ton will meet at the Thomson
School, Twelfth and L streets NV,
Tuesday evening at 8, with pro-
gram of entertainment, an exhibi-
ton and bourse scheduled.
A philatelic quiz Is to be the
feature of meeting of the WASH
ington Philatelic Society at the Lee
Sheraton Hotel, Fifteenth and L
streets NV, Wednesday evening at
s. Samuel Burgess will be in charge
Of the exchange of questions and
answers.