AN IMPROVED CODE SUITABLE FOR ELECTRO-TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCHES
Year: 1873

page_text: .
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th October 1873.-A communication from abroad by Louis
Hyppolite Mamers Galliand and Eugène Breittmayer, both of Paris,
in the Republic of France.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED CODE SUITABLE FOR ELECTRO-TELEGRAPHIC
DESPATCHES," a communication to me from abroad by Louis Hyppolite
Mamers Galliand and Eugène Breittmayer, both of Paris, in the
Republic of France, to be as follows:-
F
This Invention relates to an improved code to be employed in the
transmission of electro-telegraphic despatches.
The land and submarine telegraph companies admit secret despatches,
allowing five letters or five figures for a word, but letters and figures
cannot be employed simultaneously in the text of a secret despatch.
According to this Invention it is proposed to adopt letters only, as
their combinations furnish a greater number of abbreviative words than

page_text: figures do, and a secret language has been formed, all the words of
which are represented by a number of letters less than five, and the
least number possible. These abbreviative words are 30,752 in number.
Of this number 961 are formed of two letters, and these are designated
binaries; 29,791 are formed of three letters, and these are termed a
ternaries; but it is now proposed to use only the ternaries, for the
reason that in using the binaries it would be necessary to expend a letter
in order to separate each of them, so as to prevent confusion with the
ternaries; there are therefore 29,791 ternaries. Out of this number
18,259 represent one word of ordinary language; 7,688 represent two
words of ordinary language used habitually together; and 3,844
represent three words of ordinary language used habitually together.
It is evident that in the first series a saving is effected by this Inven-
tion of 40 per cent., since five letters are allowed which it is proposed
to express by three; in the second series 70 per cent., since ten letters
are allowed which I also express by three; in the third series 80 per
cent., since fifteen letters are allowed which I also express by three;
whence there is a mean saving of 63 ½ per cent.
The address and signature of a secret despatch must always be in a
clear language, and do not admit of any economy.
Moreover proper
names which could not be provided for may be met with consuming as
many letters as we shall have parenthetical signs to separate them, so
that by the address and signature on the one hand and proper names
unprovided for on the other hand, the saving is reduced to an average
of 43 per cent. in despatches of 20 words, six of which would be taken a
for the causes herein-before mentioned.
The abbreviative dictionary would translate all the languages
admitted in preparing despatches.
It will be first made for the French and English languages.
In order to translate the despatches it is proposed to employ two

page_text: 30
I have 18 letters and pay for 20, say 4 words plus 6 words for the
address and the signature, total, 10 words out of 20, whence a saving of
50 per cent. is effected.

page_text: 6 of which would be taken by the address and signature; but the
increasing ratio of this saving is apparent without its being necessary to
state it in despatches of 30, 40, 50 words and upwards which are quite
.
common.
.
It has been before stated that the abbreviative dictionary contains į
29,791 ternaries. This number is sufficient to express the word for
word of ordinary language which [would be employed in telegraphic
style, including therein the partial conjugation of some tenses of certain
verbs and foreign goods, bills, money, weights, and measures.