Telegraph Register
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This telegraph register is a replica of one of the 1844 units used on Samuel Morse’s line between Baltimore and Washington. The red coils are electromagnets and are much larger than those used on later registers. Telegraph registers are electrically-activated printers that receive Morse code messages. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. The pulses energize the register’s electromagnets which move a lever-arm holding a pen or stylus. A clockwork mechanism pulls a strip of paper across the pen or stylus, recording the message. Short pulses draw or emboss a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: web subject
content: Communication, telegraph
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Telegraph Registers
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content: Communications
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Western Union Corporation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.331525
label: accession number
content: 294351
label: catalog number
content: 331525
objectType: label: Object Name
content: telegraph receiver
label: Object Name
content: telegraph register
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: brass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: copper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 1/4 in x 14 in x 6 in; 20.955 cm x 35.56 cm x 15.24 cm