Year: 1874

Wednesday afternoon last, at the Broad
way office of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, a test was made of an in
vention which promises to be OF almost
more importance to the present age than
were MOrSe's first achievements 70 the
people of his own time. The test resulted
successfully, and it proved that four mes
Sages can be simultaneously sent on sin
gle wire in opposite directions, and with
no more liability to mistake than as If an
equal number of wires were used. To
make the matter clear it will be necessary
t. look Il little backward. Morse took the
first step in telegraphy-and the first is al
ways the .greatest-by the invention of Il
system by which messages could be sent
between any two terminal points, and
dropped at any way station on the circuit.
The objection 10 this system was thai the
transmission of single message occupied
a wire entirely. And though electricians
were convinced that a different result could
be attained, no one showed now it could
be done until so recently IS three years
ago, when Mr.. j. B. Stearns invented the
duplex apparatus. That was the second
great step and it instantly doubled the ca
pacity of every wire which ever had been
erected. By the Stearns process, two





single wire in opposite directions between
any two terminal points. But this sys-
TEN, like the Morse, had its Objectionable
message could not be dropped at any way
station except by the use of repet ter.
Nevertheless, the invention was recOg-
niZed as of immense practical importance
throughout the world. Two days ago
was taken third great step, and one not
inferior TO either of the others. it needs
only to be said of it, TO recommend
it to the least scientific, that in
one instant it will quadruple the use
fulnesS of the 175,000 miles of wire owned
by the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany. 1t is new process of multiple
transmission by which two messages can
be sent ntSimultaneously in the same direction
over the same wire, and either message can
be dropped at any way station on the cir
cult. Nor is this all. The old duplex sys-
tenn can be applied to the new invention,
and by the combination four messages can
be sent simultaneously over the same wire
in opposite directions between any two
terminal points. And not the lcastrecOm-
menda;ion of the discovery is, that it calls
for no changes: the old Morse key is used,
without the need of any new class of Oper-
atOrS las in the automatic telegraph), and
with no duplication except as to parts of
The invention is the result of
the joint labOrs of Messrs. George B. Pres
colt and Thomas A. Edison. And if not
at least practically, great
deal of credit is also due to the enterpris-
ing policy of Mr.. William OrtOn, the Presi-
dent of the company. OF course it is need
less to add that the new system will be
speedily put into practice by the Western
Union Company, by whom the patent is
controlled. 1t will make itself felt in more
ways than one. For instance, the Western
Union Telegraph Company have been
forced to erect 10000 miles of wire. during
the last three years, and of course at an
expense. An indefinite future
like that could not be very satisfactory to
But this year scarcely 1000
miles need be erected, and every wire is
four. But without further en-
argement, and almost in the words of Mr..
OrtOn, the discovery may be called the So
luton of all difficulties in the future of
science.-Ne10 York Times.