Year: 1874




Wednesday afternoon last. at the
Broadway Office of the Western
Union Telegraph Company, a test
was made of an invention which
promises to be of almoet as much
Importance to the present age as
were Morse's first achievements to
the people of his own time. The
test resulted successfully, and it
proved that four messages can be
simultaneously sent on single
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 to look little
backward. y" Morse took the first
step in telegraphy-and the first is
always the greatest-by the inven
ton of system by which messages
could be sent between any two
terminal points, and dropped at
any way station on the circuit.
The objection to this system was
that the transmission of single
message occupied wire entirely.
And though electricians were con-
vinced that q different result could
be attained, no one showed how it
could be done until so recently as
three years ago, when Mr.. j. B.
Sterns invented the duplex appa>
ratus That was the second great
step, and it instantly doubled the
capacity of every wire which even
had been erected. By the Stearns
process, two messages can be sent
simultaneously on single wire in
opposite directions between any
two terminal points. But this
system, like the Morse, had it's
Objectionable message could not
be dropped at any way station ex-
cept by the use of q repeater.
Nevertheless, the invention was
recognized as of immense practical
Importance throughout the world.
A few days ago was taken third
great step, and one not inferior to
either of the others. 1t needs only
to be said of it, to recommend it to
the least scientific, that in one
instant it will quadruple the
usefulness of the 175,OOO miles
of wire owned by the Western
Union Telegraph Company. It is
a new process of multiple trans
nilsson by which two messages can
be sent simultaneously in the same
direction over the same wire, and
either message can be dropped at
any way station on the circuit. Nor
is this all. The old duplex system
can be applied to the new invention,
and by the combination four mes.
sages can be sent simultaneously
over the same wire in opposite
directions between any two termi
nal points. And not the least
recommendation of the discovery
is, that it calls for no changes; thu
old Morse key is used, without tn,
need of any new class Of OPERATOR
las in the automatic telegraph ], ant
with no duplication except as t.
parts of machinery. The inventio,
is the result of the joint labors o
Messrs. George 3. Prescott AM
Thomas A. Edison. And if no
scientifically, at least practically,
great deal of credit is also due t.


the enterprising policy of Mr.. Wi
liam Orton, the President of tn
company. Of course it is needles


to add that the new system will b


speedily put into practice by th


Western Union Company, by whor


the patent is controlled. It wi


make itself in more ways than ont


For instance, the Western Unio


Telegraph Company have bee


forced to erect $4,000 miles of viii


during the last three years, and (


course at an immense expense. A


indefinite future like that could NJ


be very satisfactory to stock hole
ers. But this year scarcely 2,O(
miles need be erected, and evel
wire is practically four But wit
out further enlargement, and a
most in the words of Mr.. Orto


the discovery may be called Il
solution of all difficulties in Il


future telegraphic science.-Ne
II York Times.