Year: 1873

Not many evenings ago an intelligent,
gentemanly looking individual presented
himself at our door and asked +" if we didn't
want the district telegraph put into our
house." At the same time he handed over
for our examination very pretty little in
strument composed of cog wheels, and
somewhat resembling clock. 1--WE attach
the instrument to the WALL" he said, in
some convenient position in your house, and
to it we connect wire leading to your roof.
where it unites with another wire that ex-
tends to one of our district Offices on Broad
way" Pointing to small knob, he con-
tinued: E" If fire breaks out in your house.
you just push that lever, and in three min
utes the fremen will be here If thieves
break in, you move that other lever, and in
three minutes the policeman will make his
appearance. If you want special messen-
ger to go upon any sort of business. night
or day you just turn this little button and
in three minutes the man will be at your
door ready for service. The signals you
thus make are all received and recorded at
our Broadway Office, where we keep force
of attendants, in readiness at all hours. to
execute the requirements Of our customers
Your wife or any other intelligent person
can make the signals. We make no charge
for putting the instrument into your house
or for keeping it in order ;. but you pay us
50 80 a month for its use, aud fifteen cents
an hour for the time occupied by our mes
sengers in doing your business. When You
go away to the country in summer. you can
have an attachment put on, so fixed that if
burglars attempt to break in. an alarm will
be sounded at our Office when our police
men will quickly surround the house, and
catch the thief in the act"


We rather liked the idea of having such
a telegraph in the house, gave the order,
and it was promptly put in.


In the course of a week or so afterward
thinks we to ourselves, that is our wife and
we, lets try our telegraph just Tor fun, and
see whether the telegraph folks are as wide
awake as they pretend, or whether they are
mapping" This was early in the morning,
just between getting up time and breakfast
before business begins II the hour when
night hands 60 home and day hands have
not yet come the time when the manager
is probably not on hand. Now let's see
what this new tangled telegraph is good for
So we pressed the knob and there follow
ed a slight click and a buzz We looked at
our watch, went down stair, took seats at
the breakfast table, when we were startled
by ring at the door-bell Messenger
from the District Telegraph Office Got
your signal. Wants to known what is want
ed" was the report that came to US. Look
ing at our watch, we found that Just two
and half minutes had elapsed since we
gave the signal We felt little bit sheep
ish in being obliged to tell the messenger
that We had sent for him "just for fun, to
see whether he was awake" ETC., and as we
were entirely satisfied on that point, he re-
tired, sorry that we had no real business for
him to do.


After breakfast, we went to the COM
pany's Office, where we found Morse paper
recording apparatus, with which the various
dwelling houses in the district are connect
ed. Whenever a signal is given from any
of the houses in the circuit, gong sounds
in the Office, which notifies the attendant
and at the same time the telegraph clock
work is set in motion; the paper moves.
and upon it a signal is stamped and restamp-
ed or repeated. Each house instrument
gives different signal, and the various sig
uoS, WIN thC udiHco vi tuo OCCupdDIS anu
the numbers of the respective dwelling
houses are registered or tabulated on the
WALL like hotel indicator. BY glancing al
the register, the attendant sees at once from
what house the signal has come, also its
nature, whether q fire has occurred rob
berry going on, or messenger needed. The
Office is in connection with the city fire tel
egraph and police offices. and instant signals
are sent thther if required.


Taken altogether, this district or domestic
telegraph is most useful and valuable in
stitution, promotive of comfort, convenience
and safety of families. That it will soon
come into general use can not be doubted
The wires are so arranged that in case they
are severed, either by design or accident, an
alarm is instantly sounded at the district
office and the repairs are quickly made
Scientific American