Part 17
DEAR SIR—On my arrival here I received your letter, calling upon my recollection for what was said on the subject of an electric telegraph, during the passage from Havre, on board of the ship Sully, in October, 1832. I am happy to say, I have a distinct remembrance of your suggesting, as a thought newly occurred to you, the possibility of a telegraphic communication being effected by electric wires. As the passage progressed, and your idea developed itself, it became frequently a subject of conversation. Difficulty after difficulty was suggested as obstacles to its operation, which your ingenuity still labored to remove, until your invention, passing from its first crude state through different grades of improvement, was, in seeming, matured to an available instrument, wanting only patronage to perfect it, and call it into reality; and I sincerely trust that circumstances may not deprive you of the reward due to the invention, which, whatever be its source in Europe, is with you at least, I am convinced, original.
When you observed to me a few days before leaving the ship, “_well, Captain, when you hear of the telegraph one of these days, as the wonder of the world, remember the discovery was made on board the good ship Sully_,” I, then, little thought, I should ever be called upon to throw into the scale, my mite of testimony in support of your claims to priority of invention, for what seemed so startling a novelty. With my respects and best wishes, I subscribe myself, WILLIAM W. PELL.
SAMUEL F. B. MORSE, ESQ.
A subsequent letter from Captain Pell, dated February 1st, 1838, after having seen the operation of the telegraph at the University, has the following paragraph:
“When, a few days since, I examined your instrument, _I recognized in it the principles and mechanical arrangements_, which, on board, I had heard you so _frequently explain_ through all their developments.”
From a letter now in possession of the author, and addressed to him by Prof. Morse, we make the following extract:
“In 1826, the lectures, before the New York Atheneum, of Dr. J. F. Dana, who was my particular friend, gave to me the first knowledge ever possessed of electro magnetism; and some of the properties of the _electro magnet_; a knowledge which I made available in 1832 as the basis of my own plan of an electro telegraph. I claim to be the original suggestor and inventor of the electric magnetic telegraph, on the 19th of October, 1832, on board the packet ship Sully, on my voyage from France to the United States, and, _consequently_, the inventor of the first, really _practicable telegraph on the electric principle_. The plan then conceived and drawn out in all its essential characteristics, is the one now in successful operation. All the telegraphs in Europe, which are practicable, are based on a different principle, and, _without an exception_, were invented subsequently to mine.
“The thought occurred to me, in a general conversation, as seated at the table with the passengers, in which the experiments of Franklin to ascertain the velocity of electricity through three or four miles. The thought at once occurred to me that electricity might be made the means of conveying intelligence, and that a system of signs might easily be devised for the purpose. I ought, perhaps, to say, that the conception of the idea of an _electric telegraph_, was original with me at that time, and I supposed that I was the first that had ever associated the two words together, nor was it until my invention was completed, and had been successfully operated through ten miles, that I, for the first time, learned, that the idea of an electric telegraph had been conceived by another. To me it was original, and its total dissimilarity from all the inventions and even suggestions of others, may be thus accounted for. I had not the remotest hint from others, till my whole invention was in successful operation. I employed myself in the wakeful hours of the night, as well as in the tedious hours of the day, _in devising the signs, adapting them to a single circuit of wire_, and in _constructing machinery which should record the signs upon paper_, for I thought of no plan short of a mode of recording.”
On the second of September, 1837, the author, with several others, witnessed the first exhibition of this electric telegraph, and soon after became a partner with the inventor. Immediate steps were taken for constructing an instrument for the purpose of exhibiting its powers before the members of Congress. This was done at the Speedwell Iron Works, Morristown, N.J. and exhibited in operation with a circuit of two miles. A few days after, it was again exhibited at the University of the City of New York, for several days, to a large number of invited ladies and gentlemen. The circuit at this time was increased to ten miles. Immediately after this exhibition the instruments and ten miles of wire were taken to Washington, and continued in operation for several months, in the room of the Committee on Commerce at the capitol. Its history and progress, after this period, may be gathered from the preceding documents, printed by order of Congress.
_Schilling Electric Telegraph._
We make the following extract in relation to Schilling’s telegraph from the Polytechnic Central Journal, Nos. 31, 32, 1838:
“Baron Schilling, of Caunstadt, a Russian Counsellor of State, likewise occupied himself with telegraphs by electricity, (see Allgem Bauztg, 1837, No. 52, p. 440,) and had the merit of having presented a much simpler contrivance, and of removing some of the difficulties of the earlier plans. He reckoned many variations to the right, or left, following in a certain order for a telegraphic sign, as, indeed, in this manner, the needle was strongly varied, and only came to rest gradually, after many repeated vibrations; he introduced a small rod of platinum, with a scoop, which dipped into a vessel of quicksilver, placed beneath the needle, and by the check given, changed the vibration of the needle into sudden jerks. In order to apprise the attendant of a telegraphic despatch, he loosed an alarm. How much of this contrivance was Schilling’s own, or whether a portion of it was not an imitation of Gauss and Weber, the author cannot decide, but that Schilling had already experimented, probably with a more imperfect apparatus, before the Emperor Alexander, and still later before Emperor Nicholas, is affirmed by the documents quoted.”
From the report of the “Academy of Industry,” Paris, February, 1839, we make the following extract, in relation to the same subject:
“At the end of the year, 1832, and in the beginning of 1833, M. Le Baron de Schilling constructed, at St. Petersburg, an electric telegraph, which consisted in a certain number of platinum wires, insulated and united in a cord of silk, which put in action, by the aid of a species of key, 36 magnetic needles, each of which were placed vertically in the centre of a multiplier. M. de Schilling was the first who adapted to this kind of apparatus, an ingenious mechanism, suitable for sounding an alarm, which, when the needle turned at the beginning of the correspondence, was set in play by the fall of a little ball of lead, which the magnetic needle caused to fall. This telegraph of M. de Schilling, was received with approbation by the Emperor, who desired it established on a larger scale, but the death of the inventor postponed the enterprise indefinitely.”
Dr. Steinheil in his article “upon telegraphic communication,” published in the London Annals of Electricity, states, “that the experiments instituted by Schilling, by the deflection of a single needle, seems much better contrived, than the arrangement which Davy has proposed, in which illuminated letters are shown by the removal of screens placed in front of them.”
It would appear, that the French report is either incorrect, or that M. de Schilling had two plans in contemplation. His plan as intimated in the first and third extracts, is that of using a single needle in the form of a galvanometer, by means of which he made his signals, for instance, one deflection to the right might denote _e_; two _i_; three _b_: one deflection to the left _t_; two _s_; three _v_. His code of signals would then be devised in this manner:
rl A rrrl K llr U rrr B lrrr L lll V rll C lrl M rlrl W rrl D lr N lrlr X r E rlr O rllr Y rrrr F llrr P rlrr Z llll G lllr Q rrlr & rlll H lrr R lrrl go on rr I ll S lrll stop rrll J l T llrl finish
rlrlr 1 lrlrl 6 rrlrr 2 rrllr 7 rlllr 3 rllrr 8 lrrrl 4 llrll 9 lrrll 5 llrrl 0
If, however, his plan was that ascribed to him, by the Academy of Industry, of using 36 needles and 72 wires, it was exceedingly complicated and expensive, and was similar to that invented by Mr. Alexander, with the exception that Schilling used twice the number of wires.
[27]_The Electro Magnetic Telegraph, of Counsellor Gauss and Professor William Weber, invented at Göttingen, 1833._
The deflection of the magnetic bar, by means of the multiplier, through the agency of the galvanic fluid, excited by the magneto electric machine, is the basis of their plan.
[27] From the Polytechnic Central Journal, 1838, Nos. 31, 32.
Figure 51 represents a side view of the apparatus, used at the _receiving_ station: _a, a_ is a side view of the multiplier, composed of 30,000 feet of wire, (almost 5½ miles,) upon a table, B: _n, s_ is the magnetic bar, weighing 30 pounds, from which rises a vertical stem, _o_, upon which is a rod at right angles, supporting a mirror, H, on one end, and at the other a metallic ball, I, as a counteracting weight to that of the mirror. The magnetic bar is suspended by a small wire, fastened to the vertical stem, and at the top is wound round the spiral of the screw, _i_, which turns in the standards, _h′_ and _h_, upon the platform, A, and which is secured to the ceiling. In the standards, _h′_, there is cut a female screw, of the same gradation as that upon which the wire is wound. By this means, the magnetic bar may be raised or let down, by turning the screw, without taking the bar from its central position in the multiplier: _g_ is a screw for fastening the spiral shaft, when properly adjusted. P and N are the two ends of the wire of the multiplier. G is a stand for supporting the spy-glass, D, and also the case, E, into which slides the scale, F. The mirror, H, is at right angles with the magnetic bar, and presents its face to the spy-glass, D, as also to the scale at E. It is so adjusted, that the reflection of the scale at E, from the mirror, may be distinctly seen by the spy-glass. If the magnetic bar turns either to the right or left, the mirror must move with it, and if a person is observing it through the spy-glass, the scale will appear to move at the same time, thereby presenting to the eye of the observer another part of the scale than that seen when the bar is not deflected. The figures on the scale will show in what direction the bar has turned, and thus render it distinct to the observer, the only apparent object of the mirror, spy-glass and scale.
For the purpose of generating the galvanic fluid, they use the magneto electric machine. Their plan, being unwieldy and difficult to operate, is omitted, and in its stead, we introduce that form of it, invented by Dr. Page, which has already been described in figures 45, 46 and 47. There is also required for the purpose of making the desired deflections of the magnetic bar, a commutator, or pole changer, such as we have described in figures 48, 49 and 50. Figure 51 represents that portion of the apparatus at the _receiving_ station. The magneto electric machine, and the pole changer, properly connected, are the instruments of the _transmitting_ station. Two wires, or one wire and the ground, form the circuit between these two stations. The machine is put in operation by turning the crank, and the person sending the intelligence is stationed at the commutator, and directs the current through the extended wires to the multiplier of the receiving station, so as to deflect the bar to the right or left, in any succession he may choose, or suspend its action for any length of time.
“But in the apparatus for observation, the observer looks into the spy-glass, and writes up the kind and results of the variations of the magnetic needle. In order to have a control of the recorder, let there be a good number of spy-glasses directed towards the same mirror, in which observers may watch independently of each other. Suppose that five variations of the magnetic needle signifies a letter. L denotes a variation to the left, and R to the right. Then, might r r r r r denote A; r r r r l denote B; r r r l r denote C; r r l r r denote D; and so on. In the whole, we obtain, by the different arrangements of the five, which are made with the two letters, R and L, 32 different telegraphic signs, which may answer for letters and numbers, and of which we can select those where the most changes are introduced between _r_ and _l_, as the most common letters, in order, in the best possible manner, to notice the constant variations of the magnetic needle.”
The following would be the alphabetical signs, as arranged from the above directions:
A r r r r r | I or Y l l r l l | R r r r l l B r r r r l | K l r r r l | S or Z r r l r l C r r r l r | L r l r r r | T l l r l r D r r l r r | M r r l l l | U r l l l r E r l r l r | N l l l l l | V l r r l l F l r r r r | O l r l l l | W l l l l r G or J l r l r r | P l r l r l | H r l r r l | Q l l r r r |
_Numerals._ 1 r l l l l | 6 r l l r r 2 r r l l r | 7 l l l r l 3 r l r l l | 8 l l r r l 4 r l l r l | 9 l r r l r 5 l l l r r | 0 l r l l r
It will be seen, that, by representing the letters and numerals with these variously combined deflections of the needle, words and sentences may be transmitted. At the end of each letter there is a suspension of the action of the bar for a short time, and at the end of a word, a still longer pause. This plan of an electric telegraph was tried for a distance of one mile and a quarter, in Göttingen. Of its further success, we are not informed.
_Experiment of Messrs. Taquin & Ettieyhausen._[28]
“Messrs. Taquin and Ettieyhausen made experiments with a telegraphic line over two streets in Vienna, 1836. The wires passed through the air and under the ground of the Botanic garden.”
No other account appears to have been given of their experiments than that quoted above.
[28] From the Polytechnic Central Journal, 1838.
_Electro Magnetic Printing Telegraph, invented by Alfred Vail, September, 1837._
Soon after my connection with Professor Morse as copartner, and at the time I was constructing an instrument for exhibiting the advantages of his telegraph to a committee of Congress, it occurred to me, that a plan might be devised, by means of which the letters of the alphabet could be employed in recording telegraphic messages. I immediately gave it my attention, and produced the following plan:
Figure 52 represents a front and side view of the instrument.
Figure 55 is a top view.
Figure 56 is a back view.
The same parts are represented by the same letters in the three views. In figure 52, Q, Q is the platform upon which the whole instrument is placed. M and M are wooden blocks supporting parts of the instrument, K is the helix of the soft iron bar, H, passing through its centre, and there is another coil and bar directly behind this; the two making the electro magnet. G is its armature, fastened to the lever, F, F, which has its axis at I, (seen in figure 55, at X, X.) R is a brass standard for supporting the lever, F, upon its axis, by means of two pivot screws: _a_ and _a_ are two screws passing vertically, through the standard, R, for limiting the motion of the lever, F, F. J is a spiral spring, at its upper end, fastened to the lever, F, and at its lower end passes through the screw, L, by which it is adjusted, so as to withdraw the armature from the magnet, after it has ceased to attract, and for other purposes, hereafter to be explained. N and O is a brass frame, containing the type wheel, B′, and the pulley, E and U. P and P represent the edge of a narrow strip of paper, passing between the type wheel and pulley, E. D is the printer, which, at the bottom, forms a joint with the end of the lever F and _r_. B represents twenty-four metallic pins, or springs, projecting at right angles from the side of the type wheel; each pin corresponding in its distance from the centre of the type wheel, to its respective hole, represented by dots upon, the index, C; so that if the pin is put in any one of the holes, the type wheel, in its revolution, will bring its corresponding pin in contact with it.
There are 24 holes corresponding to the following letters of the alphabet. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, and the types are lettered accordingly. The cog wheels, T and S, are a part of the train of the clock. The lever, F, F, has two motions, one up and another down, and both are employed by an attachment at the end of the lever, _r_, and in the following manner: figures 53 and 54 represent a front and end view of the roller, E, and printer, D, (figure 52,) enlarged. D is the printer, figure 53, of the form shown by D, (figure 54.) E is the roller over which the paper, P, is carried. A is the front of the type having ears, _h, h_, projecting from each side. Through the sides of the printer, D, D, a rod, U, passes, in order to give more firmness to the frame. The rod projects a little on each side of the frame at J, J. These projections slide in a long groove in the frames, N and O, figure 52, by which the printer is kept in its position, and allowed freely to move up and down. It will be observed that the upper parts of the frame, D, D, extends over the top of the roller, E, and nearly touch each other, but are so far separated, as to let the type, A, of the type wheel, in its revolution, freely pass between them: _d′, d′_, are the sides of the joint, which are connected with the lever, F, fig. 52. From the construction of this part, it will appear that if the printer, D, is brought down by the action of the magnet upon the lever, the two projections, _k, k_, will come in contact with the ears, _h, h_, and bring the type in contact with the paper upon the roller, E, and produce an impression. In figure 54 is shown a ratchet wheel, _i_, on the end of the roller, E, a catch, _e_, and spring, _c′_, adapted to the ratchet. Upon the release of the lever, F, fig. 52, the spring, J, will carry down the lever on that side of its axis, and up at _r_, which will cause the roller, E, to turn, and consequently the paper, P, to advance so much by the action of the catch, _e_, upon the ratchet wheel, as will be sufficient for printing the next letter.
Figure 55 represents a top view of the machine. S is the barrel upon which is wound a cord, sustaining a weight which drives the clock train, and upon the same shaft with it is a cog wheel driving the pinion, _m_, on the shaft, T; and on the same shaft, T, is another cog wheel, driving the pinion, _n_, of the type wheel shaft, I′. K and K, are the helices of the large magnet, of which H and H are the soft iron arms. M, M, M, M, are the blocks which support the instrument. F and F is the lever, _a_ and _a_ its adjusting screws; _x′_ and _x′_ its axis; _k_ and _k_ are the two upper coils of the two electro magnets at the back part of the instrument for purposes hereafter to be described; _x_ is the wire soldered to the plate buried in the ground; _p_ is the wire proceeding to the battery; _c_ is the connecting wire of the two electro magnets, _k_ and _k_; w is the support of the pendulum; _v_ is the escapement wheel; A is the type wheel; D and D is the printer, and B the roller over which the paper, P, is carried.
Figure 56 represents a back view of the instrument; _k_, _k_ and _k_, _k_ are the coils of two electro magnets, surrounding the soft iron bars, _d_, _d_ and _d, d_; _b_ and _b_ are the flat bars through which _d, d_ and _d, d_ pass, and are fastened together by the screw nuts _c, c_ and _c, c_. The right hand electro magnet is fastened to the blocks, M and M, by the support, _f_ and _f_; from which proceeds a bolt passing between the coils, _k_ and _k_, and the block, _h_, with a thumb-nut upon it, by which the whole is permanently secured. In the same manner the left hand magnet is secured to the block, M. R′ is the outside portion of the brass frame containing the clock work. W is a standard fastened to R′, for supporting the pendulum, Y. X, Y, and _l_ are parts common to a chronometer for measuring the time, viz. the escapement and pendulum. The escapement wheel has 24 teeth, corresponding in number with the type on the wheel, and such is the arrangement of the parts, that when the pendulum is upon the point of return, either on the right or left hand, a type is directly over the paper, and the armature, _g_, is near the face of one or the other of the magnets; so that, if an impression is to be made with the type, thus brought to the paper, the pendulum, Y, is ready to be held by the magnet at the same time from making another swing until the type has performed its office, which will be hereafter explained.
A shows the type as they are arranged on the wheel. The types are square, and move freely in a groove, cut out of the brass type wheel. At 1 and 2 are seen flat brass rings, which are screwed to the wheel, and over the types, confining them to their proper places. Z is a spiral spring, of which there is one to each type, by means of which the type is brought back to its former position, after it is released by the printer. Through each type there is a pin, against which the inner end of the spiral spring rests. The outer end of the spring rests against the circular plate. W represents the wire from the upper helix, soldered to the metallic frame, R′. The two helices of the left hand magnet are joined together, and from the bottom helix the wire proceeds to the lower coil of the right hand magnet. These two helices are likewise connected, and the wire leaves the upper coil at _x_. Thus the wire is continuous from _w_ to _x_. From _x_, the wire is continued to a copper plate, buried in the earth. The frame, R′, being brass, the arbor of the type wheel, and the wheel itself, and each being in metallic contact, they answer as a continuous conductor with the wire, _w_, for the galvanic fluid.