The American Electro Magnetic Telegraph — Alfred Vail
You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title : The American Electro Magnetic Telegraph Author : Alfred Vail Release date : February 29, 2020 [eBook #61533] Most recently updated: October 17, 2024 Language : English Other information and formats : www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61533 Credits : Produced by Sharon Joiner, Paul Marshall, Robert Shimmin and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net *** START OF THE AMERICAN ELECTRO MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH: WITH THE REPORTS OF CONGRESS, AND A DESCRIPTION OF ALL TELEGRAPHS KNOWN, EMPLOYING ELECTRICITY OR GALVANISM. ILLUSTRATED BY EIGHTY-ONE WOOD ENGRAVINGS. BY ALFRED VAIL, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF ELEC. MAG. TEL. FOR THE U. S. CANST THOU SEND LIGHTNINGS, THAT THEY MAY GO, AND SAY UNTO THEE, HERE WE ARE?—JOB. “The same principle which justified and demanded the transference of the mail on many chief routes, from the horse-drawn coach on common highways to steam-impelled vehicles on land and water, is equally potent to warrant the calling of the electro magnetic telegraph—that last and most wondrous birth of this wonder-teeming age—in aid of the post office, in discharge of its great function of rapidly transmitting correspondence and intelligence.” Rep. of Com. of Ways and Means of H. R., 1845. PHILADELPHIA: LEA & BLANCHARD. 1845. ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1845, By ALFRED VAIL, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the District of Columbia. DESCRIPTION OF THE AMERICAN ELECTRO MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH. PAGE. Introduction, 7 The Galvanic Battery, 9 The Wire, 13 The Electro Magnet, 13 The Register, 18 The Correspondent, 22 The two Dependent Circuits, 23 The two Independent Circuits, 24 The operation of the Electro Magnetic Telegraph, 25 The Telegraphic Alphabet, 27 Specimen of the Telegraphic Language, 28 Telegraphic Alphabets for two, three, four, five, and six pens, operating together, or in succession, 30 Correspondent or Key, 32 The Lever Key, 40 The Circuit of the Electro Magnet, closed and broken by the movement of the Lever itself, acted upon by the Electro Magnet. Showing the rapidity with which it is possible to close and break the Circuit, 41 Conducting Power and Galvanic action of the Earth, 43 Six Independent Circuits, with Six Wires, each wire making an Independent Line of Communication, 44 Mode of Secret Correspondence, 46 Experiments made with 100 pairs of Grove’s Battery, passing through 160 miles of insulated wire, 53 The Galvanometer or Galvanoscope, 57 An Interesting Experiment of supporting a Large Bar of Iron within the Helix, 59 Application of the Electro Magnetic Telegraph to the Determination of Longitude, 59 Mode of Crossing Broad Rivers, or other Bodies of Water Without Wires, 60 Telegraphic Chess Playing, 63 Improvement in the Magneto Electric Machine, and Application of this Instrument to operate the Magnetic Telegraph, 65 REPORTS OF CONGRESS ON THE SUBJECT OF ELECTRO MAGNETIC TELEGRAPHS. Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting a Report upon the Subject of a System of Telegraphs for the United States, December, 11, 1837, 67 Circular to certain Collectors of the Customs, Commanders of Revenue Cutters, and other persons, March 10th, 1837, 68 Letter from S. F. B. Morse to the Secretary of the Treasury, September 27, 1837, 69 Letter from S. F. B. Morse to the Secretary of the Treasury, November 28th, 1837, 73 Letter from S. F. B. Morse to the Editors of the Journal of Commerce, Sept’r 4, 1837, 74 Specimen of Telegraphic Writing made by Means of Electricity, at the distance of one-third of a mile, 75 Report of the Committee on Commerce to the House of Representatives, April 6, 1838, 76 Report of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, February 8, 1838, 79 Letter from S. F. B. Morse to the Hon. F. O. J. Smith, February 15, 1838, 80 Letter from S. F. B. Morse to the Hon. F. O. J. Smith, February 22, 1838, 82 Report of the Committee on Commerce to the House of Representatives, Dec’r 30, 1842, 83 A Bill to test the Practicability of Establishing a System of Electro Magnetic Telegraphs by the United States, 87 Letter from Professor Henry to Professor Morse, February 24, 1842, 87 Report of the American Institute on the Electro Magnetic Telegraph, Sept’r 12, 1842, 88 Letter from S. F. B. Morse to the Hon. C. G. Ferris, December 6, 1842, 89 Communication from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting the Report of Professor Morse, announcing the Completion of the Electro Magnetic Telegraph, between the Cities of Washington and Baltimore, June 4, 1844, 97 Letter from S. F. B. Morse to Hon. McClintock Young, June 3, 1844, 98 Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting a Letter from S. F. B. Morse, relative to the Magnetic Telegraph, December 23, 1844, 101 Letter from S. F. B. Morse to the Hon. G. M. Bibb, December 12, 1844, 101 Report of the Committee of Ways and Means to the House of Representatives, March 3, 1845, 107 HISTORY OF TELEGRAPHS EMPLOYING ELECTRICITY IN VARIOUS WAYS FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF INTELLIGENCE. Discoveries in Electricity, 115 Electrical Feast on the Schuylkill, 119 Dr. Franklin’s Experiment in Drawing Electricity from the Clouds, 120 Lomond’s Electrical Telegraph, (1787,) 121 Reizen’s Electric Spark Telegraph, (1794,) 121 Dr. Salva’s Electric Spark Telegraph, (1798,) 123 Discovery of Galvanism, (1790,) 123 Discovery of the Decomposition of Water by the Agency of the Galvanic Pile, 125 Samuel Thomas Soemmering’s Voltaic Electric Telegraph, (1809,) 126 Extract from the Journal of the Franklin Institute in relation to the Use of Galvanism for Telegraphic Purposes, (1816,) 128 Ronald’s Electric Telegraph, (1816,) 130 Discovery of Electro Magnetism, (1819,) 132 Extract from a