The American Electro Magnetic Telegraph: With the Reports of Congress, and a Description of All Telegraphs Known, Employing Electricity or GalvanismVail, Alfred
History
The American Electro Magnetic Telegraph: With the Reports of Congress, and a Description of All Telegraphs Known, Employing Electricity or Galvanism
Vail, Alfred
Telegraph -- History
Having explained this arrangement of the electro magnet, the pen lever,
and the battery; the effect of the latter upon the former will now be
described. Let one of the wires from the coils, figure 8,—_a_, for
instance, be extended so far, that it can conveniently and securely
be connected with the mercury cup, N, figure 4, of that pole of the
battery. Then take the wire _b_, figure 8, and extend it also to a
convenient length, so as to be freely handled, and connect it with the
mercury cup, P, figure 4, of the other pole of the battery. It will be
found at the instant the connection is made, that the lever, L, figure
8, will fly up in the direction of the arrow at W. The iron prongs in
the centre of the coils, H and H, which were before perfectly free
from any attractive power, have now become powerfully magnetic by the
inductive influence of the galvanic current following the circuitous
turns of the wire around the iron, so that now the electro magnet
is capable of sustaining twenty or twenty-five pounds weight. This
magnetic power concentrated in the faces of the electro magnet, F
and F, attracts to it the armature or small iron, D, drawing the pen
lever down on that side of its axis, and producing a reverse motion on
the other side at L. Now take out the wire _b_ from the mercury cup,
and in an instant its magnetism is gone, and the lever, L, falls by
the action of the spring, M. If the circuit is closed a second time,
the lever again flies up; and if immediately broken, falls. In this
manner it will continue to operate in perfect obedience to the closing
or breaking of the circuit. If the circuit is closed and broken in
rapid succession, the lever obeys and exhibits a constant and rapid
vibration. If the circuit is closed and then broken after a short
interval, the lever will remain up the same length of time, the circuit
is closed, and falls upon its being broken. Whatever may be the time
the circuit is broken, the lever will remain up for the same length
of time, and whatever may be the time it continues broken, the lever
will remain down for the same time. Suppose the magnet is separated
at the distance of one mile from the battery; upon manipulating at
the battery, at that distance, in the manner just described, the same
vibratory motion is produced in all its varieties, as when they were
removed only a short distance. Separate them 10 miles, and still the
same mysterious fluid is obedient to the pleasure of the operator in
producing the desired motion of the pen lever. If they were separated
at distances of 100 or 1000 or 100,000 miles apart, the lever would
doubtless obey the manipulations of the operator, as readily as if only
distant a few feet. Here is exhibited the principle upon which Morse’s
Electro Magnetic Telegraph is based, and which gives to the several
portions of the civilized world the power of holding instantaneous
communication with each other, with a rapidity far beyond what has
ever before been attained.
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