The American Electro Magnetic Telegraph: With the Reports of Congress, and a Description of All Telegraphs Known, Employing Electricity or Galvanism — John Shaqi
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
The last diagram, as has been stated, exhibits the plan of the
wire and ground, as used for telegraphic purposes, from its first
operation, until the adjournment of Congress in 1844, being prevented
from completing the arrangement of the third mode from the throng of
visitors, that pressed to see its operation. After the close of the
session, the following arrangement of the wires was made, as shown
in the diagram, figure 14, by means of which, both stations could
transmit at the same time, with one battery for both, and the keys
were not required to be closed. It is called the two _independent
circuits_. Here the west wire is used for transmitting from B to W;
and the east wire from W to B. The copper plates at B and W remain
as they are described in the second plan. _Bat_, the battery, at B
is used in common for both circuits. It is simply necessary here to
designate the course which the fluid takes when both lines are in
operation, viz. B transmitting to W; and W to B. In the former case,
the current is from P of the battery to _k_, then the _west wire_,
then to _m′_, at W, then to _C′_, thence through the ground to _C_ at
B, and then to the N, or negative pole of the battery, as shown by the
arrows. In the latter case, the current is from P of the battery to
_m_, then the _east wire_, then to _k′_, at W, thence to _C′_, thence
through the ground to C at B, thence to the N, or north pole of the
battery, as shown by the arrows. This arrangement, by which one battery
is made efficient for both circuits at the same time, where two were
formerly used, was devised by Mr. Vail, assistant superintendent, in
the spring of 1844, and has contributed much to diminish the care and
expense in maintaining that part of the apparatus of the telegraph. One
battery being now used instead of two. By the above diagram, it will
be perceived that the _ground_ is common to both circuits, as well as
the _battery_, and also the wire from the N pole of the battery, to
the copper plate, C; and from the copper plate, C′, to the junction
of the two wires near the two arrows. For the purposes of telegraphic
communication they answer as well as though there were four wires
and two batteries. Instead of using the ground between C and C′, a
wire might be substituted, extending from the N pole of the battery
to the junction of the wires at the two arrows at W. The arrangement
of the wires, battery, keys, magnets or registers at both stations,
with the ground, as shown in figure 14, is the plan now used for
telegraphic operations between B and W; and has many decided advantages
over the arrangements of figures 13 and 14. First. In both of those
arrangements, the circuit is obliged to be kept closed, when neither
station is at work; and as the battery is only in action when the
circuit is closed, it follows that the battery will not keep in action
as long as when the circuit is allowed to remain open, as in the use of
the third plan, figure 15. Second.
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