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 probable outlay of an experiment upon a scale equal
to fifty miles of telegraph, and equal to a circuit of
double that distance, is estimated at $30,000. Two-thirds of
this expenditure will be for material, which, whether the
experiment shall succeed or fail, will remain uninjured, and
of very little diminished value below the price that will be
paid for it.
The estimates of Professor Morse, as will be seen by
his letter, marked 9, amount to $26,000; but, to meet any
contingency not now anticipated, and to guard against any
want of requisite funds in an enterprise of such moment to
the Government, to the people, and to the scientific world,
the committee recommend an appropriation of $30,000, to
be expended under the direction of the Secretary of the
Treasury; and to this end submit herewith a bill.
It is believed by the committee that the subject is one of
such universal interest and importance, that an early action
upon it will be deemed desirable by Congress, to enable the
inventor to complete his trial of the invention upon the
extended scale contemplated, in season to furnish Congress
with a full report of the result during its present session,
if that shall be practicable.
All which is respectfully submitted.
FRANCIS O. J. SMITH, JAS. M. MASON,
S. C. PHILLIPS, JOHN T. H. WORTHINGTON,
SAMUEL CUSHMAN, WM. H. HUNTER,
JOHN I. DE GRAFF, GEORGE W. TOLAND,
EDWARD CURTIS,
_Committee on Commerce, U. S. H. R._
No. 7.
HALL OF THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, _Feb. 8, 1838_.
_Report of the Franklin Institute Philadelphia._
The sub-committee, from the committee of science and arts,
appointed to examine the electro magnetic telegraph of
Professor Samuel F. B. Morse, report:
That this instrument was exhibited to them in the hall of
the Institute, and every opportunity given by Mr. Morse and
his associate, Mr. Alfred Vail, to examine it carefully,
and to judge of its operation; and they now present the
following as the result of their observations:
* * * * The operation of the telegraph, as exhibited to
us, was very satisfactory. The power given to the magnet at
the register, through a length of wire of ten miles, was
abundantly sufficient for the movements required to mark the
signals. The communication of this was instantaneous. The
time required to make the signals was as short at least, as
that necessary in the ordinary telegraphs. It appears to
this committee, therefore, that the possibility of using
telegraphs upon this plan, in actual practice, is not to be
doubted; though difficulties may be anticipated, which could
not be tested by the trials made with the model.
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