heroes of the telegraph-第1章

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Heroes　of　the　Telegraph

by　J。　Munro




PREFACE。


The　present　work　is　in　some　respects　a　sequel　to　the　PIONEERS　OF
ELECTRICITY；　and　it　deals　with　the　lives　and　principal　achievements　of
those　distinguished　men　to　whom　we　are　indebted　for　the　introduction　of
the　electric　telegraph　and　telephone；　as　well　as　other　marvels　of
electric　science。



CONTENTS。

CHAPTER
　　　I。　　THE　ORIGIN　OF　THE　TELEGRAPH
　　II。　　CHARLES　WHEATSTONE
　III。　　SAMUEL　MORSE
　　IV。　　SIR　WILLIAM　THOMSON
　　　V。　　SIR　WILLIAM　SIEMENS
　　VI。　　FLEEMING　JENKIN
　VII。　　JOHANN　PHILIPP　REIS
VIII。　　GRAHAM　BELL
　　IX。　　THOMAS　ALVA　EDISON
　　　X。　　DAVID　EDWIN　HUGHES

APPENDIX。
　　　I。　　CHARLES　FERDINAND　GAUSS
　　II。　　WILLIAM　EDWARD　WEBER
　III。　　SIR　WILLIAM　FOTHERGILL　COOKE
　　IV。　　ALEXANDER　BAIN
　　　V。　　DR。　WERNER　SIEMENS
　　VI。　　LATIMER　CLARK
　VII。　　COUNT　DU　MONCEL
VIII。　　ELISHA　GRAY




CHAPTER　I。

THE　ORIGIN　OF　THE　TELEGRAPH。

The　history　of　an　invention；　whether　of　science　or　art；　may　be　compared　to　the　growth　of　an　organism　such　as　a　tree。　　The　wind；　or　the　random　visit　of　a　bee；　unites　the　pollen　in　the　flower；　the　green　fruit　forms　and　ripens　to　the　perfect　seed；　which；　on　being　planted　in　congenial　soil；　takes　root　and　flourishes。　　Even　so　from　the　chance　combination　of　two　facts　in　the　human　mind；　a　crude　idea　springs；　and　after　maturing　into　a　feasible　plan　is　put　in　practice　under　favourable　conditions；　and　so　develops。　　These　processes　are　both　subject　to　a　thousand　accidents　which　are　inimical　to　their　achievement。　　Especially　is　this　the　case　when　their　object　is　to　produce　a　novel　species；　or　a　new　and　great　invention　like　the　telegraph。　　It　is　then　a　question　of　raising；　not　one　seedling；　but　many；　and　modifying　these　in　the　lapse　of　time。

Similarly　the　telegraph　is　not　to　be　regarded　as　the　work　of　any　one　mind；　but　of　many；　and　during　a　long　course　of　years。　　Because　at　length　the　final　seedling　is　obtained；　are　we　to　overlook　the　antecedent　varieties　from　which　it　was　produced；　and　without　which　it　could　not　have　existed？　　Because　one　inventor　at　last　succeeds　in　putting　the　telegraph　in　operation；　are　we　to　neglect　his　predecessors；　whose　attempts　and　failures　were　the　steps　by　which　he　mounted　to　success？　All　who　have　extended　our　knowledge　of　electricity；　or　devised　a　telegraph；　and　familiarised　the　public　mind　with　the　advantages　of　it；　are　deserving　of　our　praise　and　gratitude；　as　well　as　he　who　has　entered　into　their　labours；　and　by　genius　and　perseverance　won　the　honours　of　being　the　first　to　introduce　it。

Let　us；　therefore；　trace　in　a　rapid　manner　the　history　　of　the　electric　telegraph　from　the　earliest　times。

The　sources　of　a　river　are　lost　in　the　clouds　of　the　mountain；　but　it　is　usual　to　derive　its　waters　from　the　lakes　or　springs　which　are　its　fountain…head。　　In　the　same　way　the　origins　of　our　knowledge　of　electricity　and　magnetism　are　lost　in　the　mists　of　antiquity；　but　there　are　two　facts　which　have　come　to　be　regarded　as　the　starting…points　of　the　science。　　It　was　known　to　the　ancients　at　least　600　years　before　Christ；　that　a　piece　of　amber　when　excited　by　rubbing　would　attract　straws；　and　that　a　lump　of　lodestone　had　the　property　of　drawing　iron。　Both　facts　were　probably　ascertained　by　chance。　　Humboldt　informs　us　that　he　saw　an　Indian　child　of　the　Orinoco　rubbing　the　seed　of　a　trailing　plant　to　make　it　attract　the　wild　cotton；　and；　perhaps；　a　prehistoric　tribesman　of　the　Baltic　or　the　plains　of　Sicily　found　in　the　yellow　stone　he　had　polished　the　mysterious　power　of　collecting　dust。　　A　Greek　legend　tells　us　that　the　lodestone　was　discovered　by　Magnes；　a　shepherd　who　found　his　crook　attracted　by　the　rock。

However　this　may　be；　we　are　told　that　Thales　of　Miletus　attributed　the　attractive　properties　of　the　amber　and　the　lodestone　to　a　soul　within　them。　　The　name　Electricity　is　derived　from　ELEKTRON；　the　Greek　for　amber；　and　Magnetism　from　Magnes；　the　name　of　the　shepherd；　or；　more　likely；　from　the　city　of　Magnesia；　in　Lydia；　where　the　stone　occurred。

These　properties　of　amber　and　lodestone　appear　to　have　been　widely　known。　　The　Persian　name　for　amber　is　KAHRUBA；　attractor　of　straws；　and　that　for　lodestone　AHANG…RUBA　attractor　of　iron。　　In　the　old　Persian　romance；　THE　LOVES　OF　MAJNOON　AND　LEILA；　the　lover　sings

　　　　　'She　was　as　amber；　and　I　but　as　straw：　　　　　　　She　touched　me；　and　I　shall　ever　cling　to　her。'

The　Chinese　philosopher；　Kuopho；　who　flourished　in　the　fourth　century；　writes　that；　'the　attraction　of　a　magnet　for　iron　is　like　that　of　amber　for　the　smallest　grain　of　mustard　seed。　　It　is　like　a　breath　of　wind　which　mysteriously　penetrates　through　both；　and　communicates　itself　with　the　speed　of　an　arrow。'　　＇Lodestone　was　probably　known　in　China　before　the　Christian　era。＇　　Other　electrical　effects　were　also　observed　by　the　ancients。　　Classical　writers；　as　Homer；　Caesar；　and　Plutarch；　speak　of　flames　on　the　points　of　javelins　and　the　tips　of　masts。　　They　regarded　them　as　manifestations　of　the　Deity；　as　did　the　soldiers　of　the　Mahdi　lately　in　the　Soudan。　　It　is　recorded　of　Servius　Tullus；　the　sixth　king　of　Rome；　that　his　hair　emitted　sparks　on　being　combed；　and　that　sparks　came　from　the　body　of　Walimer；　a　Gothic　chief；　who　lived　in　the　year　415　A。D。

During　the　dark　ages　the　mystical　virtues　of　the　lodestone　drew　more　attention　than　those　of　the　more　precious　amber；　and　interesting　experiments　were　made　with　it。　　The　Romans　knew　that　it　could　attract　iron　at　some　distance　through　an　intervening　fence　of　wood；　brass；　or　stone。　　One　of　their　experiments　was　to　float　a　needle　on　a　piece　of　cork；　and　make　it　follow　a　lodestone　held　in　the　hand。　　This　arrangement　was　perhaps　copied　from　the　compass　of　the　Phoenician　sailors；　who　buoyed　a　lodestone　and　observed　it　set　towards　the　north。　　There　is　reason　to　believe　that　the　magnet　was　employed　by　the　priests　of　the　Oracle　in　answering　questions。　　We　are　told　that　the　Emperor　Valerius；　while　at　Antioch　in　370　A。D。；　was　shown　a　floating　needle　which　pointed　to　the　letters　of　the　alphabet　when　guided　by　the　directive　force　of　a　lodestone。　　It　was　also　believed　that　this　effect　might　be　produced　although　a　stone　wall　intervened；　so　that　a　person　outside　a　house　or　prison　might　convey　intelligence　to　another　inside。

This　idea　was　perhaps　the　basis　of　the　sympathetic　telegraph　of　the　Middle　Ages；　which　is　first　described　in　the　MAGIAE　NATURALIS　of　John　Baptista　Porta；　published　at　Naples　in　1558。　　It　was　supposed　by　Porta　and　others　after　him　that　two　similar　needles　touched　by　the　same　lodestone　were　sympathetic；　so　that；　although　far　apart；　if　both　were　freely　balanced；　a　movement　of　one　was　imitated　by　the　other。　　By　encircling　each　balanced　needle　with　an　alphabet；　the　sympathetic　telegraph　was　obtained。　　Although　based　on　error；　and　opposed　by　Cabeus　and　others；　this　fascinating　notion　continued　to　crop　up　even　to　the　days　of　Addison。　　It　was　a　prophetic　shadow　of　the　coming　invention。　　In　the　SCEPSIS　SCIENTIFICA；　published　in　1665；　Joseph　Glanvil　wrote；　'to　confer　at　the　distance　of　the　Indies　by　sympathetic　conveyances　may　be　as　usual　to　future　times　as　to　us　in　literary　correspondence。'　＇The　Rosicrucians　also　believed　that　if　two　persons　transplanted　pieces　of　their　flesh　into　each　other；　and　tattooed　the　grafts　with　letters；　a　sympathetic　telegraph　could　be　established　by　pricking　the　letters。＇

Dr。　Gilbert；　physician　to　Queen　Elizabeth；　by　his　systematic　researches；　discovered　the　magnetism　of　the　earth；　and　laid　the　foundations　of　the　modern　science　of　electricity　and　magnetism。　　Otto　von　Guericke；　burgomaster　of　Magdeburg；　invented　the　electrical　machine　for　generating　large　quantities　of　the　electric　fire。　　Stephen　Gray；　a　pensioner　of　the　Charterhouse；　conveyed　the　fire　to　a　distance　along　a　line　of　pack　thread；　and　showed　that　some　bodies　conducted　electricity；　while　others　insulated　it。　　Dufay　proved　that　there　were　two　qualities　of　electricity；　now　called　positive　and　negative；　and　that　each　kind　repelled　the　like；　but　attracted　the　unlike。　　Von　Kleist；　a　cathedral　dean　of　Kamm；　in　Pomerania；　or　at　all　events　Cuneus；　a　burgher；　and　Muschenbroek；　a　professor　of　Leyden；　discovered　the　Leyden　jar　for　holding　a　charge　of　electrici