heroes of the telegraph-第12章

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　of　embossing　was　invented　by　him　in　the　sixth　storey　of　the　NEW　YORK　OBSERVER　office　during　1844；　prior　to　the　erection　of　the　Washington　to　Baltimore　line；　without　any　hint　from　Morse。　　'I　have　not　asserted　publicly　my　right　as　first　and　sole　inventor；'　he　says；　'because　I　wished　to　preserve　the　peaceful　unity　of　the　invention；　and　because　I　could　not；　according　to　my　contract　with　Professor　Morse；　have　got　a　patent　for　it。'

The　powers　of　the　telegraph　having　been　demonstrated；　enthusiasm　took　the　place　of　apathy；　and　Morse；　who　had　been　neglected　before；　was　in　some　danger　of　being　over…praised。　　A　political　incident　spread　the　fame　of　the　telegraph　far　and　wide。　　The　Democratic　Convention；　sitting　in　Baltimore；　nominated　Mr。　James　K。　Polk　as　candidate　for　the　Presidency；　and　Mr。　Silas　Wright　for　the　Vice…Presidency。　　Alfred　Vail　telegraphed　the　news　to　Morse　in　Washington；　and　he　at　once　told　Mr。　Wright。　　The　result　was　that　a　few　minutes　later　the　Convention　was　dumbfounded　to　receive　a　message　from　Wright　declining　to　be　nominated。　　They　would　not　believe　it；　and　appointed　a　committee　to　inquire　into　the　matter；　but　the　telegram　was　found　to　be　genuine。

On　April　1；　1845；　the　Baltimore　to　Washington　line　was　formally　opened　for　public　business。　　The　tariff　adopted　by　the　Postmaster…General　was　one　cent　for　every　four　characters；　and　the　receipts　of　the　first　four　days　were　a　single　cent。　　At　the　end　of　a　week　they　had　risen　to　about　a　dollar。

Morse　offered　the　invention　to　the　Government　for　100；000　dollars；　but　the　Postmaster…General　declined　it　on　the　plea　that　its　working　'had　not　satisfied　him　that　under　any　rate　of　postage　that　could　be　adopted　its　revenues　could　be　made　equal　to　its　expenditures。'　Thus　through　the　narrow　views　and　purblindness　of　its　official　the　nation　lost　an　excellent　opportunity　of　keeping　the　telegraph　system　in　its　own　hands。　Morse　was　disappointed　at　this　refusal；　but　it　proved　a　blessing　in　disguise。　　He　and　his　agent；　the　Hon。　Amos　Kendall；　determined　to　rely　on　private　enterprise。

A　line　between　New　York　and　Philadelphia　was　projected；　and　the　apparatus　was　exhibited　in　Broadway　at　a　charge　of　twenty…five　cents　a　head。　　But　the　door…money　did　not　pay　the　expenses。　　There　was　an　air　of　poverty　about　the　show。　　One　of　the　exhibitors　slept　on　a　couple　of　chairs；　and　the　princely　founder　of　Cornell　University　was　grateful　to　Providence　for　a　shilling　picked　up　on　the　side…walk；　which　enabled　him　to　enjoy　a　hearty　breakfast。　　Sleek　men　of　capital；　looking　with　suspicion　on　the　meagre　furniture　and　miserable　apparatus；　withheld　their　patronage；　but　humbler　citizens　invested　their　hard…won　earnings；　the　Magnetic　Telegraph　Company　was　incorporated；　and　the　line　was　built。　The　following　year；　1846；　another　line　was　run　from　Philadelphia　to　Baltimore　by　Mr。　Henry　O'Reilly；　of　Rochester；　N。Y。；　an　acute　pioneer　of　the　telegraph。　　In　the　course　of　ten　years　the　Atlantic　States　were　covered　by　a　straggling　web　of　lines　under　the　control　of　thirty　or　forty　rival　companies　working　different　apparatus；　such　as　that　of　Morse；　Bain；　House；　and　Hughes；　but　owing　to　various　causes　only　one　or　two　were　paying　a　dividend。　　It　was　a　fit　moment　for　amalgamation；　and　this　was　accomplished　in　1856　by　Mr。　Hiram　Sibley。　　'This　Western　Union；'　says　one　in　speaking　of　the　united　corporation；　'seems　to　me　very　like　collecting　all　the　paupers　in　the　State　and　arranging　them　into　a　union　so　as　to　make　rich　men　of　them。'　But　'Sibley's　crazy　scheme'　proved　the　salvation　of　the　competing　companies。　　In　1857；　after　the　first　stage　coach　had　crossed　the　plains　to　California；　Mr。　Henry　O'Reilly　proposed　to　build　a　line　of　telegraph；　and　Mr。　Sibley　urged　the　Western　Union　to　undertake　it。　　He　encountered　a　strong　opposition。　　The　explorations　of　Fremont　were　still　fresh　in　the　public　mind；　and　the　country　was　regarded　as　a　howling　wilderness。　　It　was　objected　that　no　poles　could　be　obtained　on　the　prairies；　that　the　Indians　or　the　buffaloes　would　destroy　the　line；　and　that　the　traffic　would　not　pay。　'Well；　gentlemen；'　said　Sibley；　'if　you　won't　join　hands　with　me　in　the　thing；　I'll　go　it　alone。'　He　procured　a　subsidy　from　the　Government；　who　realised　the　value　of　the　line　from　a　national　point　of　view；　the　money　was　raised　under　the　auspices　of　the　Western　Union；　and　the　route　by　Omaha；　Fort　Laramie；　and　Salt　Lake　City　to　San　Francisco　was　fixed　upon。　The　work　began　on　July　4；　1861；　and　though　it　was　expected　to　occupy　two　years；　it　was　completed　in　four　months　and　eleven　days。　　The　traffic　soon　became　lucrative；　and　the　Indians；　except　in　time　of　war；　protected　the　line　out　of　friendship　for　Mr。　Sibley。　　A　black…tailed　buck；　the　gift　of　White　Cloud；　spent　its　last　years　in　the　park　of　his　home　at　Rochester。

The　success　of　the　overland　wire　induced　the　Company　to　embark　on　a　still　greater　scheme；　the　project　of　Mr。　Perry　MacDonough　Collins；　for　a　trunk　line　between　America　and　Europe　by　way　of　British　Columbia；　Alaska；　the　Aleutian　Islands；　and　Siberia。　　A　line　already　existed　between　European　Russia　and　Irkutsk；　in　Siberia；　and　it　was　to　be　extended　to　the　mouth　of　the　Amoor；　where　the　American　lines　were　to　join　it。　　Two　cables；　one　across　Behring　Sea　and　another　across　the　Bay　of　Anadyr；　were　to　link　the　two　continents。

The　expedition　started　in　the　summer　of　1865　with　a　fleet　of　about　thirty　vessels；　carrying　telegraph　and　other　stores。　　In　spite　of　severe　hardships；　a　considerable　part　of　the　line　had　been　erected　when　the　successful　completion　of　the　trans…Atlantic　cable；　in　1866；　caused　the　enterprise　to　be　abandoned　after　an　expenditure　of　3；000；000　dollars。　　A　trace　cut　for　the　line　through　the　forests　of　British　Columbia　is　still　known　as　the　'telegraph　trail。'　In　spite　of　this　misfortune　the　Western　Union　Telegraph　Company　has　continued　to　flourish。　　In　1883　its　capital　amounted　to　80；000；000　dollars；　and　it　now　possesses　a　virtual　monopoly　of　telegraphic　communication　in　the　United　States。

Morse　did　not　limit　his　connections　to　land　telegraphy。　　In　1854；　when　Mr。　Cyrus　Field　brought　out　the　Atlantic　Telegraph　Company；　to　lay　a　cable　between　Europe　and　America；　he　became　its　electrician；　and　went　to　England　for　the　purpose　of　consulting　with　the　English　engineers　on　the　execution　of　the　project。　　But　his　instrument　was　never　used　on　the　ocean　lines；　and；　indeed；　it　was　not　adapted　for　them。

During　this　time　Alfred　Vail　continued　to　improve　the　Morse　apparatus；　until　it　was　past　recognition。　　The　porte…rule　and　type　of　the　transmitter　were　discarded　for　a　simple　'key'　or　rocking　lever；　worked　up　and　down　by　the　hand；　so　as　to　make　and　break　the　circuit。　　The　clumsy　framework　of　the　receiver　was　reduced　to　a　neat　and　portable　size。　　The　inking　pen　was　replaced　by　a　metal　wheel　or　disc；　smeared　with　ink；　and　rolling　on　the　paper　at　every　dot　or　dash。　　Vail；　as　we　have　seen；　also　invented　the　plan　of　embossing　the　message。　　But　he　did　still　more。　　When　the　recording　instrument　was　introduced；　it　was　found　that　the　clerks　persisted　in　'reading'　the　signals　by　the　clicking　of　the　marking　lever；　and　not　from　the　paper。　　Threats　of　instant　dismissal　did　not　stop　the　practice　when　nobody　was　looking　on。　　Morse；　who　regarded　the　record　as　the　distinctive　feature　of　his　invention；　was　very　hostile　to　the　practice；　but　Nature　was　too　many　for　him。　　The　mode　of　interpreting　by　sound　was　the　easier　and　more　economical　of　the　two；　and　Vail；　with　his　mechanical　instinct；　adopted　it。　　He　produced　an　instrument　in　which　there　is　no　paper　or　marking　device；　and　the　message　is　simply　sounded　by　the　lever　of　the　armature　striking　on　its　metal　stops。　　At　present　the　Morse　recorder　is　rarely　used　in　comparison　with　the　'sounder。'

The　original　telegraph　of　Morse；　exhibited　in　1837；　has　become　an　archaic　form。　　Apart　from　the　central　idea　of　employing　an　electro…magnet　to　signalan　idea　applied　by　Henry　in　1832；　when　Morse　had　only　thought　of　itthe　development　of　the　apparatus　is　mainly　due　to　Vail。　　His　working　devices　made　it　a　success；　and　are　in　use　to…day；　while　those　of　Morse　are　all　extinct。

Morse　has　been　highly　honoured　and　rewarded；　not　only　by　his　countrymen；　but　by　the　European　powers。　　The　Queen　of　Spain　sent