the age of invention-第22章

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hed　the　bill。　Says　Morse's　biographer：

In　the　gallery　of　the　Senate　Professor　Morse　had　sat　all　the　last　day　and　evening　of　the　session。　At　midnight　the　session　would　close。　Assured　by　his　friends　that　there　was　no　possibility　of　the　bill　being　reached；　he　left　the　Capitol　and　retired　to　his　room　at　the　hotel；　dispirited；　and　well…nigh　broken…hearted。　As　he　came　down　to　breakfast　the　next　morning；　a　young　lady　entered；　and；　coming　toward　him　with　a　smile；　exclaimed：

〃I　have　come　to　congratulate　you！〃

〃For　what；　my　dear　friend？〃　asked　the　professor；　of　the　young　lady；　who　was　Miss　Annie　G。　Ellsworth；　daughter　of　his　friend　the　Commissioner　of　Patents。

〃On　the　passage　of　your　bill。〃

The　professor　assured　her　it　was　not　possible；　as　he　remained　in　the　Senate…Chamber　until　nearly　midnight；　and　it　was　not　reached。　She　then　informed　him　that　her　father　was　present　until　the　close；　and；　in　the　last　moments　of　the　session；　the　bill　was　passed　without　debate　or　revision。　Professor　Morse　was　overcome　by　the　intelligence；　so　joyful　and　unexpected；　and　gave　at　the　moment　to　his　young　friend；　the　bearer　of　these　good　tidings；　the　promise　that　she　should　send　the　first　message　over　the　first　line　of　telegraph　that　was　opened。*

*Prime；　p。　465。


Morse　and　his　partners*　then　proceeded　to　the　construction　of　the　forty…mile　line　of　wire　between　Baltimore　and　Washington。　At　this　point　Ezra　Cornell；　afterwards　a　famous　builder　of　telegraphs　and　founder　of　Cornell　University；　first　appears　in　history　as　a　young　man　of　thirty…six。　Cornell　invented　a　machine　to　lay　pipe　underground　to　contain　the　wires　and　he　was　employed　to　carry　out　the　work　of　construction。　The　work　was　commenced　at　Baltimore　and　was　continued　until　experiment　proved　that　the　underground　method　would　not　do；　and　it　was　decided　to　string　the　wires　on　poles。　Much　time　had　been　lost；　but　once　the　system　of　poles　was　adopted　the　work　progressed　rapidly；　and　by　May；　1844；　the　line　was　completed。　On　the　twenty…fourth　of　that　month　Morse　sat　before　his　instrument　in　the　room　of　the　Supreme　Court　at　Washington。　His　friend　Miss　Ellsworth　handed　him　the　message　which　she　had　chosen：　〃WHAT　HATH　GOD　WROUGHT！〃　Morse　flashed　it　to　Vail　forty　miles　away　in　Baltimore；　and　Vail　instantly　flashed　back　the　same　momentous　words；　〃WHAT　HATH　GOD　WROUGHT！〃

*　The　property　in　the　invention　was　divided　into　sixteen　shares　（the　partnership　having　been　formed　in　1838）　of　which　Morse　held　9；　Francis　O。　J。　Smith　4；　Alfred　Vail　2；　Leonard　D。　Gale　2。　In　patents　to　be　obtained　in　foreign　countries；　Morse　was　to　hold　8　shares；　Smith　5；　Vail　2；　Gale　1。　Smith　had　been　a　member　of　Congress　and　Chairman　of　the　Committee　on　Commerce。　He　was　admitted　to　the　partnership　in　consideration　of　his　assisting　Morse　to　arouse　the　interest　of　European　Governments。


Two　days　later　the　Democratic　National　Convention　met　in　Baltimore　to　nominate　a　President　and　Vice…President。　The　leaders　of　the　Convention　desired　to　nominate　Senator　Silas　Wright　of　New　York；　who　was　then　in　Washington；　as　running　mate　to　James　K。　Polk；　but　they　must　know　first　whether　Wright　would　consent　to　run　as　Vice…President。　So　they　posted　a　messenger　off　to　Washington　but　were　persuaded　at　the　same　time　to　allow　the　new　telegraph　to　try　what　it　could　do。　The　telegraph　carried　the　offer　to　Wright　and　carried　back　to　the　Convention　Wright's　refusal　of　the　honor。　The　delegates；　however；　would　not　believe　the　telegraph；　until　their　own　messenger；　returning　the　next　day；　confirmed　its　message。

For　a　time　the　telegraph　attracted　little　attention。　But　Cornell　stretched　the　lines　across　the　country；　connecting　city　with　city；　and　Morse　and　Vail　improved　the　details　of　the　mechanism　and　perfected　the　code。　Others　came　after　them　and　added　further　improvements。　And　it　is　gratifying　to　know　that　both　Morse　and　Vail；　as　well　as　Cornell；　lived　to　reap　some　return　for　their　labor。　Morse　lived　to　see　his　telegraph　span　the　continent；　and　link　the　New　World　with　the　Old；　and　died　in　1872　full　of　honors。


Prompt　communication　of　the　written　or　spoken　message　is　a　demand　even　more　insistent　than　prompt　transportation　of　men　and　goods。　By　1859　both　the　railroad　and　the　telegraph　had　reached　the　old　town　of　St。　Joseph　on　the　Missouri。　Two　thousand　miles　beyond；　on　the　other　side　of　plains　and　mountains　and　great　rivers；　lay　prosperous　California。　The　only　transportation　to　California　was　by　stage…coach；　a　sixty　days'　journey；　or　else　across　Panama；　or　else　round　the　Horn；　a　choice　of　three　evils。　But　to　establish　quicker　communication；　even　though　transportation　might　lag；　the　men　of　St。　Joseph　organized　the　Pony　Express；　to　cover　the　great　wild　distance　by　riders　on　horseback；　in　ten　or　twelve　days。　Relay　stations　for　the　horses　and　men　were　set　up　at　appropriate　points　all　along　the　way；　and　a　postboy　dashed　off　from　St。　Joseph　every　twenty…four　hours；　on　arrival　of　the　train　from　the　East。　And　for　a　time　the　Pony　Express　did　its　work　and　did　it　well。　President　Lincoln's　First　Inaugural　was　carried　to　California　by　the　Pony　Express；　so　was　the　news　of　the　firing　on　Fort　Sumter。　But　by　1869。　the　Pony　Express　was　quietly　superseded　by　the　telegraph；　which　in　that　year　had　completed　its　circuits　all　the　way　to　San　Francisco；　seven　years　ahead　of　the　first　transcontinental　railroad。　And　in　four　more　years　Cyrus　W。　Field　and　Peter　Cooper　had　carried　to　complete　success　the　Atlantic　Cable；　and　the　Morse　telegraph　was　sending　intelligence　across　the　sea；　as　well　as　from　New　York　to　the　Golden　Gate。

And　today　ships　at　sea　and　stations　on　land；　separated　by　the　sea；　speak　to　one　another　in　the　language　of　the　Morse　Code；　without　the　use　of　wires。　Wireless；　or　radio；　telegraphy　was　the　invention　of　a　nineteen…year…old　boy；　Guglielmo　Marconi；　an　Italian；　but　it　has　been　greatly　extended　and　developed　at　the　hands　of　four　Americans：　Fessenden；　Alexanderson；　Langmuir；　and　Lee　De　Forest。　It　was　De　Forest's　invention　that　made　possible　transcontinental　and　transatlantic　telephone　service；　both　with　and　without　wires。

The　story　of　the　telegraph's　younger　brother；　and　great　ally　in　communication；　the　telephone　of　Alexander　Graham　Bell；　is　another　pregnant　romance　of　American　invention。　But　that　is　a　story　by　itself；　and　it　begins　in　a　later　period　and　so　falls　within　the　scope　of　another　volume　of　these　Chronicles。*

*　〃The　Age　of　Big　Business〃；　by　Burton　J。　Hendrick；　〃The　Chronicle　of　America〃；　vol。　XXXIX。


Wise　newspapermen　stiffened　to　attention　when　the　telegraph　began　ticking。　The　New　York　Herald；　the　Sun；　and　the　Tribune　had　been　founded　only　recently　and　they　represented　a　new　type　of　journalism；　swift；　fearless；　and　energetic。　The　proprietors　of　these　newspapers　saw　that　this　new　instrument　was　bound　to　affect　all　newspaperdom　profoundly。　How　was　the　newspaper　to　cope　with　the　situation　and　make　use　of　the　news　that　was　coming　in　and　would　be　coming　in　more　and　more　over　the　wires？

For　one　thing；　the　newspapers　needed　better　printing　machinery。　The　application　of　steam；　or　any　mechanical　power；　to　printing　in　America　was　only　begun。　It　had　been　introduced　by　Robert　Hoe　in　the　very　years　when　Morse　was　struggling　to　perfect　the　telegraph。　Before　that　time　newspapers　were　printed　in　the　United　States；　on　presses　operated　as　Franklin's　press　had　been　operated；　by　hand。　The　New　York　Sun；　the　pioneer　of　cheap　modern　newspapers；　was　printed　by　hand　in　1833；　and　four　hundred　impressions　an　hour　was　the　highest　speed　of　one　press。　There　had　been；　it　is　true；　some　improvements　over　Franklin's　printing　press。　The　Columbian　press　of　George　Clymer　of　Philadelphia；　invented　in　1816；　was　a　step　forward。　The　Washington　press；　patented　in　1829　by　Samuel　Rust　of　New　York；　was　another　step　forward。　Then　had　come　Robert　Hoe's　double…cylinder；　steamdriven　printing　press。　But　a　swifter　machine　was　wanted。　And　so　in　1845　Richard　March　Hoe；　a　son　of　Robert　Hoe；　invented　the　revolving　or　rotary　press；　on　the　principle　of　which　larger　and　larger　machines　have　been　builtmachines　so　complex　and　wonderful　that　they　baffle　description；　which　take　in　reels　of　white　paper　and　turn　out　great　newspapers　complete；　folded　and　counted；　at　the　rate　of　a　hundred　thousand　copies