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ART. IV. STEINHEIL ON MORSE'S TELEGRAPH.

CONDUCTIVE PROPERTY OF THE EARTH-VALUABLE DISCOVERIES IN EARTH CIRCUITS EXTENSION OF MORSE'S TELEGRAPH IN EUROPE.

Letter from Prof. Steinheil of Munich.

MUNICH, the 9th July, 1854.

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ESTEEMED SIR:-In answer to your favor of the 23d ult., and with reference to its contents, I send you herewith enclosed my Academical Discourse of 1838, in which I have published my experiments on galvanic telegraphy made in 1837. In Schumacher's Austrian Annals of 1839, published in Stuttgard and Tubingen, you will find further notice of these origi nal experiments, the principal results of which are, that I established the principles upon which an effective telegraphy must be based, and which even now, after 16 years, form the foundation of our present system. That on this occasion I found the conductive property of the earth for galvanic currents, by means of which the construction of galvanic telegraphs has been effected with one single conductor, and freed from all the inconveniences of double and multiplied conductors, such as resistance, contact, expense, &c.; that I demonstrated under what circumstances and modifications telegraphing may be effected between two telegraph stations, even without any metallic connection at all. Further records, with reference to this period, and my respective labors, you will find in Dr. Schellen's "Electric Telegraph, Brunswick, 1850, 8vo. ;" in the Abbé Moigno's writings on Telegraphy in the Augsburg Gazette, &c.

Our government did not encourage, at that time, this promising enterprise any further, and, as pecuniary means were wanting, the experiments were compelled to be discontinued, until it was perceived from the newspapers what rapid progress, and what development, galvanic telegraphy had made in North America. It was not till 1849, when the net of railroads had reached so great an extension in Bavaria, that steps were taken to establish telegraphic lines. In order to ascertain with exactness what had already been done in this respect in Germany, I was commissioned by the Government to travel for this purpose through Germany, and I enclose my printed report, "Description and Comparison of the Galvanic Telegraphs of Germany, April, 1849."

In this document is also comprised the description of a railroad telegraph which I caused to be established, some years

* This discourse was translated and published in Sturgeon's Annals of Electricity, in March, 1839.

previous, between Munich and Augsburg. (See page 49, &c.) In the same year, 1849, I received from the Austrian Government an appointment in the department of the Ministry of Commerce, for the purpose of organizing, on a permanent system, the Austrian telegraphy, and was placed at the head of it. In a short time, under the powerful patronage of the intelligent minister Bruck, over 1,500 German miles of telegraphic connections had been constructed. Sixty stations had been furnished. A treaty with Germany for a common system (the Germano-Austrian Telegraph Union,) was entered into and ratified, and the Telegraph was made accessible to the public for its use, in all of which Austria constantly took the lead. Thus, the purpose which I had proposed to myself when I accepted the Directorship of Austrian telegraphy was soon attained, and I was enabled to accept a subsequent call from the Swiss Government in 1852, to organize the telegraphic net-work of that country on the same system. In six months, two hundred miles of connections were constructed; seventy-three stations established; the employees of the Post Office trained for telegraph service, by assembling them together and addressing them a course of lectures; the junction arranged with the Germano-Austrian Telegraph Union, and the lines delivered for public use. The whole enterprise, construction, public regulation, apparatus, school, &c., was accomplished with 400,000 francs. The conductors, however, are only made of iron wire, constructed after your plan in North America, for there they have mercantile ideas, and know how, with small outlay, to realize large profits.

The instructions for the telegraph operators in Switzerland I also inclose.

Since my mission to Switzerland, I have been called to Bavaria, and placed in a very pleasant and independent position, which enables me to realize my long cherished scientific wishes; and in accepting it, it is on the condition that I shall not be obliged to devote any more thought to telegraphy, to which problem I feel that I have already devoted sufficient time, since other subjects solicit my investigations.

In the inclosed Instructions, you will find the whole system of our Germano-Austrian Telegraphy developed in its most minute details. You will notice, at this period, the "Translators," which I devised in Vienna in 1850, and which were adopted by the Germano-Austrian Telegraph Union, in 1851; also the plan of loop-shaped construction of the telegraphic net-work, by means of which, freedom from interruptions increases in the ratio of the extension of the net-work. You will note also the introduction of very small chain batteries, the theory of which

is given in pages 16-19 of the "Instructions;" and lastly, the teaching of the technical parts, by means of which the service is regulated, and the telegraphed net-work rendered accessible at any time and at any point in all its parts, (sectional circuits,) and at the same moment.

In said Instructions, you will find towards the close, information for acquiring the telegraphic art, which I introduced originally in Vienna, and which proved very practical, about 500 telegraphists having been trained by it.

In this way I have been able effectually to labor for the adoption of Morse's system throughout all Europe; and that I have thereby extended his well-earned fame, has been to me the source of peculiar pleasure, which I beg you to testify to Professor Morse in proper time, together with my most friendly respects.

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MORSE TELEGRAPH APPLIED TO FIRE ALARMS, BY CHANNING AND FARMERSUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISHED IN BOSTON-GREAT BENEFIT TO

SOCIETY-ITS MODE OF OPERATION DESCRIBED.

WE have intended, for some time past, to describe this new and wonderful achievement in art. We now give a few facts for the consideration of the reader, and in a future number we hope to be able to give a full and perfect description of the system, so successfully put in operation by Messrs. Dr. Channing and Farmer, in the City of Boston.

A description of the system, as given in the present number, will show that the Morse Telegraph is ingeniously applied to mechanics, and the alarm system made complete. We do not fully understand in what consists the patent parts of the Fire Alarm Telegraph, as it is mostly included in the original Morse patent; but, we suppose it is in the ingenious arrangement for giving the signal, and the compiling of the different branches of mechanics to produce the desired result according to the described mode. We do not deem it material to discuss the question as to how much of the system is embraced in the

Morse patents, nor how much to Messrs. Channing and Farmer. It is enough for us to know, that it abounds in usefulness. No city in the world can do as well without as with it. It saves labor, time, and money. It promotes security of life and property. It lessens insurance and benefits the rich and poor. It prevents disturbances of society by riots, and diffuses a spirit of peace and safety throughout the entire people. Everything can be said in its favor, and nothing against it. Dr. Channing and Mr. Farmer have done much for the age, in devising the system and presenting it in a useful and practicable form.

We give some notices of the system from memorials and circulars upon the subject, which will be all that we can present to the reader's consideration at present.

"This system differs essentially from all other Fire and Police Telegraphs, and possesses advantages proved by constant experience for over two years, which place it beyond comparison with any other in point of rapidity, variety, and extent of communication. In a scientific point of view, its great and pecu liar success is in its power of acting at great distances, itself producing effects which other systems have only sought to direct by instructions to agents. Practically, it is the only existing means of communicating a fact from as many points as may be desired to a Central Station; of giving instant alarm from thence by ringing bells in different places at the same moment, by one person; and of sending any instructions or making any inquiries between the Central Stations and the remote points.

The only telegraph of this description is established in Boston, and has been visited and examined with admiration by great numbers of practical and scientific men, both of this country and Europe, and recently has been examined by Committees from the City Governments both of New-York and Philadel phia.

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The first peculiarity is, that it provides a sufficient number of Signal Stations to place one of them in the immediate neighborhood of every house in the city. These Signal Stations require no attendance, but are so arranged that any authorized person, by turning a small crank, may communicate an alarm from that neighborhood to the Central Office.

At these stations also, while the alarm is being rung on the bells, any one, by listening to certain intimations from the Central Office, may learn the precise neighborhood in which the fire or other trouble may have arisen.

These stations are not merely used in cases of fire or riot, but messages of any length, upon any subject, may be sent or received through them by any one acquainted with the telegraph

key. They are constantly used as means of communication be tween the Central Office and remote points on occasions of municipal business.

Another peculiarity of the system is, that when an alarm has been notified to the Central Office from any one of the Signal Stations, it may instantly, by the pressure of a single finger, be rung upon any or all the alarm bells in the city, and this without the aid of watchmen or bell-ringers. There is no limit to the force of the blow that may be given to the bells, and an alarm may at the same instant be rung by one person in the Central Office from any desired number of bells, in any degree of loudness that they can produce.

This telegraph possesses one advantage which is peculiar to itself, in that it prevents any injury arising from the breaking of a wire, by having duplicate circuits between the Signal Stations and the Central Office, and between that office and the bells, so that if one part should be destroyed by storms or otherwise, the communication would remain uninjured.

Under this system, the moment a fire is discovered, the alarm is carried to the neighboring Signal Station, through which, by turning a crank, the fact of a fire and its locality is instantaneously communicated to the Central Office. When received there, the officer in attendance, by a motion of his hand, immediately tolls the district number on all the fire bells, and at the same time taps with the other hand to every Signal Station the number of the particular station where the alarm originated. Thus, in less than a minute from giving the alarm through the Signal Station, it may be rung on all the alarm bells in the city; and the firemen, by listening at the Signal Stations, may learn and be able to head their engines for the precise locality. All this is done by means of only one person at the Central Office.

To contrast this with the present condition of our city:* We have only eight points through which an alarm of fire can be communicated, and when once received, it must be entrusted at each station to bell-ringers, who must separately ring it from each bell-tower. Before a general alarm can be given, an often fatal delay must elapse, and the precise locality in a district can in no way be indicated. The difficulty of finding a fire, even

after the district alarm has been rung, is too well known to require specific instances.

It would be absurd to attribute all the difference of loss by fires in the two cities to the possession of the Fire Alarm Telegraph by one, and not by the other. But after every consid

New-York City.

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