heroes of the telegraph-第11部分

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te　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　him　a　Cross　of　the　Order　of　Isabella；　the　King　of　Prussia　presented　him　with　a　jewelled　snuff…box；　the　Sultan　of　Turkey　decorated　him　with　the　Order　of　Glory；　the　Emperor　of　the　French　admitted　him　into　the　Legion　of　Honour。　Moreover；　the　ten　European　powers　in　special　congress　awarded　him　400；000　francs　（some　80；000　dollars）；　as　an　expression　of　their　gratitude：　　honorary　banquets　were　a　common　thing　to　the　man　who　had　almost　starved　through　his　fidelity　to　an　idea。

But　beyond　his　emoluments　as　a　partner　in　the　invention；　Alfred　Vail　had　no　recompense。　　Morse；　perhaps；　was　somewhat　jealous　of　acknowledging　the　services　of　his　'mechanical　assistant；'　as　he　at　one　time　chose　to　regard　Vail。　　When　personal　friends；　knowing　his　services；　urged　Vail　to　insist　upon　their　recognition；　he　replied；　'I　am　confident　that　Professor　Morse　will　do　me　justice。'　　But　even　ten　years　after　the　death　of　Vail；　on　the　occasion　of　a　banquet　given　in　his　honour　by　the　leading　citizens　of　New　York；　Morse；　alluding　to　his　invention；　said：　　'In　1835；　according　to　the　concurrent　testimony　of　many　witnesses；　it　lisped　its　first　accents；　and　automatically　recorded　them　a　few　blocks　only　distant　from　the　spot　from　which　I　now　address　you。　　It　was　a　feeble　child　indeed；　ungainly　in　its　dress；　stammering　in　its　speech；　but　it　had　then　all　the　distinctive　features　and　characteristics　of　its　present　manhood。　It　found　a　friend；　an　efficient　friend；　in　Mr。　Alfred　Vail；　of　New　Jersey；　who；　with　his　father　and　brother；　furnished　the　means　to　give　the　child　a　decent　dress；　preparatory　to　its'　visit　to　the　seat　of　Government。'

When　we　remember　that　even　by　this　time　Vail　had　entirely　altered　the　system　of　signals；　and　introduced　the　dot…dash　code；　we　cannot　but　regard　this　as　a　stinted　acknowledgment　of　his　colleague's　work。　　But　the　man　who　conceives　the　central　idea；　and　cherishes　it；　is　apt　to　be　niggardly　in　allowing　merit　to　the　assistant　whose　mechanical　skill　is　able　to　shape　and　put　it　in　practice；　while；　on　the　other　hand；　the　assistant　is　sometimes　inclined　to　attach　more　importance　to　the　working　out　than　it　deserves。　　Alfred　Vail　cannot　be　charged　with　that；　however；　and　it　would　have　been　the　more　graceful　on　the　part　of　Morse　had　he　avowed　his　indebtedness　to　Vail　with　a　greater　liberality。　　Nor　would　this　have　detracted　from　his　own　merit　as　the　originator　and　preserver　of　the　idea；　without　which　the　improvements　of　Vail　would　have　had　no　existence。　　In　the　words　of　the　Hon。　Amos　Kendall；　a　friend　of　both：　'If　justice　be　done；　the　name　of　Alfred　Vail　will　for　ever　stand　associated　with　that　of　Samuel　F。　B。　Morse　in　the　history　and　introduction　into　public　use　of　the　electro…magnetic　telegraph。'

Professor　Morse　spent　his　declining　years　at　Locust　Grove；　a　charming　retreat　on　the　banks　of　the　River　Hudson。　　In　private　life　he　was　a　fine　example　of　the　Christian　gentleman。

In　the　summer　of　1871；　the　Telegraphic　Brotherhood　of　the　World　erected　a　statue　to　his　honour　in　the　Central　Park；　New　York。　　Delegates　from　different　parts　of