American Telegraph Engineering-Notes on History and Practice

Within the twenty-five years past, in common with the progress in other lines of engineering, substantial developments have been also made in the telegraphic art along numerous lines, such as the standardization of equipment, and the adoption of improved apparatus and methods of operation which have generally resulted in increased efficiency of the plant, greater reliability of operation, a more rapid handling of the traffic, and consequent improvement in the service rendered the public; and which developments have, in fact, been adequate to meet the demands made upon the telegraph. The time has been deemed opportune to record some of the salient features of present telegraph engineering practice in this country, but first in order more clearly to illustrate the differences between past and modern practice a resum6 of the early history of telegraph practice in this country will be essayed in which resume certain more or less interesting items of information relating to that history perhaps not hitherto published, or in any event not readily available, may be recounted.