﻿, THE MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH. 



current is in motion. Quick as thought it has gone to New York, 

 and, passing round the bar of iron, it becomes a powerful magnet 

 and attracts the iron above it. This throws the point upon the 

 other end of the lever upwards, and a mark is made upon the 

 paper like this, - . This mark stands for the letter e. So you see 1 

 have written a letter in New York, while I am myself in Boston ! 

 I depress the knob again, and for a longer time, when the same 

 effect is produced in New York, only this time the mark is longer 

 than before, and somewhat like the following, , which stands for 

 the letter t. Again I depress the knob, three times in succession, as 

 fast as I can, and we shall now have in New York this character, 

 , which stands for the letter s. In short, by varying the depres- 

 sions upon the signal key, all the various letters of the alphabet are 

 obtained, as well as all the figures. Between each letter of a word 

 a short space is used, and long ones between the words them- 

 selves. Here are the signs employed for the whole alphabet. I 

 should like to have some correspondent write me a letter by these 

 telegraphic characters. 



TELEGRAPHIC ALPHABET. 



a - n - & 



b --- o-- Numerals. 



c - - - p 1- 



d q 2 



e r - - - 3 



f s--- 4 



h u 6 



i - - v 7 



j w 8 



k x 9 



1 y - -- 



m z - - - - 



Many amusing anecdotes are related of the extravagant ideas 

 which ignorant people have had respecting this great discovery. 

 One fellow sat for nearly a whole day, watching the wires, and upon 

 being asked what he was gazing at, replied, that he was " waiting 

 to see a letter go by ! " Another brought a sealed letter to the Bos- 



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