228 SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE. 



the simplest food was brought him, he preparing 

 his own tea. 



In the year 1835, having been appointed professor 

 of the Literature of the Arts of Design in the New 

 York City University, he took rooms in the third 

 story of the university building. " There," he says, 

 "I immediately commenced, with very limited 

 means, to experiment upon my invention. My first 

 instrument was made up of an old picture or canvas 

 frame fastened to a table; the wheels of an old 

 wooden clock, moved by a weight to carry the 

 paper forward ; three wooden drums, upon one of 

 which the paper was wound and passed over the 

 other two ; a wooden pendulum suspended to the 

 top piece of the picture or stretching-frame, and 

 vibrating across the paper as it passes over the 

 centre wooden drum ; a pencil at the lower end 

 of the pendulum, in contact with the paper ; an 

 electro-magnet fastened to a shelf across the picture 

 or stretching-frame, opposite to an armature made 

 fast to the pendulum ; a type rule, and type for 

 breaking the circuit, resting on an endless band, 

 composed of carpet-binding, which passed over two 

 wooden rollers, moved by a wooden crank, and 

 carried forward by points projecting from the bot- 

 tom of the rule downward into the carpet-binding ; 

 a lever, with a small weight on the upper side ; and 

 a tooth, projecting downward at one end, operated 

 on by the type ; and a metallic fork, also projecting 

 downward over two mercury-cups ; and a short cir- 

 cuit of wire, embracing the helices of the electro- 



