AMscellaneous fl&etbofcs. ill 



board like a piano, with twenty-eight keys. 

 These keys are held in position by springs, 

 ruder the keys is a cylinder having twenty- 

 eight pins on it corresponding to the twenty- 

 six letters of the alphabet and a dot and a 

 space. This cylinder was driven by some 

 power. In those days it was by man-power. 

 It was carried by a friction, so that it could 

 be easily stopped by the depression of any one 

 cf the keys that interfered with one of the 

 pins. One revolution of the cylinder would 

 break and close the current twenty-e"ight times, 

 making twenty-eight steps. 



The receiving-instrument consisted of a 

 type-wheel and means for driving it. It was 

 somewhat complicated, and can only be de- 

 scribed in a general way. If the cylinder of 

 the transmitter was set to rotating it would 

 break and close twenty-eight times each revo- 

 lution. (There were fourteen closes and four- 

 teen breaks, each break and each close of 

 tho current representing a step.) The type- 

 wheel of the receiver was divided into twenty- 

 oight parts, having 1 twenty-six letters and a 

 d>t and space, each break moved it one step 

 and ear-h close a step; so that if the cylinder, 

 with its twenty-eight pins, started in unison 

 with the type-wheel, with its twenty-right let- 

 iiid <paee-, they would revolve in unison. 

 The 1 lettered, and if any one was de- 



pressed the pin eom-ponding to it on the 



