SborMine Cele0rapb0. 163 



the invention of this form of printer a com- 

 pany was organized to operate not only these 

 stock-reporting lines, but short lines for all 

 sorts of private purposes. Following the in- 

 vention of the stock-reporting instrument 

 there were several adaptations made of the 

 printing telegraph for private-line purposes. 

 Among others the writer invented one known 

 as " Gray's automatic printer," a cut and a 

 description of which may be found on page 684 

 in " Electricity and Electric Telegraph," by 

 George B. Prescott, published in 1877. This 

 instrument was adopted by the Gold and Stock 

 Telegraph Company as their standard private- 

 line printer. It was first introduced in the 

 year 1871, and at the time the telephone began 

 to be used there were large numbers of these 

 printers in operation in all of the leading 

 cities and towns in the United States. While 

 this has been superseded to a large extent by 

 the telephone, there are still a few isolated 

 cases where it is used. 



Short lines have multiplied for all sorts of 

 purposes, until to-day the money invested in 

 tin-in largely exceeds the amount invested in 

 tin- regular commercial telegraphic enterprises. 



The invention of the telephone created such 

 a demand for short-line service that some 

 scheme had to be devised not only to make 

 room for the necessary wires, but to so cheapen 

 the in-truments as to bring them within reach 



