HISTORY AND PROGRESS. 171 



In this manner the indentation on 'the left of each type will 

 always form a continuation of the space due to the last nega- 

 tive current. 



The advantages, as stated by the inventors, of this beauti- 

 ful system over the methods of automatic transmission by 

 perforated paper bands and the ordinary Morse, consists, 

 principally, in the greater speed with which a practised type- 

 setter can set up a message, than an expert clerk could 

 either manipulate his transmitting key or punch out the 

 holes in the paper band ; whilst the opportunities which it 

 offers of controlling the correctness of each message when 

 set up, by simply reading off the plain Roman letters which 

 are engraved in the fronts of the types, gives it an important 

 advantage over other systems. 



The mechanical part of the transmission of a message con- 

 sists in nothing else than in laying the composing-sticks, set 

 up with the consecutive parts of the message, one after the 

 other, on the stage appointed for their reception, removing 

 those which have gone under the lever L, and in treading the 

 lathe during the time. 



This is accomplished so fast that the machine can transmit 

 the work of six or seven type- setters ; and, as the work of 

 setting the types is much easier and requires less time than 

 in manipulating the Morse letters with the ordinary key, 

 such a machine will send comfortably eight times as many 

 despatches as the ordinary key. The work of type-setting 

 demands also little practice or intelligence. The types are 

 marked with letters of the alphabet, and are put into their 

 places in the composing-sticks from the boxes in which they 

 are kept. It is true that, to keep the apparatus constantly 

 at work, more employes would be necessary than are required 

 for an ordinary Morse ; but this is profitable on lines doing 

 much business. 



The almost mathematical precision of the signals facilitates 

 immensely the work of reception by preventing the con- 

 fusion and mistakes which sometimes arise in using the 

 Morse, from irregular transmission. 



The apparatus cannot be arranged for translation as it 



