942 Transactions of the American Institute. 



sio'n of fine dots spurted from the tube on to the paper, leaving a 

 record of the position of the tube at each instant, and drawing a sen- 

 sibly continuous line on the paper without impeding by friction the 

 motion of the tube, as directed by the receiving instrument. It has 

 been found most convenient to let the paper move in a vertical plane, 

 and to use a small glass siphon, with its short leg dipping in the ink 

 reservoir, and its long leg pointing obliquely downward at the paper, 

 and close to it. The receiving instrument used in connection with 

 this marking apparatus is a peculiar arrangement, in which the received 

 current passes through a very light coil of a small number of turns of 

 fine wire. 



Part of this coil is placed in a very powerful magnetic field, produced 

 by permanent magnets, or by electro-magnets, which act with great 

 force on the coil when the current passes through it. The coil is kept 

 stiff, without any complete frame-work or bobbin, by the use of stiff 

 pieces, or booms, drawn asunder by threads or strong fibers stretched 

 to fixed points, and serving to support the coil while giving it the 

 requisite freedom to move and the needful stability. The message 

 recorded by this ingenious apparatus appears like a continuous line, 

 but when examined closely it is found to be made up of a series of ink 

 dots. The line made in a longitudinal direction, corresponds to spaces 

 in the Morse alphabet made by breaking the current, and the to and 

 fro transverse lines, which may be long or short, as the cable current 

 varies in strength, accomplish the same purpose as the dot and line 

 made by the Morse pen. Thus the swinging motion of a delicate coil 

 is perfectly recorded with a minimum expenditure of force. The 

 inventor has accomplished what was deemed an impossibility by most 

 electricians, and brought out an instrument which is not only theo- 

 retically correct in its construction, but which has been found to work 

 well in actual practice. 



Dr. L. Bradley spoke of the progress made in telegraphing in the 

 United States ; lines now being worked by the fluctuation of the ten- 

 sion of the electricity, no current going through the line. 



Lignites of the Far "West. 

 By Professor J. S. Newberry. 

 Coal constitutes the main spring of civilization, and over the western 

 half of our continent, our population will be dependent for their fuel 

 mainly upon the beds of lignites of the far west, so that the subject 

 upon which I have consented to say a few words this evening is one 

 of great practical importance, as well as of scientific interest. Atten. 



