Figure 30. — Morse's canvas-stretcher receiver {top) and port- 

 rule transmitter of 1837. It is diificult to fix the date of actual 

 construction of this apparatus. Morse gave it to Western Union 

 at some time prior to his death in 1872, and Western Union gave 

 it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1896. {USNM 1812^0, 

 Smithsonian photos 13366 and i^jg3-A.) 



After returning to the United States, Morse asked 

 that his patent be issued, which it finally was on June 

 20, 1840, as U.S. patent 1647 (reissued in 1846 and 

 1848). However, in spite of the earlier favorable 

 report by a committee of Congress, Morse was unable 

 to obtain funds from the Government until March 

 3, 1843. The partners decided to use the $30,000 

 appropriated by Congress to set up a line along the 

 40 miles of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad running 

 between Baltimore and Washington. After an un- 



successful attempt to lay a subterranean line, they 

 had the line placed on glass insulators on poles. The 

 first message was sent on May 24, 1844, at a speed of 

 about 30 letters per minute. (For the instrument 

 used in these trials and for later devices of Morse and 

 Vail, see figures 32-35.) 



While Morse obtained a certain amount of public- 

 ity in Congress when he sent reports to Washington 

 on the Whig and Democratic presidential nominat- 

 ing conventions in Baltimore, the lines in general 



PAPER 29: DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE 19TH CENTURY: II 



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