Houston.] 328 [Dee. 7, 
wheel, are governed by the vibration of a tuning-fork, maintained in its 
vibration by the action of a voltaic battery. Since the rate of vibration of 
the fork governs the rate of rotation of the arm, it is only necessary to main- 
tain the synchronous vibration of two forks, placed at each end of the line. 
“Although the duration of vibration of a fork, like the oscillation of a pen- 
dulum, is sensibly the same for all amplitudes, provided the amplitude is 
very small, yet, as you are aware, the duration becomes longer, or the 
vibration slower, if the amplitude of the oscillation be very sensibly in- 
creased. Now the inventor obtains the requisite slowing of that fork’s vibra- 
tion, that is connected with the phonic-wheel that has gained on the 
other, by causing the electrical impulse that flows over the line to in- 
crease the strength of the electrical current that is traversing the battery 
circuit that is keeping it in vibration. This he accomplishes by cutting a 
resistance out of this circuit, and thus allowing more current to pass. 
“Tn order to avoid the disturbance produced by the static charge, that is 
generally found in long lines, the inventor has provided a series of extr: 
contacts, placed between each of the separate contacts that, at each end 
of the line, are connected to the transmitting or receiving instruments. 
These extra contacts are connected together and to the earth, so that when 
the line is disconnected from one instrument, it is put to the earth before it 
is given to the next instrument, and is thus completely freed from its 
static charge. These discharge contacts are absolutely necessary to the 
successful operation of the synchronous system, where the length of line 
employed is extended, 
“Since the circuit of any operator is constantly made and broken, as 
often as the line is taken and again returned to him, the use of an ordi- 
nary Morse relay would be inapplicable in the practice of this system, 
since all the impulses (a number of which make up a single character, as 
well as the characters sent into the line from the transmitting key of the 
operator connected) would be recorded. In order to avoid this confusion the 
transmission battery is split and grounded in the middle, and polarized 
relays substituted for the ordinary instruments, Since these relays re; 
spond, not to makes and breaks in the circuit, but to changes of polarity 
only, the receiving instruments are influenced only by the characters sent 
by the operators, and not by the suceessive makes and breaks. 
“The successful solution of the problem of maintaining synchronism 
by the methods I have explained, render many things possible that without 
it would have been impossible. Among these I may mention the various ap- 
plications of fac-similies, and autographic telegraphs. Without attempting 
to go into the details of their application, it will suffice to say that the proba- 
ble applications of Mr. Delany’s system are so numerous and important, 
as to entitle him to a very high rank among the world’s inventors,’’ 
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