AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPHY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1194, 18 January 1895, Page 37

AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPHY.

The Hon Mr Ward is determined to keep the telegraph service of this Colony well abreast of the times in point of efficiency. Many improvements have already been effected since he assumed Ministerial control, and another very notable one is now being made. Rather more than six months ago we mentioned that with a few to facilitating the work of the larger offices it had been decided to send Home for two sets of Wheatstone’s automatic apparatus, consisting of transmitters, receivers, perforators, condensers, and sounders. These have just been received and set up, and a highly interesting exhibition of their powers was made on Saturday evening in the laboratory of the Wellington Telegraph Office, by Mr J. K. Logan (Superintendent of Electric Lines), in the presence of the Hon. Mr Ward, Mr W. Gray (Secretary of the Department), and a reporter of the New Zealand Mail.

It may be explained at the outset that the great advantage of the automatic machine over ordinary telegraphy by the hand is that the labour of ten or a dozen persons can be concentrated upon a single wire. In other words, as many persons can be employed to prepare the messages for transmission through the machine and to transcribe them at the receiving station as the speed of the system demands. Most people who have had dealings with the telegraph office are aware that what is known as a " block ” frequently occurs. In fact, to a moderate extent, it i 3 a matter of daily occurrence. Between certain hours messages for despatch over the wires pour in at an abnormal rate, and as the average speed of transmission by the hand of the operator is only thirty words a minute the messages accumulate, and a “ block ” is the result. There are a sufficient number of operators to keep abreast of all the work that is received, but the number of wires is limited, and ordinary telegraphy proceeds on the onewire one-operator principle, excepting of course the duplex system. The “ block ”is the emergency that calls for the automatic machine, and to which it adequately responds. With its aid the “ block ” becomes impossible. The modus operandi is simple. Let us assume that messages containing in all 3000 words are awaiting transmission. They are divided among 10 operators, each of whom sits down to a perforator and punches out his 300 words upon a tape, upon which the message is registered in punctured holes corresponding to the dots and dashes of the Morse alphabet. This operation will be performed r n 10 minutes, each operator working at the rate of 30 words a minute. When the 10 pieces of tape containing the register of the 3000 words are completed they are adjusted to the automatic transmitter, and without working at its top speed, but only at the pace of 300 words a minute, it transmits the entire 3000 words in 10 minutes. At the same time the automatic receiver at the other end of the circuit is receiving the messages at an equal rate and reeling them off clearly printed in Morse characters—technically known as “ signals ” —upon a tape which may be cut in lengths of about 100 words, and distributed among the telegraph clerks to transcribe. The top speed of the automatic machine is 400 words a minute, and, of

course, by the aid of the ordinary duplex set work can be carried on over a single wire at the phenomenal speed of 800 words a minute—that is to say 400 words a minute from each end of the circuit.

For the purpose of the experimental display made on Saturday night, a piece of perforated tape containing a message of 300 words extracted from a speech had been piepared on the “puncher” or perforator, which is worked in the same way as a typewriter. It was adjusted to the automatic transmitter, the machine was regulated to a speed of about 300 words, and, with watches in hand to note the result, the signal was given to start. The tape passed rapidly and smoothly through the transmitter, and simultaneously the receiver delivered its tape containing the transmitted message, neatly and legibly printed in the Morse characters. The entire message had been despatched at the one end and recorded at the other in a few seconds over the minute. Mr Ward and Mr Bogan examined the tape taken from the receiver, pronounced the “ signals ” upon it to be admirably clear, and read them with great ease. Again the message was sent through, (the same “ punched ” tape being used), this time at the accelerated speed of 375 words a minute, or with the duplex set 750 words, the time taken being 48sec. At top speed 80ft of tape passes through the transmitter every minute, and of course with a duplex set it would be 160 ft of tape a minute.

The automatic machine can be regulated to any speed between 20 and 400 words a minute; and, when not required to be worked automatically, it can be used manually in the ordinary way. In order to illustrate its capacity for meeting an emergency, let us take an example, the significance of which may be grasped in an instant. Let us assume that the next Financial Statement will embrace 12,000 words. Working at a little more than half-speed (say 250 words a minute), the automatic transmitter will telegraph the entire speech in a trifle more than threequarters of an hour, or at a pace faster than that at which it has been delivered.

The test was completely successful, and the Minister was highly pleased with the result. The two sets of automatic machines which are now in the Wellington Telegraph Office cost .8300, and as ten sets of ordinary instruments would cost a little more than that, the two Wheatstone’s relatively to their capacity for work are cheaper than 10 ordinary instruments. One set is to be retained here, and the other set will be forwarded this week to Christchurch. They will be brought into regular use within the next ten or twelve days. There is no doubt that in due time all the leading stations in the Colony will be provided with automatic sets.