Morse's original insulators found

TELEGRAPH CURIOS.

Discovery of Glass Insulators

Used by Morse.

UNEARTHED IN WASHINGTON.

Found in the Document Room of

the Senate.

Were Used on the First Line

Con­structed Between Baltimore

and the Capital.

Baltimore Herald: Glass insulators through which the wire was run carrying the first message over a tele­graph line from Baltimore to Washington, 56 years ago, were recently discovered in the dicument [sic] document room of the senate by workman who were taking measurements of the walls for the purpose of putting in new file cases. This is especially interesting at this time, as the anniversary of the first message, fell on last Sunday, as told in the Herald that day.

While it is known that the insula­tors had been placed in some part of the senate side of the building by Professor Morse, their exact location was not known to any of the present employes of the capital until discover­ed as stated.

It was in the winter of 1843 that Professor Morse, after repeated ef­forts, succeeded in securing from congress an appropriation to enable him to make a test of his improvements in telegraphy. He had already demon­strated that he could send and receive a message a distance of 10 miles through coiled insulated wire, the feat having been satisfactorily demonstrated a number of times to members of the house :and senate who were willing to aid him. However, there were a large number of doubting Thomases, who would take no interest in the man or the invention and declined to wit­ness his tests, all of which were made at the capital.

THEY HAD DOUBTS.

Professor Morse was fully convinced that the same could be done over even a much greater distance in a straight line. In fact, it was his belief that space could be annihilated in the transmission of intelligence through his in­vention. It simply depended on the power of the battery used, and this he proposed to overcome by relays of bat­teries where needed. That Professor Morse was correct in his belief is car­ried out by the fact, that messages are now sent around almost the entire globe simply by the use of what is known in telegraphy as repeaters. Strong doubts existed, however, in the minds of some of the lawmakers and appropriation-givers as to the ability of the great inventor to do what he said he could.

Appropriations were not ladled out in those days in as careless a manner as now, and the voters held their rep­resentatives more closely accountable for their acts. This fact made the lawmakers cautious of giving the ap­propriation, because it might have been regarded as useless waste of pub­lic funds and give encouragement and aid to an invention which appealed to some as little more than the delusions of mesmerism.

Among those who took an active in­terest in securing the appropriation was Hon. John Kennedy, of Maryland, and Hon. George Ferris, of New York. After laboring from 1836 to 1843 a bill appropriating $30,000 was passed by the house by a vote of 89 to 83.

To become a law it required the con­currence of the senate and the sanc­tion of the president. The records show that the bill passed the house on February 23, and while it is said that Professor Morse anticipated no violent opposition in the senate, that body would adjourn on March 3, and it was doubtful if the bill could be on the cal­endar before adjournment, and under the rule no bill could be taken from its regular order.

AGEEABLY [sic] AGREEABLY SURPRISED.

During the last few days of the ses­sion Professor Morse haunted the hall and gallery of the senate, and on the afternoon of the last day he became discouraged, feeling convinced that he would have to wait until the next congress. With a sad heart he left the capital and went to his hoarding house, where he remained until next morning. It was his intention to take an early train for New York, where he intended to resume his work as an artist.

His plans, however, were not carried out, for just before he was ready to go to the depot he received a call from Miss Annie Ellsworth, daughter of the commissioner of patents, who said that she had called to congratulate him up­on the passage of his bill. Professor Morse could scarcely believe the young lady when she told him that the bill had passed the senate only a few minutes before adjournment, and that she had asked her fill hers permission to convey to him the glad news.

Miss Ellsworth was promised by the inventor that she should send the first message over the long-distance line, a promise which was fulfilled