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281
Heroes of the Telegraph
·
John Munro
47
The
apparatus
was
then
exhibited
in
New
York,
in
Philadelphia,
and
subsequently
before
the
Committee
of
Congress
at
Washington.
At
first
the
members
of
this
body
were
somewhat
incredulous
about
the
merits
of
the
uncouth
machine;
but
the
Chairman,
the
Hon.
Francis
O.
J.
Smith,
of
Maine,
took
an
interest
in
it,
and
secured
a
full
attendance
of
the
others
to
see
it
tried
through
ten
miles
of
wire
one
day
in
February.
The
demonstration
convinced
them,
and
many
were
the
expressions
of
amazement
from
their
lips.
Some
said,
'The
world
is
coming
to
an
end,'
as
people
will
when
it
is
really
budding,
and
putting
forth
symptoms
of
a
larger
life.
Others
exclaimed,
'Where
will
improvements
and
discoveries
stop?'
and
'What
would
Jefferson
think
should
he
rise
up
and
witness
what
we
have
just
seen?'
One
gentleman
declared
that,
'Time
and
space
are
now
annihilated.'
The
practical
outcome
of
the
trial
was
that
the
Chairman
reported
a
Bill
appropriating
30,000
dollars
for
the
erection
of
an
experimental
line
between
Washington
and
Baltimore.
Mr.
Smith
was
admitted
to
a
fourth
share
in
the
invention,
and
resigned
his
seat
in
Congress
to
become
legal
adviser
to
the
inventors.
Claimants
to
the
invention
of
the
telegraph
now
began
to
spring
up,
and
it
was
deemed
advisable
for
Mr.
Smith
and
Morse
to
proceed
to
Europe
and
secure
the
foreign
patents.
Alfred
Vail
undertook
to
provide
an
instrument
for
exhibition
in
Europe.
Among
these
claimants
was
Dr.
Jackson,
chemist
and
geologist,
of
Boston,
who
had
been
instrumental
in
evoking
the
idea
of
the
telegraph
in
the
mind
of
Morse
on
board
the
Sully.
In
a
letter
to
the
NEW
YORK
OBSERVER
he
went
further
than
this,
and
claimed
to
be
a
joint
inventor;
but
Morse
indignantly
repudiated
the
suggestion.
He
declared
that
his
instrument
was
not
mentioned
either
by
him
or
Dr.
Jackson
at
the
time,
and
that
they
had
made
no
experiments
together.
'It
is
to
Professor
Gale
that
I
am
most
of
all
indebted
for
substantial
and
effective
aid
in
many
of
my
experiments,'
he
said;
'but
he
prefers
no
claim
of
any
kind.'
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