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281
Heroes of the Telegraph
·
John Munro
54
This
was
the
first
message
of
a
public
character
sent
by
the
electric
telegraph
in
the
Western
World,
and
it
is
preserved
by
the
Connecticut
Historical
Society.
The
dots
and
dashes
representing
the
words
were
not
drawn
with
pen
and
ink,
but
embossed
on
the
paper
with
a
metal
stylus.
The
machine
itself
was
kept
in
the
National
Museum
at
Washington,
and
on
removing
it,
in
1871,
to
exhibit
it
at
the
Morse
Memorial
Celebration
at
New
York,
a
member
of
the
Vail
family
discovered
a
folded
paper
attached
to
its
base.
A
corner
of
the
writing
was
torn
away
before
its
importance
was
recognised;
but
it
proved
to
be
a
signed
statement
by
Alfred
Vail,
to
the
effect
that
the
method
of
embossing
was
invented
by
him
in
the
sixth
storey
of
the
NEW
YORK
OBSERVER
office
during
1844,
prior
to
the
erection
of
the
Washington
to
Baltimore
line,
without
any
hint
from
Morse.
'I
have
not
asserted
publicly
my
right
as
first
and
sole
inventor,'
he
says,
'because
I
wished
to
preserve
the
peaceful
unity
of
the
invention,
and
because
I
could
not,
according
to
my
contract
with
Professor
Morse,
have
got
a
patent
for
it.'
The
powers
of
the
telegraph
having
been
demonstrated,
enthusiasm
took
the
place
of
apathy,
and
Morse,
who
had
been
neglected
before,
was
in
some
danger
of
being
over-praised.
A
political
incident
spread
the
fame
of
the
telegraph
far
and
wide.
The
Democratic
Convention,
sitting
in
Baltimore,
nominated
Mr.
James
K.
Polk
as
candidate
for
the
Presidency,
and
Mr.
Silas
Wright
for
the
Vice-Presidency.
Alfred
Vail
telegraphed
the
news
to
Morse
in
Washington,
and
he
at
once
told
Mr.
Wright.
The
result
was
that
a
few
minutes
later
the
Convention
was
dumbfounded
to
receive
a
message
from
Wright
declining
to
be
nominated.
They
would
not
believe
it,
and
appointed
a
committee
to
inquire
into
the
matter;
but
the
telegram
was
found
to
be
genuine.
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