the age of invention-第20节

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ning　mate　to　James　K。　Polk；　but　they　must　know　first　whether　Wright　would　consent　to　run　as　Vice…President。　So　they　posted　a　messenger　off　to　Washington　but　were　persuaded　at　the　same　time　to　allow　the　new　telegraph　to　try　what　it　could　do。　The　telegraph　carried　the　offer　to　Wright　and　carried　back　to　the　Convention　Wright's　refusal　of　the　honor。　The　delegates；　however；　would　not　believe　the　telegraph；　until　their　own　messenger；　returning　the　next　day；　confirmed　its　message。

For　a　time　the　telegraph　attracted　little　attention。　But　Cornell　stretched　the　lines　across　the　country；　connecting　city　with　city；　and　Morse　and　Vail　improved　the　details　of　the　mechanism　and　perfected　the　code。　Others　came　after　them　and　added　further　improvements。　And　it　is　gratifying　to　know　that　both　Morse　and　Vail；　as　well　as　Cornell；　lived　to　reap　some　return　for　their　labor。　Morse　lived　to　see　his　telegraph　span　the　continent；　and　link　the　New　World　with　the　Old；　and　died　in　1872　full　of　honors。


Prompt　communication　of　the　written　or　spoken　message　is　a　demand　even　more　insistent　than　prompt　transportation　of　men　and　goods。　By　1859　both　the　railroad　and　the　telegraph　had　reached　the　old　town　of　St。　Joseph　on　the　Missouri。　Two　thousand　miles　beyond；　on　the　other　side　of　plains　and　mountains　and　great　rivers；　lay　prosperous　California。　The　only　transportation　to　California　was　by　stage…coach；　a　sixty　days'　journey；　or　else　across　Panama；　or　else　round　the　Horn；　a　choice　of　three　evils。　But　to　establish　quicker　communication；　even　though　transportation　might　lag；　the　men　of　St。　Joseph　organized　the　Pony　Express；　to　cover　the　great　wild　distance　by　riders　on　horseback；　in　ten　or　twelve　days。　Relay　stations　for　the　horses　and　men　were　set　up　at　appropriate　points　all　along　the　way；　and　a　postboy　dashed　off　from　St。　Joseph　every　twenty…four　hours；　on　arrival　of　the　train　from　the　East。　And　for　a　time　the　Pony　Express　did　its　work　and　did　it　well。　President　Lincoln's　First　Inaugural　was　carried　to　California　by　the　Pony　Express；　so　was　the　news　of　the　firing　on　Fort　Sumter。　But　by　1869。　the　Pony　Express　was　quietly　superseded　by　the　telegraph；　which　in　that　year　had　completed　its　circuits　all　the　way　to　San　Francisco；　seven　years　ahead　of　the　first　transcontinental　railroad。　And　in　four　more　years　Cyrus　W。　Field　and　Peter　Cooper　had　carried　to　complete　success　the　Atlantic　Cable；　and　the　Morse　telegraph　was　sending　intelligence　across　the　sea；　as　well　as　from　New　York　to　the　Golden　Gate。

And　today　ships　at　sea　and　stations　on　land；　separated　by　the　sea；　speak　to　one　another　in　the　language　of　the　Morse　Code；　without　the　use　of　wires。　Wireless；　or　radio；　telegraphy　was　the　invention　of　a　nineteen…year…old　boy；　Guglielmo　Marconi；　an　Italian；　but　it　has　been　greatly　extended　and　developed　at　the　hands　of　four　Americans：　Fessenden；　Alexanderson；　Langmuir；　and　Lee　De　Forest。　It　was　De　Forest's　invention　that　made　possible　transcontinental　and　transatlantic　telephone　service；　both　with　and　without　wires。

The　story　of　the　telegraph's　younger　brother；　and　great　ally　in　communication；　the　telephone　of　Alexander　Graham　Bell；　is　another　pregnant　romance　of　American　invention。　But　that　is　a　story　by　itself；　and　it　begins　in　a　later　period　and　so　falls　within　the　scope　of　another　volume　of　these　Chronicles。*

*　〃The　Age　of　Big　Business〃；　by　Burton　J。　Hendrick；　〃The　Chronicle　of　America〃；　vol。　XXXIX。


Wise　newspapermen　stiffened　to　attention　when　the　telegraph　began　ticking。　The　New　York　Herald；　the　Sun；　and　the　Tribune　had　been　founded　only　recently　and　they　represented　a　new　type　of　journalism；　swift；　fearless；　and　energetic。　The　proprietors　of　these　newspapers　saw　that　this　new　instrument　was　bound　to　affect　all　newspaperdom　profoundly。　How　was　the　newspaper　to　cope　with　the　situation　and　make　use　of　the　news　that　was　coming　in　and　would　be　coming　in　more　and　more　over　the　wires？

For　one　thing；　the　newspapers　needed　better　printing　machinery。　The　application　of　steam；　or　any　mechanical　power；　to　printing　in　America　was　only　begun。　It　had　been　introduced　by　Robert　Hoe　in　the　very　years　when　Morse　was　struggling　to　perfect　the　telegraph。　Before　that　time　newspapers　were　printed　in　the　United　States；　on　presses　operated　as　Franklin's　press　had　been　operated；　by　hand。　The　New　York　Sun；　the　pioneer　of　cheap　modern　newspapers；　was　printed　by　hand　in　1833；　and　four　hundred　impressions　an　hour　was　the　highest　speed　of　one　press。　There　had　been；　it　is　true；　some　improvements　over　Franklin's　printing　press。　The　Columbian　press　of　George　Clymer　of　Philadelphia；　invented　in　1816；　was　a　step　forward。　The　Washington　press；　patented　in　1829　by　Samuel　Rust　of　New　York；　was　another　step　forward。　Then　had　come　Robert　Hoe's　double…cylinder；　steamdriven　printing　press。　But　a　swifter　machine　was　wanted。　And　so　in　1845　Richard　March　Hoe；　a　son　of　Robert　Hoe；　invented　the　revolving　or　rotary　press；　on　the　principle　of　which　larger　and　larger　machines　have　been　builtmachines　so　complex　and　wonderful　that　they　baffle　description；　which　take　in　reels　of　white　paper　and　turn　out　great　newspapers　complete；　folded　and　counted；　at　the　rate　of　a　hundred　thousand　copies　an　hour。　American　printing　machines　are　in　use　today　the　world　over。　The　London　Times　is　printed　on　American　machines。

Hundreds　of　new　inventions　and　improvements　on　old　inventions　followed　hard　on　the　growth　of　the　newspaper；　until　it　seemed　that　the　last　word　had　been　spoken。　The　newspapers　had　the　wonderful　Hoe　presses；　they　had　cheap　paper；　they　had　excellent　type；　cast　by　machinery；　they　had　a　satisfactory　process　of　multiplying　forms　of　type　by　stereotyping；　and　at　length　came　a　new　process　of　making　pictures　by　photo…engraving；　supplanting　the　old…fashioned　process　of　engraving　on　wood。　Meanwhile；　however；　in　one　important　department　of　the　work；　the　newspapers　had　made　no　advance　whatever。　The　newspapers　of　New　York　in　the　year　1885；　and　later；　set　up　their　type　by　the　same　method　that　Benjamin　Franklin　used　to　set　up　the　type　for　The　Pennsylvania　Gazette。　The　compositor　stood　or　sat　at　his　〃case；〃　with　his　〃copy〃　before　him；　and　picked　the　type　up　letter　by　letter　until　he　had　filled　and　correctly　spaced　a　line。　Then　he　would　set　another　line；　and　so　on；　all　with　his　hands。　After　the　job　was　completed；　the　type　had　to　be　distributed　again；　letter　by　letter。　Typesetting　was　slow　and　expensive。

This　labor　of　typesetting　was　at　last　generally　done　away　with　by　the　invention　of　two　intricate　and　ingenious　machines。　The　linotype；　the　invention　of　Ottmar　Mergenthaler　of　Baltimore；　came　first；　then　the　monotype　of　Tolbert　Lanston；　a　native　of　Ohio。　The　linotype　is　the　favorite　composing　machine　for　newspapers　and　is　also　widely　used　in　typesetting　for　books；　though　the　monotype　is　preferred　by　book　printers。　One　or　other　of　these　machines　has　today　replaced；　for　the　most　part；　the　old　hand　compositors　in　every　large　printing　establishment　in　the　United　States。


While　the　machinery　of　the　great　newspapers　was　being　developed；　another　instrument　of　communication；　more　humble　but　hardly　less　important　in　modern　life；　was　coming　into　existence。　The　typewriter　is　today　in　every　business　office　and　is　another　of　America's　gifts　to　the　commercial　world。　One　might　attempt　to　trace　the　typewriter　back　to　the　early　seals；　or　to　the　name　plates　of　the　Middle　Ages；　or　to　the　records　of　the　British　Patent　Office；　for　1714；　which　mention　a　machine　for　embossing。　But　it　would　be　difficult　to　establish　the　identity　of　these　contrivances　with　the　modern　typewriter。

Two　American　devices；　one　of　William　Burt　in　1829；　for　a　〃typographer；〃　and　another　of　Charles　Thurber；　of　Worcester；　Massachusetts；　in　1843；　may　also　be　passed　over。　Alfred　Ely　Beach　made　a　model　for　a　typewriter　as　early　as　1847；　but　neglected　it　for　other　things；　and　his　next　effort　in　printing　machines　was　a　device　for　embossing　letters　for　the　blind。　His　typewriter　had　many　of　the　features　of　the　modern　typewriter；　but　lacked　a　satisfactory　method　of　inking　the　types。　This　was　furnished　by　S。　W。　Francis　of　New　York；　whose　machine；　in　1857；　bore　a　ribbon　saturated　with　ink。　None　of　these　machines；　however；　was　a　commercial　success。　They　were　regarded　merely　as　the　toys　of　ingenious　men。

The　accredited　father　of　the　typewriter　was　a　Wisconsin　newspaperman；　Christopher　Latham　Sholes；　editor；　politician；　and　anti…slavery　agitator。　A　strike　of　his　printers　led　him　to　unsuccessful　attempts　to　invent　a　typesetting　machine。　He　did　succeed；　however；　in　making；　in　collaboration　with　another　printer；　Samuel　W。　Soule；　a　numbering　machine；　and　a　friend；　Carlos　Glidden；　to　whom　this　ingenious　contrivance　was　shown；　suggested　a　machine　to　print　letters。

The　three　friends　decided　to　try。　None　had　studied　the　efforts　of　previous　experimenters；　and　they　made　many　errors　which　might　have　been　avoided。　Gradually；　however；　the　invention　took　form。　Patents　were　obtained　in　June；　1868；　and　again　in　July　of　the　same　year；　but　the　machine　was　neither　strong　nor　trustworthy。　Now　appeared　James　Densmore　and　bought　a　share　in　the　machine；　while　Soule　and　Glidden　retired。　Densmore　furnished　the　funds　to　build　about　thirty　models　in　succession；　each　a　little　better　than　the　preced