BY STEPHEN VAIL
Late in the winter of 1837-38, there was introduced into the Congress of the United States a bill authorizing an appropriation of 30,000 with which to construct an experimental line of electric telegraph between Washington and Baltimore, some forty miles in length. This object was, by the wiseacres1 in the Congress, considered so visionary and nonsensical that it was not until upon the night of the third of March, 1843, the last of the expiring session, and after five long and weary years of waiting on the part of the untiring inventors, Morse and Vail, that the bill was finally passed by the Senate and became a law, by but a bare majority.
Work upon the construction of the line was at once commenced. The mechanical and electrical part of the work was in charge of Alfred Vail, while Morse remained in Washington.
In October, 1843, ten miles of the underground line had been laid, when the insulation2, which had been gradually failing, disappeared altogether. The minds of those engaged1Wiseacres: persons who pretend to be very wise; dunces.
2Insulation: the state of a body"s being separated from others by nonconductors so as to prevent the passing of electricity.
in the enterprise were filled with consternation. Cornell dexterously managed to break the pipe-laying machine-one of his own device-that the apparent accident might furnish a plausible1 excuse to the newspapers and the public for the temporary suspension of the work.
In February, 1844, it was decided to place the conductors on poles, and on the first of April the stringing of the wires was begun at Washington.
On April 30th the line reached Annapolis Junction, twenty- two miles from Washington, and was operated with satisfactory results.
May 1st, 1844, was the date upon which there was to assemble in Baltimore the Whig convention, to nominate the candidates of that party for president and vice-president, and it was arranged between Morse and Vail that the latter should obtain from the passengers upon the afternoon train from Baltimore to Washington, when it stopped at Annapolis Junction, information of the proceedings of the convention and transmit2 it at once to Morse at the Capitol in Washington.
The train arrived at half-past three o"clock, and from thepassengers, among whom were many of the delegates to the convention, Mr. Vail ascertained that the convention had assembled, nominated the candidates, and adjourned, which information he at once dispatched to Morse, with whom was gathered a number of prominent men who had been invited1 Plausible: seemingly reasonable. 2 Transmit: send.
to be present. Morse sat awaiting the prearranged signal from Vail, when suddenly there came from the instrument the understood clicking, and starting the mechanism, unwinding the ribbon of paper upon which came the embossed dots and dashes, there was established the complete success of the telegraph over twenty-two miles of wire.
Slowly came the message, and when it had ended, Morse rose and said: "Gentlemen, the convention has adjourned. The train bearing that information has just left Annapolis Junction for Washington, and Mr. Vail has telegraphed me the ticket nominated, and it is-" he hesitated, holding in his hand the final proof of victory over space, "it is-it is Clay and Frelinghuysen.""You are quizzing1 us," was the quiet remark. "It"s easyenough for you to guess that Clay is at the head of the ticket, but Frelinghuysen- who is Frelinghuysen?""I only know," was the dignified answer, "that it is the name Mr. Vail has sent to me from Annapolis Junction, where he had the news five minutes ago from the train bound this way bearing the delegates."At that time the twenty-two miles from the Junction to Washington required an hour and a quarter for the fastest trains, and long before the train reached Washington the newsboys-enterprising even in those days-had their "extras" upon the streets, their headings "By Telegraph" telling the story, and being the first time that such a legend had ever1 Quizzing: making sport of; mocking.
appeared upon a printed sheet.
A great and enthusiastic crowd greeted the delegates as they alighted from the train at the station They were struck dumb with astonishment when they heard the people hurrahing for "Clay and Frelinghuysen, and saw in cold type before their very eyes the information which they supposed was exclusively their own, but which had preceded them "by telegraph." They had asked Mr. Vail at the Junction what he was doing when they saw him working the telegraph key, and when he told them, they joked about it most glibly, for no one had any belief in the success of the telegraph.
Upon May 23d the entire line from Washington to Baltimore was completed. On the next day, May 24th, Alfred Vail received the so-called " historic message," "What hath God wrought?"This message was dictated by Miss Ellsworth, daughter of the then Commissioner of Patents, who had taken a deep interest in the success of the bill appropriating 30,000 for the construction of the line, and who was the first to convey to Morse the information that the bill had passed. Morse, jubilant at the news, thereupon gave Miss Ellsworth his promise that the first message to pass over the line from Washington to Baltimore should be that which she might choose to dictate.