THE COPYING TELEGRAPH.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1921, Page 8

THE COPYING TELEGRAPH.

A WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT.

(The Christian Science Moilitor.) Hermod Petersen, the chief manager of the radio department of the telegraph service of Norway, has recently given public demonstrations of an invention, which it is claimed will mark an epoch in the world’s communications. The in. ventor has been engaged on his invention during the last four and a half years. It consists of a new method of wiring typo-scripts and manuscripts, photographs, maps, etc. The difficulty of the copying telegraph has till latterly been the need for an apparatus which reproduces the original picture from the place of dispatch with mathemical and photographical accuracy at the receiving station. The parts of the apparatus synchronise aflkolutely and must work simultaneously. All other systems of wiring have made use of continuous current, but Mr. Petersen’s invention is based on alternating current. His copying telegraph will have the advantage of ’being very much cheaper than the systems generally in use now. A rapidly working telegraph apparatus can convey 100 words a minute; 186 words or more can be sent by the copying telegraph. It has been proved that 16 persons working Mr. Petersen’s discovery can dispatch the same number of telegrams as now require handling by 117 persons. The reduction in the number of assistants is effected by a far greater use of electric power.

The handwriting or the drawing is chemigraphically transferred on a metal | cylinder at the dispatch station. An electric current is sent through the cylinder and the wires to the receiving apparatus. The rotary cylinder is touched by a tack which moves horizontally and is put in contact with every point of the outlines on the cylinder. At the receiving apparatus thfc current is opened or closed as the tack passes the protuberances and the indentations of the cylinder and all “points,” and consequently the whole drawing or handwriting is carefully copied on the sensitised paper, which is placed on the receiving apparatus. The drawing is of exactly the same size as the original. Errors in transmission are impossible, since the contents are reproduced photographically. The wiring can be done completely automatically from the moment that the metal cylinder is ready to the moment when the receiver removes the sensitised paper. The copying telegraph can be switched to the' ordinary net-work of telegraph lines, which may be used for copying telegraphing and ordinary Morse writing at the same time.

The distance covered is according to the strength of the current. There is no limitation tc the distance across are manifold. It conveys typoscript, which the system can be applied. As will be recognised the potentialities of the new system in- fields where the ordinary systems of wiring are useless manuscript, print, shorthand, the dash and dot writing, stroke drawings of photographs and every type of illustration for the press. Abstracts of accounts may be sent, everything belohgiag to the column systaioj