The Telegraph
The electric telegraph was an important invention born out of Joseph Henry’s electromagnetic motor. The idea is to generate a coded electric signal at one location, send it through a wire over a long distance, and decode the message at a distant location. This was first efficiently accomplished by sending electrical pulses that caused an electromagnet to rotate and strike a bell (Bellis "Telegraph"). Samuel Morse improved Henry’s design and made the electrical telegraph more practical and commercialized. Morse’s design made the electromagnet move to make markings on a sheet of paper, which could be decoded according to Morse code to decipher the message. He sent the inaugural telegraph message from Washington to Baltimore in 1844.
The telegraph was a revolutionary method of communication. Previous telegraph systems required visual contact between the two locations and the waving of flags to send messages, or people had to literally deliver the message via vehicle. The electric telegraph trumped both these systems: it worked over long distances that could be separated by visual barriers, and it was essentially instantaneous. Telegraph lines were built alongside railroads, allowing for convenient communication between the frontier railroad workers and the management, who usually stayed back east (Railroad Telegrapher).
The telegraph was a revolutionary method of communication. Previous telegraph systems required visual contact between the two locations and the waving of flags to send messages, or people had to literally deliver the message via vehicle. The electric telegraph trumped both these systems: it worked over long distances that could be separated by visual barriers, and it was essentially instantaneous. Telegraph lines were built alongside railroads, allowing for convenient communication between the frontier railroad workers and the management, who usually stayed back east (Railroad Telegrapher).
Sources:
Bellis, M. (2014, April 9). The History of the Telegraph - Samuel Morse. About.com Inventors. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/telegraph.htm
The Railroad Telegrapher. OzarksWatch. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/ozarkswatch/ow702h.htm
Bellis, M. (2014, April 9). The History of the Telegraph - Samuel Morse. About.com Inventors. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/telegraph.htm
The Railroad Telegrapher. OzarksWatch. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://thelibrary.org/lochist/periodicals/ozarkswatch/ow702h.htm