Telegraph Register
- Description (Brief)
- George M. Phelps at Western Union designed this telegraph register, one of many types he designed for the company. This unit recorded signals from messenger call boxes, small telegraph transmitters that office managers used to summon telegraph delivery service when needed. Telegraph registers are electrically-activated printers that receive Morse code messages. The message travels as a series of electrical pulses through a wire. The pulses energize the register’s electromagnets which move a lever-arm holding a pen or stylus. A clockwork mechanism pulls a strip of paper across the pen or stylus, recording the message. Short pulses draw or emboss a dot, slightly longer pulses a dash. The sequence of dots and dashes represent letters and numbers.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- maker
- Phelps, George M.
- Physical Description
- wood (overall material)
- glass (overall material)
- copper (overall material)
- brass (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 8 3/4 in x 13 1/2 in x 6 1/2 in; 22.225 cm x 34.29 cm x 16.51 cm
- ID Number
- EM.331058
- accession number
- 294351
- collector/donor number
- 100-340
- catalog number
- 331058
- Credit Line
- from Western Union Corporation
- subject
- Communication, telegraph
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Electricity
- Communications
- Telegraph Registers
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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