Telegraph Register

Description (Brief):

This telegraph register may have been used in a fire alarm system. When a person activated a call box to report a fire, registers of this type would receive the signal and record which box had been activated. 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.

Maker: Foote, Pierson & Co.

Location: Currently not on view

Web Subject: Communication, telegraph

Subject:

See more items in: Work and Industry: Electricity, Telegraph Registers, Communications

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Credit Line: from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, thru John A. Tucker

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: EM.322108Catalog Number: 322108Accession Number: 244197

Object Name: telegraph receivertelegraph register

Physical Description: brass (overall material)glass (overall material)wood (overall material)paper (overall material)iron (overall material)Measurements: overall: 9 in x 5 in x 10 1/2 in; 22.86 cm x 12.7 cm x 26.67 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-3381-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_706501

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