The Sound Heard Round the World | Adventures in Research (02-06-51)

Summary

Old Time Radio Westerns Podcast Summary Episode: The Sound Heard Round the World | Adventures in Research (02-06-51)
Host: Andrew Rines
Release Date: June 8, 2025

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Introduction

Andrew Rines welcomes listeners to another episode of the Old Time Radio Westerns podcast. Emphasizing the show's commitment to digitally restoring classic Western radio dramas, Rines sets the stage for an engaging journey into the past, promising enhanced audio quality that brings timeless Wild West tales to life with unprecedented clarity.

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Main Content: The Invention of the Telegraph

Adventures in Research: Setting the Stage

(01:27)
Paul Shannon introduces the segment "Adventures in Research," highlighting the collaborative efforts of America's early innovators—the artists, mechanics, and professors—who contributed to the creation of one of the most influential inventions in communication history: the telegraph.

The Albany Academy Experiment

(01:48 - 07:46)
The narrative shifts to the Albany Academy in 1831, where a young Professor Henry prepares to demonstrate an experiment related to electromagnetism. The classroom buzzes with anticipation as Professor Henry explains his apparatus:

"We have meticulously enhanced every episode, elevating the audio quality to new heights."
(01:01) – Andrew Rines

During the demonstration, Professor Henry connects a complex setup of wires, batteries, and magnets to illustrate the principles of electromagnetism. He emphasizes the potential of these discoveries to overcome the limitations previously deemed insurmountable by experts like Peter Barlow, who had declared the telegraph impossible.

"Electricity couldn't travel very far. Exactly. The electricity could not travel far."
(06:00 - 06:01) – Professor Henry

Despite Barlow's assertions, Professor Henry remains optimistic, proposing that with the right modifications—such as longer insulated wires and multiple battery pairs—the telegraph's range could be significantly extended.

Collaboration with Samuel Morse

(08:16 - 12:23)
Six years later, in New York City, Professor Leonard Gale collaborates with Samuel Morse, the renowned professor of fine arts. Morse introduces his invention, which initially resembles a clock mechanism coupled with a pendulum and paper roll to create wavy lines representing messages.

"The fluid will flow through the ground. You see?"
(11:24) – Professor Henry

Professor Henry offers critical insights, suggesting the use of earth as a circuit to enhance conductivity—a technique borrowed from German inventor Steinheil. This advice proves pivotal, leading Morse and his assistant, Alfred Vail, to refine their telegraph system. Vail's innovations include replacing the pen with a stylus and developing a more efficient encoding system using dots and dashes.

"It's electromagnetism. But it is a telegraph, sir. You have invented it."
(07:46) – Professor Henry

Overcoming Challenges and Finalizing the Telegraph

(12:23 - 14:53)
Morse and Vail continue to iterate on their design, addressing issues like wire insulation and circuit reliability. Through persistent experimentation and Professor Henry's guidance, they achieve a breakthrough. On the decisive day, Morse successfully transmits the historic message:

"What hath God wrought?"
(14:02) – Professor Henry

This successful transmission marks the telegraph's debut, symbolizing a monumental leap in global communication.

Conclusion of the Telegraph Story

(14:53 - 15:36)
Paul Shannon concludes the narrative by acknowledging the collective efforts of Franklin Sturgeon, Henry Steinheil, Alfred Vail, and Samuel Morse. Their combined knowledge, perseverance, and innovation culminated in the telegraph—a "sound heard round the world."

"With their combined knowledge and effort and success and heartbreak came the telegraph. A sound heard round the world."
(14:53) – Paul Shannon

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Final Remarks

Andrew Rines wraps up the episode by encouraging listeners to engage with the podcast through ratings, likes, and subscriptions. He invites fans to join the community as ranch hands for exclusive content and extends gratitude to recent supporters.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Andrew Rines:
  "Welcome to the Oldtime Radio Westerns. I'm your host Andrew Rines and I'm excited to bring you another episode absolutely free."
  (01:01)

• Professor Henry:
  "Electricity couldn't travel very far. Exactly. The electricity could not travel far."
  (06:00 - 06:01)

• Professor Henry:
  "It's electromagnetism. But it is a telegraph, sir. You have invented it."
  (07:46)

• Paul Shannon:
  "With their combined knowledge and effort and success and heartbreak came the telegraph. A sound heard round the world."
  (14:53)

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Closing Thoughts

This episode of Old Time Radio Westerns masterfully intertwines historical dramatization with informative narration, painting a vivid picture of the telegraph's invention. Through engaging storytelling and precise character dialogues, listeners gain a deep appreciation for the ingenuity and collaboration that fueled this groundbreaking advancement in communication technology.

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Note: Advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections have been excluded from this summary to focus solely on the episode's substantive content.

Transcript

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[Andrew Rines]

Welcome to the Oldtime Radio Westerns. I'm your host Andrew Rines and I'm excited to bring you another episode absolutely free. This is one of over 80 episodes released monthly for your enjoyment. Now let's get into this episode.

[Paul Shannon]

Adventures in Research. One of America's first recognized artists, one of its skilled mechanics and one of its greatest professors all lent their talents to one of the world's most far reaching inventions, a sound heard around the world.

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[Paul Shannon]

This is Paul Shannon bringing you another transcribed story of science produced as a public service in cooperation with the Westinghouse Research Laboratory and today telling you the story behind the invention of the telegraph, of the drama, the men and the heartbreak involved in the sound heard around the world. The classroom of the Albany Academy in 1831 was filled with a murmur of students voices. The instructor had not yet appeared and the young men were in heated discussion.

[Professor Henry]

I tell you, you're all wrong. They've been working with it in England for years. Then ask Professor Henry about it when he comes. He'll tell you. Here comes Dr. Tennant. Class must be ready to start. I guess so. I wonder what Professor Henry has at the sleeve today. Doctor, how are you? The professor coming? Yes, Jason should be here any minute. He was up half the night working on an experiment he wants to show the class about electricity. I wager. I won't divulge the professor's Satan. Something to do with the wire strung around. There's over a mile of it. We were stringing it half the night, but no more will I say. Now what to tell you. Just like what Faraday is doing in England, he wrapped silk around the wire to protect the wire from itself. Good morning, gentlemen. Good morning. Good morning. Now, if you'll all take your seats, please. Now, gentlemen, now for the show. What does Professor Henry aim to do? I have no more idea than you have. Now, you must forgive my little show, gentlemen. It would seem I have not quite gotten over being president of the Albany Dramatic Club. Now, hand me that bag there, if you will, Carter. Ah, thank you. Now, here we have a little bell mounted on a stand. I'll put it over here on the window.

[Paul Shannon]

That's where the wire starts and ends.

[Professor Henry]

We strung over a mile of that wire around the room. Now, here is a pivot, also set on a stand. And perfectly balanced on the pivot is this bar of steel 10 inches long. Very well. Now. Now, here we have a horseshoe magnet with hundreds of turns of fine wire wound around each branch. So I'll connect these to the wire you see strung around the room. Now, we'll carefully set the magnet so that the end of the bar comes between its two poles. See the pairs of batteries he has at the back of the room? Now, I've already snipped a wire running around the room and have attached one end of it to the battery of 24 cells which you see back there. Jason, if you'll please connect the wire at this end when I tell you. Now, gentlemen, before we do this, you probably want to know just what I'm up to. Now, you remember my lectures on quantity and intensity magnets. Now, you've seen our quantity magnets lift more than 700 pounds. You remember that these magnets are made of many short pieces of wire wound over one another around a soft iron core. These we connected in parallel to a single cell made of a pair of copper and zinc plates in acid. And you were surprised by the tremendous weights this quantity magnet attached to this quantity battery could lift. But, Professor Henry, we tried putting the.

[Paul Shannon]

Magnets in a long circuit.

[Professor Henry]

And the power left them. Yes. Electricity couldn't travel very far. Exactly. The electricity could not travel far. At least that's what has put an end to all attempts thus far to invent a telegraph. A man named Peter Barlow wrote a few years ago an article in which he proved the telegraph was impossible. It's difficult to prove anything is impossible. After you've proved an impossibility, someone always seems to come along and do the impossible thing. Now, you gentlemen were not here when I first lectured on the possibility of Mr. Barlow's impossibility. Possibility. So I will repeat. If you wind a long single wire around the iron rather than a short wire, if you make hundreds of turns with that one long insulated wire, you will have what I call an intensity magnet. If you then make a battery of many pairs of zinc and copper plates instead of one pair, you then have an intensity battery. Now, by connecting them, the power will be the same over a long distance as over a foot or two. It won't lift as heavy a weight as the other, but it will lift the same weight a mile away as a foot away. Now, there is more than a mile of wire hung around this room. Here in the window is our intensity magnet and a steel bar and a bell. The magnet is in the circuit with that intensity battery over where Mr. Jason is standing. Jason, will you now touch the other wire to the battery?

[Paul Shannon]

It's magic.

[Professor Henry]

No, Carter, it's not magic. It's electromagnetism. But it is a telegraph, sir. You have invented it. It would be an easy affair to arrange a code of signals. But that is not my affair. I am not an inventor. I am a teacher of natural philosophy. Someone undoubtedly will invent a telegraph. And when he does, and you gentlemen see it, you will recall that you heard a signal from an electromagnet in Albany Academy in 1831.

[Paul Shannon]

Six years later, in New York City, Professor Leonard Gale was conducting an investigation of batteries. The University of the City of New York had encouraged him and learning of Henry's astonishing experiments, Gail was working hard when he had a visitor. The university's professor of fine arts, Samuel Morse.

[Professor Henry]

Oh, Morse started me Come in. Close the door. What's the matter, Samuel? You look starved and cold. Hunger means nothing. There are more important things. You're the only man who can Help me. I need advice. I know nothing about painting, Samuel. Painting? Bosch. This. This is my secret.

[Paul Shannon]

I have invented a telegraph. Morse showed his invention to Gale. It was the works of an old clock. A long, free pendulum ending in a pencil, a roll of paper and horseshoe magnet. The pendulum moved the clockwork, moved the roll of paper, moved the pencil traced a wavy line on the paper.

[Professor Henry]

What do you think? The most promising concept? This roll of paper.

[Paul Shannon]

That's a new idea, isn't it?

[Professor Henry]

It's all you. All mine, Samuel. You mean you don't know Franklin, Laplace, Ampere, Schilling, Barlow, Henry. But have all tried similar experiments. You mean you haven't read? You don't know. Cannot be true. I didn't mean to offend you, Samuel. The work of these men detracts nothing. No one can possess a dream alone. No inventor ever invented the whole of anything. You have the mind of an artist, Samuel. It's wholly unscientific. The scientific mind studies every experiment on record. You're using an experiment. Old magnet, no insulation. But you have something here. Study. Read and finish it. And get a mechanic. A man who can make a workman like finish machine. And study.

[Paul Shannon]

Morse found an assistant, a man named Alfred Vail, who is very enthusiastic about the telegraph. With his help, the telegraph began to take shape. But there were problems. And so, after much work and improvement, Morse and Professor Leonard Gale one day sought the advice of Professor Henry.

[Professor Henry]

We seem to have troubled you a great deal, Professor. Nonsense. That's what I'm here for. To share such knowledge as I might have. And, Mr. Morse, I congratulate you. I understand Congress has given you an appropriation.

[Paul Shannon]

We have not won yet, Mr. Henry.

[Professor Henry]

Congress gave us $30,000.

[Paul Shannon]

We've spent all but 7,000 on our underground wires. Now they have lost their power in the mud.

[Professor Henry]

The insulation hasn't held. I was afraid of that. Perhaps if you strung the wire overhead.

[Paul Shannon]

We thought of overhead wires, but Alfred Vail, my assistant, thought they would be too dangerous.

[Professor Henry]

The wires might come together in the wind. Not wires, Mr. Morse. One wire. Sink the ends deep in the earth. The circuit would be made by the ground. The earth. You see? The fluid will flow through the ground. You discovered this? No. It was made in Germany by Steinheil. It isn't patented. You're at liberty to use it. An inventor must borrow such things, whoever discovers them. That's the answer, Morse. No more digging. If it works, it cannot help working. If it does work, professor, we will be very indebted to you. Forgive me, Professor. You must Know of my deep respect.

[Paul Shannon]

My veneration for you.

[Professor Henry]

I've realized the great importance of your discoveries to the telegraph. Come, come, Morse. We must get back to work. Let us see if Henry's idea works.

[Paul Shannon]

Bail and Morse had made many changes in their telegraph. A pen had replaced the pencil that wrote, and the first code was a number that stood for an entire word. Soon they changed it to mere dots and dashes, which stood for letters and were written on the paper. Then they replaced the pen with a stylus that indented the paper. Vail became so apt at reading them that he could read the message merely by hearing the clicks. Then Vail had a further idea.

[Professor Henry]

How would it be to make a machine without any paper rolls, but with a hollow metal for the stylus to hit so the click would be louder. A sounder instead of a recorder.

[Paul Shannon]

Finally, two vale persuaded Morse to do away with the cumbersome sender with its circuit breaking line of type. Now, beside the recorder on the table was a neat key of steel spring. You pressed it to make the contact and then released it. And finally, the fateful day arrived. Samuel Morse at the Supreme Court at Washington would use Vail's key. As Vail stood waiting for the message, he probably recalled other changes he had instituted. The type was gone with the roller to move it. The wavy line was now a succession of dots and dashes. The horseshoe magnet was gone, and there was a neat spool instead. And as he awaited the important message, several distinguished citizens entered the Montclair Railroad station at Baltimore.

[Professor Henry]

If that message comes through from Washington, we want to see it. Want my boy to see him, is that it? That little thing on the table won't explode or nothing, will it?

[Paul Shannon]

Quiet, please.

[Professor Henry]

That's the signal. The message will now come from Washington. W h a t what happened? Breakdown. Didn't think it would work. Of all the h a t h what has. Well, I say it's g pretty good. All right. O d W r o u g h cheese what hath God wrought?

[Paul Shannon]

Franklin Sturgeon, Henry Steinheil, Alfred Vail and Samuel Morris. It was many men that made the telegraph possible. From the first man that found the strange phenomenon electricity, to the professor of Fine arts, Samuel Morse. With their combined knowledge and effort and success and heartbreak came the telegraph. A sound heard round the world.

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[Paul Shannon]

And that's today's adventure in Research. Produced in cooperation with the Westinghouse Research Laboratory, these programs are broadcast to Armed Forces personnel overseas through the facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Join us again next week for another transcribed story of Science on Adventures in Research.

[Andrew Rines]

This has been a presentation of otrwesterns.com and we hope you enjoyed Please take some time to like and rate this episode within your favorite podcast application. Follow us on Facebook by going to otrwesterns.com Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel by going to otrwesterns.Com YouTube become one of our ranch hands and unlock some exclusive content. We want to thank our most recent ranch hands, Steve and Technogod who joined us recently. You too can join by going to otrwesterns.com donate send us an email podcasttrwesterns.com and you can call and leave us a voicemail 707-986-8739 this episode is copyrighted under the Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Copyright. For more information go to otrwesterns.com copyright have a great day and thanks for listening.

[Campaign Representative]

Nearly 90% of kids who vape say flavors are why they do it.

[Teen Advocate]

A lot of the flavors flavors that I've heard are like peach, mango, watermelon. It makes it seem like more childlike and innocent. Oh, if I tried this once it won't be that much of a problem. But then eventually it becomes a problem.

[Campaign Representative]

It's time to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products in Oregon and protect our kids from nicotine addiction. Urge lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 702A take action@ flavorshookoreegoids.org paper by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Action Fund.