The First Telegraph Instrument.
When once he began to think about this great possibility, the thought held him in its grip. In fact, it shut out all others. Through busy days and sleepless nights he turned it over and over. And often, while engaged in other duties, he would snatch his notebook from his pocket in order to outline the new instrument he had in mind and jot down the signs he would use in sending messages.
It was not long before he had worked out on paper the whole scheme of transmitting thought over long distances by means of electricity.
And now began twelve toilsome years of struggle to plan and work out machinery for his invention. All these years he had to earn money for the support of his three motherless children. So he gave up to painting much time that he would otherwise have spent upon his invention. His progress, therefore, was slow and painful, but he pressed forward. He was not the kind of man to give up.
In a room on the fifth floor of a building in New York City he toiled at his experiments day and night, with little food, and that of the simplest kind. Indeed so meagre was his fare, mainly crackers and tea, that he bought provisions at night in order to keep his friends from finding out how great his need was.
Modern Telegraph Office.
During this time of hardship all that kept starvation from his door was lessons in painting to a few pupils. On a certain occasion Morse said to one of them, who owed him for a few months’ teaching: “Well, Strothers, my boy, how are we off for money?”
“Professor,” said the young fellow, “I am sorry to say I have been disappointed, but I expect the money next week.”
“Next week!” cried his needy teacher; “I shall be dead by next week.”