Name/Title
Telegraph, Ship'sEntry/Object ID
2005.036.012Description
Brass stand and round dial. Inside dial housing is a broken glass plate with printed terms "Half, Full, Slow, Standby, Stop". A brass handle can be moved to one of these positions. The ship pilot could communicate orders to the engine room with this device. The engine room had a similar telegraph and would respond back to the pilot that the message was received. Also called a throttle indicator. Brass label on top of dial "J. A. Keesley Telegraph patentee". This half-face telegraph was used to signal from the bridge or wheelhouse to the engine room what the bridge helmsman wanted the engine to do. There was no electricity involved. The engine room and bridge were connected by a chain that moved by the handle on the bridge telegraph. This rang a bell in the engine room to indicate a signal was coming. Another handle turned a dial in the engine room station that had the same directions as bridge. The engineer then knew what the captain wanted. The dial is broken. Stop was in the middle, then to the left was astern and to the right was ahead. Signals were Full, Half, Slow, Stop, Standby.
