On Apr 16, 10:20 am, John from Detroit wrote:
N2EY wrote:
Yes, but there were several reasons for the normally-energized series
line systems.

Another thing is that telegraph "lines" might indeed be a single wire..
Using the Ground as the "Return" for the loop

It is my understanding that many of them were. Besides the savings in
wire and insulators, a ground-return system could actually be lower
resistance than a double-wire system if the "made grounds" at the ends
of the lines were very good.

Of course such a line is more vulnerable to noise, but since the wire
telegraph was a digital system the nouse would have to be considerable
to have any effect.

73 de Jim, N2EY