The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-22 00:00:00

THE EDIS)N TELEPHONE.

The first of Mr. Edlson'slottd-speaking telephones has Just
arrived in England, Having been brought over by Mr. C. P.
Elison, a nephew of tie Inventor—The Times of Monday
gives a notice of the indiument, from which we make the
following extract :

"It was exhibited in operation on Friday for the
first time by Colonel G-onraud and Mr. Adams, at 6,
Lombard-street, London, the former being Mr.
Edison's representative in England, and the tatter
one of his professicral assistants. Like Mr. Edison's
other inventions, the telephone is a remarkable instru-
ment, delivering muds loudly and clearly through any
length of wire. It ercbodies the application of Mr.
Edison's electro-motcgraph, which he invented in
1872, and which has 3itherto only been used in con-
nexion with electric telegraphy, to his carbon tele-
phone transmitter, tie electro-magnet bting dispensed
witb."—[Here follow the technical description of the
instrument.] The Tmes thep 'proceeds :
"On receiving a signal from the first station, the
operator at the seccnd turns the handle of his appa-
ratus, and the mestage comps loudly and distinctly
forth to his ear. Waen replying, he may stop turning
the handle if he phases, but this is not necessary, and
gpealr into the carton transmitter, the operator at the
other end of the lne turning the handle of his ap-
paratus meanwhile. The voice of the speaker is
transmitted to tie distant station, not only
without loss of volume, but, if desired, it
may be brought out with increased effect. The
new instrument ilso produces the highest musical
notes with the same perfection as it does the
lowest ones, which was not possible with the previous
apparatus. These points of superiority of the electro-
motograph over the electro-magnet are due to the
fact that, while ix the latter the electric waves con-
stitute the force vhich vibrates the diaphragm of the
receiver, in the 3ew apparatus they only control it,
the force used beiag that which is applied to the crank
of the chalk cylilder and which is shictly local and
mechanical and nay easily be made automatic.

"In the experimental trial on Friday the instruments
were placed half a mile apart by wire, one being at 6,
Lombard-street, and the other at 1, Princes-street, the
wire passing by way of the Exchange Telegraph Com-
pany's offices in fi or n hill, which gave a circuit of about
half a mile. Cowersations were maintained between
the two extrerm points, songs were sung and tunes
were whistled, ad in all cases everything was most
distinctly heard ems 15 feet from the instrument, and
could have bees heard at a greater distance had the
size of the room )ermitted it. The trial was a thorough
success, notwithtanding that the instruments were the
first which had been made, and were by no means
highly finished, Jut, on the contrary, rather roughly
turned out. In fact, they were thrown together' by
Mr. Edison (at he puts it) at the mgent request of
Colonel Gouratd, in order that they might be used in
Dr. Tyndall's forthcoming lecture on the subject of
modern acoustcs. They were made in five days, and
are purely exprimental. They, however, satisfactorily
demonstrate tie simple nature of the invention, and
give fair promse that telephonic communication will
shortly becorce as general in the commercial and
manufacturim centres of England as it already is ir
those of the thited States of America."