The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-07-31
MISCELLANY.
Music by Telegraph.


practically demonstrating it. Short as
has been the lapse of time since he first
began his experiments, he has succeed
ed, almost beyond his own anticipations,
in perfecting an instrument which will
convey sound by electricity over an un-
broken current of extraordinary length
that il, without the aid Of automatic
repeaters. In the ordinary transmission
of messages over the telegraph wires TO
points at long distances, message Is
generally repeated by automatic-work-
ing Instruments ahont every five hum
dred niles, in order TO renew the cnr-
rent of electricity Mr.. Gray has al
ready transmitted sounds, which are
distinctly audible at the receiving point
over az unbroken current of two thons-
aaa four hundred miles. This ia, more
properly speaking, discovery-not an
invention. The invention merely con-
sists in adapting certain appliances to
the discovery for the purposes OF ITS
practical illustration. 1t is one OF the
greatest discoveries made since the early
davs of Morse. Such noted electricians
as Mr.. George Prescott says this dlseov-
ery of Mr.. Gray only goes to prove
what all electricians have long agreed
upon, that we know little at present OF
the possibilities of the future of electri-
cal science. Mr. Chandler says that he
regards it as the first step toward doing
AWAY with manipulating instruments al
together and that he believes that the
operators will transmit the sound OF
their own voice over the wires, and talk
with one another instead of telegraph
ing. The writer has seen this novel in
strument, and has heard music played
on a small melodeon, or piano keyboard,
transmitted through an unbroken cir
cult of 2,400 miles, and reproduced on
violin attached to the receiving end of
the wire. Mr. Gray played 'Hail Co
lumbia," "The Star Spangled Banner"
sGod Save the Queen" yankee Doo-
dleu and other we'll known airs, and
they were Enthusiastically repeated, note
Tor note, on the violin which lay on
table near at hand. Even an accidental
false note was Immediately detected on
the violin. Mr.. Gray exhibited many
other experiments with tin cans, small
paper drums, &c, which were attached
to the receiving end Of the wire in place
of the violin. The paper drum gave to
the musical sounds just that peculiar
buzzing twang which is produced by
BOYS placing a piece of thin paper over
a hair comb and then blowing on it.
What this viii all lead to, or where it
will all end, is one of the most extraor-
dinary problems of the day.
The apparatus, by means of which
this extraordinary feat in telegraphy is
accomplished, has been named by Mr..
Grav the Telephone, or an instrument
designed for the purpose of transmitting
sounds to a distance. 1t consists o.
three general parts; first, the trans NIT
ting instrument; second, conduct
ing wire, running to a distant point; ant
third, the apparatus for receiving th'
sound at that distant point. The trans
mitting apparatus consists of key
board. having a number of electro mag
nets corresponding with the number o
KEYS on the board, to which are attachet
vibrating tongues or reeds, tuned to
musical scale. Any one of these tongue
can be separately set in motion by de
pressing the key corresponding to II
Thus u tune may be played by manipn
lating the keys in the same way as thos
of an ordinary piano or melodeon. Th
music, produced entirely by electricity
of these notes il so distinctly audible i
the next room that, in spite of muc
talking, there is no difficulty in deter
mining what tune the manipulation
playing. To this transmitting tnstru
ment the conducting wire is attached
the other end being attached to the r'
ceiving apparatus, which may be any
thing that is sonorous so long as it is
some degree conductor of eleotricit.
A violin with a thin strip of metz
stretched between the strings at poll
where the bridge of the instrument
ordinarily placed will, on receiving II
sound transmitted through the conduc
ing wire from the piano, give out t
very similar in quality to that of an
dinary violin. Ifthen the metallic str
ia electrically connected with wire, s.
Ave hundred or thousand miles Ion
which has its distant end properly co
nected with the transmitting instrumeT
any one at the receiving end can d
tinctly hear, without the aid of electr
magnetism, the tune or air which is
ing played FIVE hundred or a thousa
mills away from him, if he proper
manipulate the receiving apparatus. I
length of the wire connecting the tral
mitting with the receiving appara
NAV be one mile or ten thousand mil
provided that insulation is suticien
good to prevent the escape of the ell
trio current before it reaches its destil
ton. In fact, there seems to be no lii
to the distance to which sound, of q
desired pitch, may be thus convey
with from two to FIVE cells of bate
all the conditions being proper.
quality or tinabre of the tones depe
upon the character of the receiving
paratus, which may be violin prepa
as described above, tin. hoop, with
paper heads stretched over it, after
fashion of a baby's rattle, a nickel f
cent piece, and old oyster can, an
thousand other things. A sound, 81
ciently loud to read Morse telegraE
characters, made by interrupting, v
the common telegraphic key, one
tanned note has been obtained, under
vorable circumstances, at the receiN
end of the wire without any more &C
ti6c sounding apparatus than that {
piece of common tissue paper.
Aside from the intense interest wi
this discovery will naturally excit
the scientific world-as to the ca
which produce this extraordinary
and