Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-30

all electricians have long agreed upon.
that We know little at pres, n Of the
possibilities of the fnture of electric
science. Mr. Chandler says thas he
regards 1t as the first step toward doing
away with manipulating instruments
altogether, and that he believes that
in time the operators will transmit the
sound of their own voice over the
wires, and talk with one another in
stead of telegraphing. The writer has
seen this novel instrument at work. and
has heard music played On a small mel
odeon, or piano key board, transmitted
through an unbroken circuit of 240U
miles, and reproduced on violin at
tached to the receiving end Of the wire
Mr.. Gray played Hail Columbia The
Star Spargfed Banner, God Save the
Queen,
YANKEE DOODLE,
and other we'll known airs. and they
were Enthusiastically repeated, note for
note, on the violin which lay on Ia
h!e near at hand. Even an accidental
false note was Immediately ly detected on
tie violin Mr.. Gray exhibited many
other experiments with tin can. small
ptper drums, etc, which were attached
to the receiving end Of the wire in the
place OF the violin. The paper drum
gave to the musical sounds just that
peculiar buzzing twang which is pro-
luce by boys placing a piece of thin
paper over hair comb and then blow
ing on it. What this will all lead to,
or where it will all end, is one of the
most extraordinary problems Of the
!ay.
THE APPARATUS
by means of which this extraordinary
ieat in telegraphy is accomplished has
oeen named by Mr.. Gray the telephone,
or an instrument designed for the pnr-
pDse of transmitting sound to dis
tAnce 1t consists Of three general
parts first, the transmitting instru-
nent; second. the conducting wire,
raining to distant point; and third,
tle apparatus for receiving the sound at
tlat ditalCe. The trans hitting ap-
paratus CONSISTS Of a keyboard having
ii number of el4ltio-magnatS CORES
p Inding with the number of keys on
le board, to which are attached vi
orating tongues or reeds, tuned to a
musical scale. Any one of these ton
gaes cal be separately set in motion by
depressing the key CORES ponling to it.
i'nus a tune may be played by manip-
ulating the keys in the same way as
tnnse Of an ordinary piano or melodeon.
fne music, produced entirely by cleo
trcity, OF these notes is SO distinctly
audible in the next room that, in spite
Of mach talking, there is 10 difficulty
in determining what tune the manlpu-
!ator is playing. 70 this transmitting
Instrument the conducting wire is at
tached, the ether end being attached
to the receiving apparatus, which may
he anything that is sOnorus 50 long as
it is in some degree cond@ctor ct
electricity 4 violin with thin strip
Of metal stretched between the strings
1t a point where the the bridge Of the
instrument is ordinarily placed will on
receiving the sound transmitted through
the conluct vne from the piano,
rive out tun4 very similar in quality
to that of an ordinary violin. If
hen
THE metallic STRIP
is electrical. ly concected with wire,
slv 800 or 1000 miles long, which has
d slant end properly connected with
tne transmitting r.trnment. any one
at the receiving eul can distinctly hear
without the aid Of electro magnetism,
the tune or air which is being played
800 or 1000 miles away from him, il
he properly mqnipulate tie receiving
apparatus. The length Of the wire
connecting the transmitting with the
receiving apparatus may be one mile
or 10000 miles, provided that the in
sulation is sufficiently good to prevent
the escape Of the electric current be-
fore it reaches its destination. In tact
there seems to be no limit to the dis
tance to which sound, Of any desired
pitch. NAV be thus conveyed w II from