The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-03-22
TELEGRAPHTC MARVELS
Sending Sankey's Music Seventy Miles Over
The 7e'egrophic Wires - Some Interesting
Experiments IN a New Line.


his wits by hearing his "cut.out board
play "Ninety-and-Nne," When capa-
BILE Of Huntingdon astonshment nom
plussed him for a moment or two-he
concluded that Sankey was sitting on
the top Of a pole somewhere along the
line sending a message to the stray
sheep to come into the fold, Another
person, seated at his home at Highwood
heard the music at the same time, but
he was not at all alarmed qualification
expresses his state of mind. This was
Mr. c. H. Summers, electrician of the
Western Union Company. Before him
on table was small box nearly
square, with magnet and wire attached.
Seventy miles away, in Milwaukee, the
Opera House was crowded with people
assembled to listen to the lecture OF {. H.
Haskins on electricity. They all heard
the hymn and saw the box and the mag
net and the wire, and were beside them
selves with delight at this triumph Of SCI
ence. The one directly responsible for
the fright Of the operator, the gratifca-
ton of Mr., Summers, and the setting Of
Milwaukee by the ears, is Mr., Elisha
Gray, the inventor of the telephone, and
the gentleman who was manipulating
the instrument was Mr. w. H. Good
ridge, who was at the office of the West
ern Union Telegraph Company in this
city. Mr.. Gray, IN connection with Mr..
Goodridge, has been hard at work since
1873 developing the telephone, and he
has made such progress as to insure the
accomplishment of his object---the send
ing of eight messages over one wire at
the same time. The musical feature,
not as yet developed to its full extent, is
simply novelty-evidence of what can
be done What may come out Of 1t Mr..
Gray does not know, since the instru-
ment is capable of elaboration, Already,
though the telephone, as at present con-
structed, is not especially adapted for it,
harmony can be sent as we'll as melody.
The invention may be said to consist of
three parts; one as transmission of sim
pie melody which is received upon a
magnet; another is the transmission Of
either cords or discords-composite tones
which can be received on a single in
strument; and the third is received on
instruments that analyze the tones and
pick out the one to which each instru-
ment is attuned. This is the valuable
feature-the ability to transmit composite
tones simultaneously each tone passing
over the wire at certain vibration, and
preserving its individuality at the receiv-
ing end, and thus enabling the operator
to hear the tone which his "boX' is de-
signed to receive. The sending insru-
ment, if the term is permissible, is vir-
tually an electrical organ. 1t consists of
reeds made of steel, tuned ia the ordi-
nary way to musical SCALE and these
reeds are kept in vibration by means of
galvaDic batteries. When the operator
begins to play on the keys, the whole
series of reeds are started and begin vi
brating, and the noise made is deafen-
ing when the doors of the organ are
open. A green baize covering on the
side deadcns the sound when they are
shut and nothing can be heard. The
KEYS close the main circuit through their
correspondingreeds, and sound lhenotes,
which vibrates the line. The instrument
now in use has sixteen notes, and any
tune can be played that comes within
that compass. 1t is unlike any musical
instrument, except as to the attuning of
the reeds The receiver is a wooden
box, large one for low note and
small one for a high note, varying in
size from eight inches long by four wide
to two feet by one and a quarter On
the top, fastened securely, is magnet,
to which are attached the lin and OUT
wires. The armature mounted on the
magnet is fixed rigidly at one end, and
is made to vibrate in front of the other
pole. The magnet will give off any
tone, and the box which is attuned to the
particular sender will take up the note
and resound it. The principle, in Mr..
Gray's words, is this
"If | send sound along a line which
vibrates 1913 times second and at the
other end put box which is adjusted to
that rate, so that if excited mechanically
it will produce that note, it will pick up
|
respond to it, and to no other rate of VIZ
bration. If two messages are to be sent
another transmtter can be put IN, tuned
to the rate of zoo vibrations, and at the
other end receiver corresponding to it.
Thus you can multiply transmitters and
receivers almost indefinitely. A tone
will always 60 to A box, and B tone to
B box, &c. Theoretically, we are lin
tied only by the number Of distinct notes
that can be received. Practically, we
do not know what the limit will be. Six
teen tones have been sent-more will
probably be necessary on any line, The
fine adjustment of the instrument re-
quired will be apt to limit the number.
Eight messages for long time will per.
haps be the maximum sent and received
at one time. We are now experiment.
ing with view of equipping line be-
tween here aud Buffalo
Any electrical magnet will receive a
tone. In the box receivers the loudness
ofthe tones depends upon the strength
= of the battery used, and the method of
mounting, so as to get the best acoustic
SHCCts' lHui Sudy allCl hoOu an CNPSll-
m mt was made with the largest box yet
constructed, and How can | leave
you ?" and other melodies sounded as if
PLAYED on violoncello. The notes
were not characterized by the delicacy
and sweetness peculiar to that instru-
ment, being coarse and harsh yet the
tunes were readily recognized. Mr..
Gray is now at work on an instrument
designed to make every tone print let
ter. If "a" is sent, "a" will be printed
at the receiving end, Analysis Of sound
is the governing principle, When COM
pleted, these printers will supersede the
commercial instruments now in use,
since they will be much more rapid and
available for long lines,