The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-12-20
A TELEPHONE TRIUMPH.
A Michigan Man Invents an Instrument
Which Ee Claims Beats Them All.


From the Detroit News.l
To all appearances Mr.. G. B. Rich
mond, of Lansing. dentist, and stu
dent N the walks of scientific research,
is the nah WHO has ffiade the greatest
stride in advance of Bell. lie has worked
quietly, but has kept up with all the in
formation of the times on the matter,
and, not content with partial success,
has kept on until he has actually achieved
results that throw Bells work complete
ly in the shade. The following brief
technical description of his hydro electric
telephone is given by Mr. Richmond,
which is clear ehottgh for general coin
preEehsian; atd will be of peculiar in
teress 10 all WHO have stiiaied the matter
at ali. The fact in the ethics of electric
ity on which Richmond starts out is the
definition that "pure water offers re-
sistance to the passage of a current of
electricity over two millions greater than
platinum wire ghe instrument con-
sists of the following parts ''A circular
brass frame, about two inches in diane
ter, is secured in perpendicular posi-
ton, into the upper part of which is in
serted a speaking tube, and into the low
er part is secured thin metallic dia-
phragm which can be tightened to a
proper tension by means of thumb
screws. To The center Of this diaphragm
is soldered small platinum wire about
an inch and half long, projecting down
ward Directly under this diaphragm,
and inclosing the platinum wire, is
glass tube two inches long and about one
inch in diameter, with hard rubber
bottom. Into this rubber bottom is fixed
another tlatinHm wire, projecting ub-
ward through the center of the glass
tube, and reaching within about 1872 of
an inch of the platinum wire attached to
the diaphragm. The glass tube is filed
with distilled water. the platinum wire
attached to the diaphragm is connected
with a battery, and the lower platinum
wire attached to the line There is now
a constant current of electricity passing
from the battery to the main line by way
of the platinum points, through the
water"
The sound Of the voice, projected
against the diaphragm through the tttbe,
causes the diaphragm .ts vibfate, Of
course, in unison with the sound waves
produced by the vocal organs, and the
volume Gf Aatet between the platinum
points is consequently alternately in;
creased, as the case may be, in perfect
unison with the vibrations produced on
the diaphragm. Thus it clearly follows
that; IS this volume Of water is alternate.
ly Increased Sr diriiniebed, ciiEreilts OF
electricity are thrown on the main lire
in perfect unison with the sound that
enters the speaking tube, and this sound
is then received upon the ordinary mag
net and diaphragm instrument, such as,
for instance, the Bell receiver, located
at the other end of the line,
Now the improvement thu6 aohie*ed
en- telephone processes is that this
apparatus can be used on long lines, as
it esss battery power to back it up and
reinforce it. Bell uses no battery, but
usss The electto-maenst alone. Of
course, by increasing the size and power
of his magnets it is possible to increase
the "reach" or power of overcoming
loss of electromagnetic power incident
to long connections. Richmond's in
strument, however, can be used on the
ordinary telegraph circuits and appar=
emily for unlimited distances. 4 short
line operated on this principle has been
in operation between Lansing and North
Lansing for some time, but on Sunday
last most triumphant test of the instru-
mept tpok place. On the afternoon of
that Gay Ethe only time When it Vas
possible to get the undisturbed use of q
long ine) the instruments were attached
to the wires of the Western Union tele-
graph on loop from Lansing to De-
troit and return, a distance of two hun
dred and thirty miles; Bells instru=
ment's greatest feat was to TRANSMIT
sound from Baltimore to Washin gton
(aboutforty five miles by the wire route).
The battery, which was of eight hundred
troit, the line working through it. The
result was most satisfactory.