The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-04-21

steam and electricity. AT about half
past eight O'Clock some twenty persons,
including five ladies, Mr.. Strakosch,
Prof. Gray, of Chicago, the inventor of
the telephone; Mr.. Brown, Superintend-
ent of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, and the Messrs. Steinway, entered
Steinway Hall. Immediately Prof. Gray
assembled to the stage and began pulling
upon two pieces of telegraph wire which
were dangling down on the right, and
with the aid of Mr.. Brown attached them
to common Morse instrument. Com
munication having been established with
Philadelphia, the " receiver" was brought
forth and placed upon a closed grand
Steinway piano. The receiver" is SIM
ply an arrangement of long, narrow,
hollow, closed boxes, sixteen in number,
tapering from each end to the center,
the END box being about two feet long
by three inches deep and three inches
wide, the others tapering down to six
inches long in the center-looking like
two cones or boxes with the apexes meet
ing. A common magnet joins the two
smallest or central boxes. The boxes
are fastened together by two strips of
wood with thumb screws to tighten at
the pleasure of the person regulating the
apparatus, somewhat as violinist will
tune his instrument. The receiver"
having been stood upon the narrow end
of the closed piano, the wires were at
tached to the magnet and word was
transmitted to the player in Philadelphia
to proceed with the concert.
We went back to the Fourteenth street
entrance, to the row of seats furthest
from the stage, and awaited for the first
notes from the gentleman telephonist in
the Quaker City. The two groups of
bright gas-jets on the stage threw but
somber light over the long rows of empty
seats. There was nothing upon the stage
but the abovenamed piano and the sound
ing aboard of another (the purpose of
which will be seem, the wires and receiv-
er. Every whisper could be heard in
the hall. The enthusiastic Strakosch
was explaining in an undertone to one of
his friends the wonderful grandeur of
the new system. "Why, my dear SIR"
said he, it will be an incalculable bless
ing to the world. 1t will be the means
of converting society. 1t will eventual
ly lessen the long and terrible list of
crimes now upon our criminal calendars.
Men will learn to love music, and their
baser passions will disappear. Who
ever knew a man devoted to music to
commit murder? We shall soon be able
to give every family music just as water
and gas are now received. We shall
plant monster telephone at some point,
say at st. Louis, which is to cost about
million of dollars, and supply the
whole of the United States with delight
full melody. Then you can have wire
attached to little receiver in your
house, and g0ala! you have music of the
most bewitchipg kind. tell you this is
but in its infancy-yes, sir, in its very
infancy"
In few seconds the prelude to
Home, Sweet Home" sounded, low and
soft at first, then louder and sweeter in
tone, the notes gradually swelling into
the quality of those of flageolet. Every
sound was clearly heard, and when the
last prolonged note had ceased there was
a clapping of hands almost as hearty as
though some praneG donna had been
there and had sung the grand old song.
After an interval of about minute the
opening notes of the g Last Rose of
Summer" were sounded. This air was
played somewhat quicker, and the pauses
were not perfect in the first ten bars, but
suddenly the higher notes of the score
pealed forth, strong, clear, pathetic, re-
wealing at once the tenderness and deli
cacy of the new instrument and its
power in transmitting melody in the
most delightful form. Next an air from
Balfe's Bohemian Girl" was ordered by
the operator, and before the circuit
could fairly be completed the opening
strains of "When Other Lips and Other
Hearts" was filling the hall. This was
rendered with faultless precision, the
highest and lowest notes being executed
with special accuracy. To use simile,
the impression was as though stringed
orchestra was playing at distance, the
waves of sound following each other in
regular agreeable succession. 1t must
not be understood that there was all the
volume, the variety, the grandeur of an
orchestra, but rather the echo of band
stripped of all the clashjng and extreme
tone. There is softness, fascinating
medium in the notes of the telephone
which are as pleasant as they are mex
plicable. Yankee Doodle" and va
riety of Scotch and Irish airs were next
played, much to the qualification of those
present, for it must be said that many
had expressed grave fears that the per-
Torrance would be failure.
A most important series of expert
ments followed. Taking magnet with
two wires attached the professor placed
it upon small circular wooden BAR"
then put both upon the sounding board
of the piano, to. which reference was
made above. In few seconds the
strains of the cold Hundred" were
heard all over the hall, like the lower
notes of small organ, gracefully re-
echoing, as it were, the sounds from
Philadelphia. Another order and the
full chords of the Doxology" were
plainly distinguishable, the chords being
as perfect as though the performer had
been on the stage with the apparatus,
first two, then three, four and five,
demonstrating the wonderful scope to
which the instrument can be adapted,
and the possibility of playing some very
intricate music. This delighted the