Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-03-15

several voices were accurately transmitted
and readily recognized by those at the Salem
end of the line. Other experiments demon
strated the fact that lady in Maiden could
sing "The Last Rose of Summer" and every
note could be heard in the room at Exeter
place, Boston. The sound was perfectly
clear, and had about the same effect as if the
listener were at the rear of concert hall, say
one hundred feet away from the singer. Sub
sequent trials showed that laughter, applause
or instrumental music could be equally well
transmitted. In the case of the latter, not
only the key could be transmitted, but also
the quality of the music. A violin could be
distinguished from violoncello.
The greatest distance that has been van.
quished by the telephone is 143 miles-from
Boston to North Conway, N. Fl. The most
recent improvements made on the instrument
do away with batteries altogether, and per-
manent magnets are now employed instead,
the electric wave used in transmitting the
sounds being generated by the voice itself.
This is regarded as very important step in
advance, as the bother and expense of keep
ing batteries in order has been the greatest
drawback to the employment of the instru.
ment for private purposes. The honor of
having received the first newspaper dispatch
belongs to the Boston Globe. A report of q
lecture by Prof. Bell, in Salem, vas transmit
ted verbally to it last Monday night. This
lecture was about the telephone, and in the
course of the evening series of remarkable
experiments was made in the presence of the
audience. Songs and briefspeeches were sent
from Boston, and the applause which greeted
their reception in Salem was distinctly heard
in Boston. Imagine sitting in ball and
hearing a man, eighteen miles away, sing
"Hold the Fort"
II haven't the slightest doubt" Mr., Wat.
son said to-day, that in few months things
will be so that man can make a lecture here
Yin Boston and be heard by an audience in
any part of the country"
"Do you expect that the telephone will en-
tirely supersede the present system of tele.
graphing ?" asked. "
Eyes, we expect it will, eventually. A
company is now forming for the purpose of
manufacturing and introducing the instru:
ment. In time it can't fail to replace the old
dot and line alphabet system entirely. We
expect, at first, it will be used mostly on pri.
vate lines and for city business. 1t will prob.
ably take the place Of the present district tel.
egraph companies and the like, as it will he
especially convenient for that class of bus'
ness."
"Won't the receiving operators have to
learn shorthand? p
"Yes, I suppose they will. 10 our expert
ments we have generally paused after saying
sentence, so that the receiver had time to
write out in long hand"
MI. Watson remarked that the introdue.
ton of the telephone would probably have
the effect of increasing the telegraph business
to such an extent that it would hasten the
time when the wires would have to be laid
under ground instead of being strung on
poles. Apropos to singing BY telegraph, |
asked if it would net save good deal of
expense to our American opera managers.
"An American audience could hear Nilsson,
Patti, or any European prima donna, with.
out bringing them across the Atlantic" l
suggested. "Just place the receiving machine
in the Boston Music Hall, for instance, and
let the songstress put her mouth close to the
mouthpiece in Paris, London, Vienna or St..
Petersburg, and the effect would be the same
as if the prima donna herself were present in
the flesh"
"Certainly," said Mr.. Watson, smiling,
"and it would be curious to observe what ef.
feet the presence of the voice and absence of
the person would have n bon the critics.
Homely singers would probably advance in
public esteem, while some of the beautiful
cantatrices might suffer corresponding set.
back when their voices were judged On their
merits.
No trial has yet been made, however, of
the transmission of sounds to 80 great dis
tance as across the Atlantic. Mr.. Watson
said that as far as they had been able to as.
certain, there seemed to be limit to the dis
tance over which the sounds could be made
to travel; but he expressed himself as conf
dent that in due time any given distance
could be annihiIated. ave have, in fact"
he added, "talked through wire arranged to
give an artificial resistance equal to 10000
ohms which is more resistance than the en-.
tire length of the Atlantic cable would offer.
But there are other obstacles to be overcome
in order to transmit the sound of the voice
correctly to such distance as that. Prof
Bell and I are constantly at work here per-
fecting the system you see. When favora-
BILE opportunity offers, we shall try and have
practical test over one of the transatlantic
cables"
The wonderful little instrument, of whose
future value to civilization the inventor is so
sangune, consists of powerful compound
permanent magnet, to the poles of which are
attached ordinary telegraphic coils of insu:
lated wire. In front of the poles, surrounded
by these coils of wire, is diaphragm of iron.
A mouthpiece, whose function is to converge
the sound upon this diaphragm, substantially
completes the arrangement. The operation
of the instrument is thus described by Prof.
Bell: The motion of steel or iron in front of
the poles of magnet creates current of
electricity in coils surrounding the poles Of
the magnet, and the duration of this current
of electricity comedies with the duration of
the motion of the steel or iron moved or Vi
brated in the proximity of the magnet. When
the human voice causes the diaphragm to VI
brate, electrical undulations are induced IN
the coils around the magnets precisely similar
to the undulations of the air produced by the
voice. The coils are connected with the line
wire, and the undulations induced in them
travel through the'wire, and passing through
the coils of another instrument of similar
construction at the other end Of the line, are
again resolved into air undulations by. the