The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-11-22
From the Scientific American.
A WONDERFUL INVENTION.
Speech Ca apable of lnd Q finif fe Repe.
titiOn from A u { q IN u tic Records.

| speech cap aOle OIL un0 Q Ctih1te 16e Pe
, titiOn from Automatic Records.
1t has been said that Science is ne,
er sensational that it is intellectu,
not emotional; but certainly nothiH
that can be conceived would be MOI
likely to create the profoundest of sen
satiOns, to arouse the liseliest of hu
man emotions, than once more to hea
the familiar voices of the dead. Ye
Science now announces that H. is pos
sible, and can be done. That tn
voices Of those who departed befOr
the invention of the wonderful appa
ratus described in the letter given be
ov are fl rever stilled is too 0bYiou
truth; but whoever has spoken o
whoever may speak into the mouth
piece of the phonOgraph, and who's
words are recorded by it, has the as
surance that his speech may be repro
duced audibly in his own tones Ions
! after he himself has turned to dust
The possibility is simply startling. A
strip of indented paper travels througl
u little machine, the sounds of the lat.
ter are magnified, and our great grand
children or posterity centuries hence
hear US as plainly as if we were pres
ent. Speech has become, as il were,
immortal.
The possibilities of the future arc
not much more wonderful than those
of the present. The orator in Bostol
speaks, the jndented strip of paper is
the tangible result; but this travels
under a second machine, which ma,
connect with the telephone. Not only
is the speaker heard no,o in San Fran
cisco for example, but by passing the
strip again under the reproducer ht
may be heard tomorrow, ornext yeai
or next century. His speech in the
first instance is recorded and trans-
mitted simultaneously, aud indefinite
repetition is possible.
The new invention is purely me
chaDical-no electricity is involved. l.,
is simple affair of vibrating plates.
thrown into vibration by the human
voice. Ii is crude yet, but the princi
pie has been found, and modification.
and improvements are only a matter
Of time. So also are its possibilities
other than those already noted. VIII
letter writing be proceeding of tn.
past? Why not, if by simply talking
in;o InOutbpiece our speech is II.
corded Oh paper, and our correspond
ent can by the same paper hear Us
speak. Are we to have new kind OF
books? There is no reason why the
orations of our modern Ciceros should
not be recorded and detachably bound
SO that we can run the indented slip.
through the machine, aud in the quiet
OF our own apartments listen again
and as often as we will to the eloquent
words. Nor are we restricted to apo-
ken words. Music may be crystal
lized as well. Imagine an opera or all
sung by the greatest living
vocalists, thus recorded, and capable
Of being repeated as we desire.
The invention, the credit OF which.
Is due to Mr.. Thomas A, Ellison,
should not be .confounded with the
one referred to by US in a previous
number, and mentioned in our cor
letter. =.
To the Editor Of the Scientific Amer
ican:
In your journal of November 3. page
.73. you made the announcement that
Dr.. Rosapelly and Professor Marcy
rave succeeded in graphically record
ng the movements of the lips, of the
rail of the palate, and the vibrations
# the larynx, and you prophesy that
his, among other important results,
nay lead possibly to the application
# electricity for the purpose of trans.
erring these records to distant points
y wire.
Was this prophecy an intuition |
Jot only hes it been fulfilled 10 the
etter, but still more marvellous results
by Mr.. Thomas A. Edison
be renowned electrician, OF New Jerr
ey, who has kindly permitted me to
lake public not only the fact, but the
sOtlus operanli. Mr.. Edison, in the
Ourse of series OF extended expert.
lenis in the production of his speak
,g telephone, lately perfected, con
eived the highly bold aud original
lea Of recording the human voice up
u strip of paper, from which u,
ny subsequent time it might be auto
re-delivered with all the vo-
Il characteristics of the original speak.
+ accurately reproduced. A speech
elivered into the mouihpiece of this
may fifty years hence long
tier the original speaker is dead-be
sproduccd audibly 10 an audience
18th sufficient fidelity to make the
Oice easily recognizable by those who
ere familiar with the original. As
et the apparatus is crude, but is char
;terized by that wonderful simplicity
hich seems tO be trait of all great
lvebtlon or discovery. m
Hero follows diagram of the ap-
aratus with references and explana. ,
ons which we are compelled TO
PRESS
Or course Mr.. Edison. .
this stage of the invention. finds |
me difficulty i'll reproducing the
aer articulalions, but he quite just
I'd by results obtained. from his first 1
ude efforts, in his prediction that he I
ill have the apparatus in practical
'eration within year. lie has al I
ady applied the principle of his
eaking telephone, thereby causing
eleclrO- magnet to operate the in. Z