Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-07-02
EdisOn's MeOdphone.

SNtrOFt - IfCDthIptOgeCs
A Sun reporter had a talk last week
with Dir. Edison sbou, the instrument at
which he was working, By means Of
which he expects to enable deaf people
TO hear ordinary conversation, tho words
OF actors in a theatre, etc. al wanted
said he, "some simple. convenient thing
that deaf people could use in q theatre.
church or anywhere. had an idea that
| could, if | could get just the right
means for catching the vibrations of sir
that produce sound, could carry them
into little box or chest, that might rest
iu mans lap as he sat. From that chest
tubes might run concealed in his clothing
to his ears. The point was TO find out
jus. how 10 catch the sound vibrations.
We'll, what do you DO when you want to
get light from distant object. or if your
eyesight is bad, 10 see clearly something
near? Why, you make such aids 10 the
eye as will catch and carry 70 the eye tho
vibrations Of light. When you have
done this you see clearly. Well, now it
struck me that you had got 10 treat the
ear in the same way, when anybody's
deaf or wants to hear something away
OF. But the telescope isn't good for
much unless the obiect-gless which
catches and focuses the light is Just at the
proper angle. What we want for the
ear, then, on the same principle, is an in
strument the lire Of whose angle is ex-
actly right. Then you are going to get
your sound vibrations. because they will
be caught and focused. The fact is I'd
got to get an ear telescope. Then VIC
made that one," pointing TO the big fuu-
nel, "but !. wasn't right 'Twonldn't
work. Then we made lhe other one.
"You see thai barn over there ?" point
ing 20 a barn mile distant. "Well, /
held this tube to my ear, and l heard
man talking over there perfectly. Just
as the telescope catches the rays Of light
from star and brings them to focus, so
by pointing this tube directly at the spot
the sound comes from you catch the Vi
brations of sound.
Then this does not magnify sound ?"
mo; only concentrates it. Now, this
angle is all there is to this. | take and
cut off section fingers length from
the end and 80 | get a short tube with
the proper angle, suitable for a compare
lively short distance. II I have enough
of them they will answer as we'll as one
big tube. Now, perhaps can carry out
my idea and make little chest, from
which these tubes will issue They will
cstch the vibrations that are made when
man speaks or breaches. and carry
them into The chest, and then they'll pass
through the tubes TO the ears. | don't
wan. to say that they will DO 1t because |
haven't made the thing jet snd tried"
Edison proposes 10 rife The speaking
tube Of the megsphone, so that the vi
brations may be kept as compact as pos
sible. Already some extraordinary eI-
periments have been made with the rough
cardboard ear telescope. and is utility for
the purposes of ordinary conversation for
distance of TWO miles Was shown at
Menlo Park few days ago 1t requires
no shouting. Even whisper can be
heard two hundred yards away.
For field snd long distance purposes
the megsphone will be mounted on
three-legged table ike surveyors in
strument For audience rooms it may
rest upon the lap, and. OF course, has no
speaking tube.
Already letters pour in upon Edison
from deaf persons who have heard that
he is at work at something that will give
them ears as spectacles give eyes to 9TH
ers. Sometimes he receives as many as
one hundred day, and he has had
batch OF circulars printed, for it would
take bis secretary all day to answer the
inquiries. These are mailed to every one
who writes.