The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1878-05-04
NUMBER 81.
Our Washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, D. G., April 25, 1878.
EDITOR CHIEF.
The scenes witnessed before the
Senate and House Committees on
Patents last Friday, recalled to mind
the early days when Morse, under
great difficulties, was seeking to in
terest Congress in the construction of
the first telegraph line between
this city and Baltimore. The master
genius of this later occasion was Mr..
Thomas A. Edison, who sat at the
table before the phonograph, his
latest invention, and one that has
made his fame world wide. This
young man, just past thirty, has al
ready taken out 155 patents, mostly
in telegraphy and electrical apparat-
us. The committee rooms were filed
with members, and men and women
from among the most cultured and
scientific in the land. All eyes were
upon the beardless Edison, whose
shaggy brown hair stood out at every
angle in spite of comb and brush.
His eyes of piercing gray looked out
from under q high arched forehead,
while his prominent nose and nervous
fingers suggested the artisan just in
from the workshop.
The phonograph is cylinder eov-
cred with small spiral grooves, and
at the end is a crank by which it may
be turned. The speaking disc or dia-
phragm rests against the cylinder and
on the outer side is a mouthpiece.
On the inner side of this delicate
steel point is adjusted SO as to follow
the grooves as the cylinder revolyes.
This cylinder is covered with tin foil,
the crank is turned, while the inven-
tor talks, sings, shouts and whistles
into the mouthpiece of the instrument,
and the sound waving on the reverse
side of the diaphragm or tympanum
forces the needle to make impressions
upon the tin foil. Reversing the in
strument the needle drops into the
same points in the groove as the cyl
inder reyolves. These indentations
cause sound waves to be given back
from the mouthpieee in the exact
tones of the voice, with their original
pathos and intonations, and SO dis
tinct that they were plainly heard by
every one in the room. ssO!d Uncle
Ned v MAS. sung, Yankee Doodle
whlstled, poetry was reeited, S. S.
Cox made \ speech, aud when the
cylinder was reversed and again seE
i'll motion, song, whistle, speech and
poetry all sounded forth clear and
distinct. One unbelieving committee
man thought it WAS ventriloquism,
and insisted upon Edison's leaving
the room, after which he tried the ex-
pertinent himself, and leaning back
in his chair with face full of aston
ishment exclaimed, "I'Il be id if
the thing don't talk y
We should like to tell more of this
wonderful instrument, but we must
turn now to more practical things.
This time the cry of too much econ
omy comes from the Post Office De-
partment, which reports ten Thousand
post-offices out of registered letter
blanks and no money to print any to
send them. That this is inconyen-
fencing the public is shown by the
fact that the Department has on fle
orders for over three and half mil
lions Of these blanks.
The manifest Improvement in the
business outlook is greatly encourage
ing to all classes. Many banks are
paying out specie, and thousands up
OH thousands Of gold is coming into
use, thereby greatly increasing the
anountof money III circulation. It
is stated that over 100000, 900 of
gold and silver that has long been
hidden out of sight vii! now be added
to the available capital of the conn
try. This initiation of the currency is
a good thing, aud will stimulate de-
pressed valuations and give them
stability. 1t makes little difference
now whether the Resumption Act is
repealed or not. Practical resump-
tion has already commenced.
The old and well known Hutcllin-
son finnily are here singing. They
have given dozen grand concerts
in the last six weeks here;. besides
singing at various charitable institu-
tions-the Reform School, Freedmen's
Hospital, Orphan Asylum aud Insane
Asylum. Only one of tho original
boys is now in the troupe-John.
But fancy only singers are allowed
to marry into the !" family" and so it
is Kept mp. SENTINEL.