Connecticut western news., 1878-03-28
THE PmONOGRAPR.

It is peculiar feature of the Edison pho nograph that no mere description can inn part any really adequate idea of its perform ances. Fully familiar as we are and have been with the machine since It's inception, 1t is still impossible for us to listen to it without feeling of astonishment and we'll defned doubt that our senses are not deceiving us. The extreme simplicity of the contrivauce enhances this notion. There is nothing in the half articulated monotones of the Faber apparatus to excite surprise, because, illogicaly, the nearer half expects chanism will produce more startling results than it does; but here is really nothing but revolving cylinder covered with sheet of tinfoil, and speaking tube; no levers, no springs, no kcyboards, no artificial lips or larynx, no bellows. If we lived in 1878 in- stead of 1878 the life of Mir. Edison would not be worth moments purchase; in fact, he would have been resolved into carbonic acid, hydrogen, and his other constituent gases long ago in the flames set apart for earthly communers with his satanic msjes ty.
 If accurate and clearly enunciated repe,i- tion of the sounds made in it is the ultima 1huIe of the photographic capabilities, then 1t has already attained that point. Where it is open to improvement, and to this the attention of the inventor is now being devo- ted, is m augmenting the intensity of the sound.
 As it is, even now, the photograph will meet the most sangulne anticipatlons of any one that hears it. The first model that was brought to our notice certainly talked, that is, 1t produced sounds, the tinn6re of which was unquestionably that of the hu- man voice but, as we said at the time, it required some previous knowledge to distin- guish what was said. The speech was the lispings of infancy. At present previous explanation is wholly needless. The ma chlne repeats the voice with perfect articu- lation and with every infection. SO that the tones may be recognized as those of the speaker who made them.
 Through the courtesey of Mr. w. $. Ap- plebaugh, who has charge of the apparatus now on exhibition in this city, we have been enabled to make as thorough an exam ination of all its peculiarities as we could desire. At our request the exhibitor sang into the machine an entire verse, and it was repeated as often as the cylinder was read justed. Sounds of coughing, clearing the throat, knocks, noises of all kinds, were as accurately reproduced. A curious effect is produced by whistling, the apparatus giv- ing forth every note clearly and fully but more remarkable still is it to hear two voi- ces at once come from the machine. The exhibitor first sang verse which was regis tered, and then running the cylinder back talked SO that the indentations produced by the speech vibrations came over those made by the song. The instrument repeated both utterances simultaneously, each, however, being clearly distinguishsble. Another odd performance is turning the cylinder the wrong way, and making the machine talk the language backward.
 The only means now used for magnify ing the sound as it is emitted is the funnel. shaped resonstor attached to the speaking orifice. Mr. Edison, however, is busily ex- permenting upon some adaptation of com pressed air, by which the sound waves, he thinkstmay be intensified. He gays that ip time he can make the machine talk SO loud- ly that It can be used on vessels to warn off other ships during fogs, and his last aston ishing proposal is that he shall construct a huge photograph to go in the great bronze statue of Liberty which is to be erected in New York Harbor, so that the metal giant can make a speech audible over the entire bay. In view of what MT. Edison has al- ready accomplished, his success in this re- spect would not surprise us.-Seientifc American.