The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-20
Ths Simple Wonders OF the Phone.
itfatll,

l5oGed upon as truly wonderful which
did h6t Id SOME nay Utilize electricity:
80 fieT W6tk td4id b1, RfodGhti tfitb6at
the aid Of t'sis subtle ftiid, but With is
all things could be done. The phono:
graph ,is ceHainly az exception to this
rule. In its simple mechanism no wires
aie eoiled behind It's unique makeup
40 ealvatiic battefy, is figsked. II con.
tents itself with playing battledbof aud
shuttlecock with the simplest acoustic
waves Of the mir, aud moves only. with
vibrations Of sound. The supposition,
therefore, that there is aught Of mystery
or coniury about the "talking machineb
is altogether at error. A careful perusal
of Edison'e own description of this in
vention, and @ most interesting end in.
etructive conversation with Col. George
w. Rains, at his laboratory In the Medi.
col College, enable Chronicle and Cbn.
sttft!fionattst reporter TO enlighten our
readers this morning upoh o very inn
portant aubject. Colonel Raius, as Usual,
was ready TO give the public his views
upon ecientiflc matters, and we only wish
that our phonograph had been present
to take down his most interesting re-
markB.
The construction Of the machine IA
simplicity itself. Around the groyed
cylinder is fitted smooth sheet of tin
foil, upon which spring presses the
sharp point of the needle, making the
grove in the tin.foil about half the depth
OF tho thread in the cylinder. This,
then, Is the normal plane ofthe .needle's
point. Now, sound 10 nothing but air in
motion, and when, by speaking over the
diaphragm, the disk 10 made to vibrate,
tho drumhead strikes the needle, which
lpuncturesi the foil and springs back into
its normal plane, until another sound ID
made; and SO on to the, completion of
the sentence. Of course, the cylinder is
turning, end presents new surface TO
eanhiindentation. Obviously, then, two
Important properties of the machine ara
here utilized. First, that the yibEating
plate Is capable of receiving a complex
motion which correctly represents the
peculiar property Of each and all tho null
sifarions vocal and other sound waves.
second, that such complex movements
can be transmitted from tais plate BY
means Of single embossing point at
tached thereto, to effect o record upon
PLASTIC material by indentations, with
such fidelity as TO give these indentationa
the same varied and complex form.
This done and re have caught the sound
and photographed it upon sheets of
paper, giving, as has been frequently as
5Srt3d, otereuscopic views OF the voice.
With. raoderate degree of intensity,
therefore, every shade of sound, variety
OF intonation, peculiarly of brogue, and
distinctness of enunciation can DO caught
by the vibrating plate and punctured
upon the aiding sheets below 1.-THE
trembling pathos of q prayer, the murmer
of o sigh, the vail Of despair. the wild
shout of delight or tho ringing quayers
of the voice, as they ride the swift oc-
taves of song. Having once caught the
sound it is the simplest and yet the most
wonderful process to
GET II BACR.
Charge jar with electricity and 4
holds the subtle fluid within its fold un.
til some touch of foreign substance brings
It baeI again; arm the cloude With the
lightning's bolt and it bears within it's
dusky bosom the fiery darts until some
conductor invites it from the thunders
hanee: hard within its kna-led a;nsgzs
steals the oak the sunlight's rays, DECAYS
and is buried in the ground, but retains
the heat to give it out in the form of coal
upon the hearth; or in the diamonds
shape to surrender the light pent up; but
can the self-same sound, as spoken by
the human voice, in all compass, depth
and sweetness, be extracted from this
crude instrument? Most undeniably 40.
For actual experiment shows chat this
embossing point, upon being passed over
the record thus made, follows il with
such fidelity as to re-transmit TO the disk
the same variety of movement, and thus
effects Q restoration or reproduction of
the vocal or other sound waves, without
the loss of any property essential to pro-
ducinS upon the ear the same sensations
as if coming direct from tho original
source. For example, the sounds Of the
letter a" vibrate the plate and cause O.
certain puncture to be made. Reverse
the instrument now and let the needle
fall into that same punoture, will it MOI,
upon Eecoiling, vibrate the disk in cor
responding manner to the original vibre-
ton, and will not like sound of the let
tsr "a" be produced2 1t will, and the
pNonograph itself Is but o striking dem
onKtration of this theory, which Ia both
plausible and practically correct. Such,
theny is the phonGgraph, and nothing
could be simpler. An examination Of
the Shes of tin.foil, upon which the
u
indentatonB somewhat similar to Morse's
telegraphic alphabet upon O ribbon roll.
but microscopic examination shows that
they are indentatiyng of complex char
acter; the sound as"a" in "bat," sey in
stance, producing thice indentat;ons-a
deep one for the primary sound, . light
puncture, followed by o elightiy deeper
one for the secondary sounds. So it
seems that the needle on the return trip
makes variety of ho,,s, skips and Jumps
in 0vder to reproduce che sound which it
fixed upon the tin-foil sheets.
By the aid of electro magnets. the vi
bration of metallic plates will be increased
and the sound, which Is now feeble and
metallic in tone, will be greatly intensi-
fed. Having satisfied himself as to his
ability Ao sas;Snifr ennMd ar E.iann is
now perfecting shs quality of that sound.
go that the human voicr will be exactly
duplicated in tone and infiexion.
ITS USE AND INFLUENCE.
Upon the use which the phonograph
may be put to, speculation is rife and
imagination simply rampant. Col. Rains
says tiiA: as Yalue is inestimable, and Is
universally recognized as such By mod
ern scientists. He suggested that ere
long the Professors at the Medical Col
lege might deliver their lectures in the
private laboratories, simply addressing
e;:s, ;:a :;:t. Is. I placing .he
struments in the College lecture halls,
order Mr. Rich, the Janitor, to call in
the class and go on with the performance.
Think of Sheriff Sibley putting his pho
nograph in the Court House window and
imploring the Lord, In second hand but
stentofian tones, to "save the State and