The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-05-23
THE EDISON SPEAKING PHONO.
GRAPH.
Some Interesting Experiments AT
BelIaire.


arrived there yesterday with the first
speaking phonograph ever carried west
OF the Alleghenies. The machines are
manufactured under the direct super
vision OF Mr.. Edison himself by q JOINT
stock company, who have concluded to
send agents with the machine for eXhi-
btion to different portions of the country,
in order to show what can be accom-
plished BY the invention, even in It's
present imperfect condition. A repre-
sentative of the REGISTER yesterday
called upon Messrs. Soule and Coyle in
their rooms at the Globe House
st Bellaire, and while there
witnessed the most marvellous
experiments OF the century. The speak
ing phonograph, as at present arranged,
consists merely OF a cylinder ot iron
about five inches IN diameter, revolving
upon a shaft, to the end of which is at
tsched q small crank. The shaft and
| cylinder have threads cut upon their sur
face, by means OF which the cylinder is
! propelled sldewise when the crank Is
turned. The mouthpiece is similar to the
| end of q clarionet, and the smaller sur
| face of it is closed with disc of metal
similar to the plates upon which ierro-
| type pictures are taken, to which Is at
/ tsched little needle.
| To prepare the affair for operation,
simple piece of tin foil is spread upon the
surface of the cylinder and the needle is
| brought into contact with it. This is n
simple enough contrivsncei but the re-
suits produced by it are such as to justly
eutltle it to the name it has received,
| "The MirAce of the Nineteenth Centu-
ry."
The machine ready, Mr.. Coyle seated
himself in front Of 1t, aad placing bis
mouth to the opening, repeated distinctly
the lines:
9Th ere was little girl,
And she had little curl,
Right down in the middle OF her fore
head;
| And when she was gOCdr
| She was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid.'
The crsak was turned slowly during
the speaking of the words. The Vibra
tions Of the voice, coming in contact with
| the sensitive metal disc caused 1t TO vi
brate also, and this vibration was trans
ferred to the little needle. This being
| in contact with the tinfoil, of course
| made an indentation in its surface at
| each vibration. The lines done, the CYL
| inder was turned back TO the starting
point and the crank was again put in
/ motion, when, in exactly the same tone,
time, infection and pronunciation, the
lines were given forth from the month
piece through q large paper tunnel, so as
to be distinctly heard IN every part OF
the room. Afterwards Mr.. Coyle
whlstled yankee Doodle" repeat
ed several nursery rhymes, laugh
ed, hsllOoed screamed, and made
variety Of noises in the mouth
piece, after which the machine repeated
| them in periec, fac sinlite, even reproduc-
| ing slight hoarseness IN the Gentlcman's
voice.
While repeating these p second time,
Mr.. Coyle interrupted the voice of the
machine with such expressions as
Cheese it," "Let upl "Oh, hush now;
YOU are talking too much entirely"
| Don't make so much noise" He also
| misoued like cst, barked like dog,
| rolled ar" into it Us long rs his breath
would hold out, etc. Then running .he
/
he funniest effect imaginable, The
cnine uttered Iigma-role something
like the following, the Interruptions and
the original noises being simultaneous
throughout: "OId Mother Hubbard she
went to the ron! let upl] cupboard to
give her Give US restIl poor dog a
bone. But when You are making too
much noise, entirely she got
! [Cheese it'll there the cup.
board was bare" and so on through
Yankee Doodle" High diddle, dlddle,'
and a whole cylinder full of other stuff,
Last night the gentlemen gave an
other private exhibition at their rooms,
to gentlemen of the press and other pro-
! fessionsl men, and this evening they give
their first public exhibition at City Hall,
charging nominal admission Zee, They
will also give an exhibition at the same
hall on Friday and Saturday evenings,
ssd on Monday evening will exhibit At
Bridgeport for the beneh. OF Wheeling.
They are obliged to do this on account Of
the fact that their contract will not let
them 60 outside of Ohio with the inven-
ton.
Mr.. Soule' is an enthusiastic believer
in the future of the phonograph, and
oives it as his belief that the day will
come when the biography of great man
will be accompanied by piece OF tin t1iI,
carving a fac Simils of his voice, which
can be reproduced by placing the foil IN
the family photograph and running the
crank.
When the inventor appeared before
the National Academy of Sciences at
Washington City with his invention, an
old gentleman arose and made an excited
speech, denouncing the phonograPh and
| its inventor as frauds, and protesting
| against the waist of time in listening TO
| their claims. Mr.. Edison quietly wait
cd until he was done and tnen turning
the mouth-pieCe of his machine toward
the assembly, turned the crank, and out
of the wonderful lit le machine came
/ the mans words rerbqhuI, every tone.
every accent, every little intonation how
ever slight, being faithfully reproduced.
The man stood convinced by It's owA
spcech, and the society checrcd Justify.
Mr.. Saule gave our reporter q sheet Of
the foil that had received the impression
of several songs and other sounds, and
hsd repeatedly given them out again. A
portion of it is 81 the REGISTER counting
room, snd may be examined by the
curious.
Drowned,