The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-03-28
From the ". Y, Tribune.
Speech Bottled Up.

When the veracious Munehausen de.
scribed the trumpeter's music a. freezing
on an excessively cold day, and thnwing
out during mild weather, in audible
sounds. the tale found a fixed place In
literature because Of its apparent utter
absurdity. Yet IL the newly invented
phonograph does what is expected Of IL,
music and speech itself may be boxed up
and set aside for indefinite periods. and
when needed be again produced in sounds
similar TO the original ones. The tele
phone has shown "a how sound can be
transmitted; the phonograph l. 10 show
US how sound may be preserved. The
former has pointed the way for the in
vention Of the latter. and as a mere mat
ter OF probability. judged from lie mech.
anism, the phonograph would seem more
likely TO do its work than the telephone
did when the idea Of transmitting sound
was first broached. In the telephone
sOund-wavos must be translated in
electrical pulsations. and these translated
back into sound waves and nothing
short Of the actual experiments would
have proved that electricity could per.
form this Office. In the phonou aph. the
whole procedure is simply mechanical. !.
electricity Is not employed
An invention that promises to speak
FOR itself; TO give TO our ears sounds
when weeks months or years may have
elapsed since their utterance; that may
even restore to us the voice Of the dead
is OF sufficient importance 10 Justify a
brief explanation Of its character The
sound that Is received in tho phonograph
yibrates a small disk which carries a steel
point at its centre. The vibrating move
ments Of this point are impressed upon
sheet Of tin foil by an ingenious contriv.
ance A cylinder is provided. whose
axle Is a screw hence when the cylinder
revolves it also moves in the direction Of
its length. The cylinder is groovod spir.
ally; its grooves correspond TO the screw
threads Of It's axle. Around this grooved
cylinder, tin foil is wrapped The cylin-
der is then revolyed while the steel point
OF the disk touches the foil-covered sur
face, aud the vibrations OF the disk are
impressed upon the foil Here, then, we
have q record Of the speech or song
which has caused the disk 10 vibrate.-
To reproduce this sound IL is only necc1
sary to reproduce those vibrations. This
may be done by again turning the cylin.
der so that the foil may press against the
point Of the disk Whatever has been
impressed on the foil will thus occasion
in the disk corresponding vibrations -
The sounds thus reproduced are said TO
be distinctly recognizable, both as TO the
tone aud words OF course. the cylinder
must revolve at the same rate when Civ
ing as when receiving speech or music;
il that point is kept in view the peculiar.
titles Of voice which constitute IL quality
may also be reproduced.
As this whole contrivance il purely
means will doubtless oe iound
for intensifying the sounds. but already
they are said 10 be recognizable 10 an au.
dience Of ten or twelve persons. Perhaps
il may also be made capable Of recording
and preserving sounds uttered within
hearing distance. A testator sound In
wind. may read his last will aud tesla.
ment at such a machine. and then have
Il carefully boxed up and put aside -
Then when the expectant heirs are gath
cred around. the cylinder can be started.
and from IL, IN the very accents Of the
deceased. will come the solemn words.
In the name OF God. amenr A relay
Of successive cylinders might be provided
Tor an opera or n debate in Congress aud
the whole sound may be reproduced by
means Of telephones az localities miles
away, or perhaps be stored up for refer
ence and use hereafter. The telephone
can only be used where there is commu.
nication by wire the phonograph can be
sent by messenger. and would insure .
secresy that the telegraph or written
message cannot provide. since II the Cyl.
Inder be turned az a wrong rate, nothing
but nonsense can be uttered For cipher
this would be safer than Ncp-
hew Pelton's dictionary. IL tho tones Of
delivery can be sufficiently increased.
may save themselves much
trouble. They may deliver their set
speeches to the machine and lay Il aside
I'LL the opportunity comes for delivery
when the suspicious moment arrives. the
can be set up in front Of the
Speaker and. being started. will address
the House without risk OF interruption
DR. calls to order With relays OF ma.
chimes, a member who had the floor
could thus talk against time, " necdful.
while personally he was en-
oying q cigar In the corridor or drinking
ICED tea in the restaurant
We have indicated few uses for the
talking machine, but really, in this land
of free speech. il is impossible TO forecast
is full career.