The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-08
EDIS0N'S EAR TELESCOPE"
TIE Relief TINT THE TNJENTOR rs
IERFECTfNG FOR THE dear.
Conversation Carried with Ease Hetween
Persons Two Miles Apnrt-A New Device
that viii TunbIc Doctors 10 Detect Disease.

Upon his latest discovery, which he hopes
to utilize principally for the deaf Edison has
not given much thought for few days. He has
had something else in mind. An unusually
large number ~ persons called ON him AZ his
laboratory in Menlo Park yesterday. and they
found him very busy upon experiments with
carbon His hands were as black n SCOT and
there were smudgcs Of Crime nil over his face.
with an alcohol flame. into which he thrust lit
tie tin plates H. converted different substances
into carbon. and then tested the resistance and
heat, detecting the power OF each kind Of carbon
with the galvonomctcr
On one side Of him workman talked nursery
rhymes into phonograrh as mnticr II bust
ness. for the tiu-'oil record il tu hp used for
TOW uhuno trHph. larg" quantities pi which are
wanted fnr the trude IA soon IA thcv can he per
lars cncl md will r,unat MARY Had u Little
Lamb" Jack aud Jill. Yankee Doodle"
VII -tlcd. md a nursery hymn SUM
Ellison looked very tired Yesterday. md sail
that he was. hat he was feeling very hnppy 1T
the surccss of an experiment with the carbon
tel"nhone the night hoiore, H." had nNrd ny
his lne telephone at the end " The luhurat lry.
md Mr.. Bachelor. his assistant. held the other
end NJ the wire in his house. n quarter NJ u
milo away hut there was u res stance of hum
drcd miles In Tho wire. That e.. the oarct was
tho enmn hnd Mr. Bachelor been in Baltimore
and Edison in Mculo Park.
Without ans funnel 10 concentrate the tone.
IN ui the rpom ami talk 10 YOU"
Mr.. Bachelor heard him ~ plainly rs did Mr..
Griffin. who stood hy Ellison. H. also heard
Edison walk across tho room. Then Ellison in
his ordinary tone said something TN" t"lc-
phone caught /, NJ 100 feet away and sent IL
through 100 miles with perfect d.stinctness to
Bachelor.
"Thm wua the most perfect piece Of work over
done with the Telephone said Edison yrsicr-
Looming arains, the table that supports the
telephone were two immense funnel shupcd
f. Nf
| rias. Viz enough 70 hold q n-ycur-old boy.
Thesr. said Ellison; " are whit made my
experiments with for the mrgaphunr. ! SEQ
! some of the papers speak 81 IL ~ at'loecnpu-
! rhQn'. That isn't Tho name. guess lied-
rsael VINO FAY FAY IN %' way Gr ' WIZ Tat
! y eEaphpne-l.rent sounder-lut IT, isn't
doneNct ~, got Tie principle. though. 500
! toarl Tunnels that the largo end rrsted on
III" table, Now. ny your ear t. that he add
c c1i n3n,lmE s y III near Things
Indeed it was 80. and 30 plainly as 10 torment
" Bu, that one Is no good" he said. for this
purpose. This Is the one. and have rot the
| principle IN t. that ! was looking for
M ono some wnRt smaller. II WIS made 81
thick cardboard. bound with iron hoops like Il
"'rhnts about all there Is to it" he said.
But what is It going 10 do;' tho reporter
We'll l wanted some simple. convenient
thing thai deaf reoplr could uso IN "a theatre.
church or anywhere. had an idea that could.
| II | could get Just H." righi means for
catching the vibrations " mir that produce
| sound. could carry them into alttlc boN or
chest. that might rest in u mans lap a. he sat.
| From that chest tubes might run concealed IN
| his clothing 10 his ours. The point WIS t. find
out just how to catch the sound vibrations
| Then Edison Gpt on the table. and. swinging
| his feet began 10 tell how he first reasoned out
his theory. md thcn .eXpcr. mentcd 10 prove it,
| operator. friend. and recently engaged n-sist-
ant. saws mat the narration simply illustrated
the mental operations and subsequent inyesti-
cations that have led 10 all his inventio ns;
You sre, sound i produced liks Iisht. ~,
object, or II your cye-ght Is bad, to see clearly
something nearY Why. YOU mako such aids to
the eve AZ Will catch and carry 10 the eye
the vibrations of light When you have
done this You 500 clearly. Well. now II
struck me that you'd got TO treat
or wants 70 hear sQmething away on. But the
telosroP" isn't good for much unless ne object
NJ the proper angle. What we want fnr
ihe ear. th.n' on he same prnepi"
l. exactly right. Then you are going I,
aot your sound Vibrations. because they Will be-
an ear Telescope Then We made TINT ono.
pointing 70 the big funnel. but 1t wasn't right
rweuidnt work. Then We made the Other
You didn't mako it ut haphazard. did you 2
Why. no. had the general idea OF the
You mean by tho angle. the angle Of a.
yergence 90 the sides Of the telescope tubes
" Yes. that's it. With tho proper angle SCUM,
vibrations are received. and then couveye,
without break or in'rrrup,ion 10 the err.
" How did You IND that this Nas right
" You see thai barn over there - 10 uting 10
barn mile or So distant. Vol. held Thu
there perfectly. just ~. t'.i"-corr cat'h
the rays Of light from -fnf brings them Il
$40, that tn. sound comes IRON you ;atch III,
vibrations - sound.
: " No; only concentrates u. Now. this angl
j. all there Is 70 thu. ! tai" and cut on a see
ton fingers longth nom the end and - ct
comparatively short distance. iii have enough
OF them they VIII answer ~ we'll IL one hil
ia 8 a N SnS m nrn%p d d I@n r arry which
these tubes will issue. They will catch th
vibrations that are made when man speaks o
then they'll pass through the tubes 10 the cars
dont want to sgy that they Will do il. becGus
haven made the thng yet and tried.
You think that with such thing dcnf per
sons will have no more trouble in church or u
wei. that is what was thinking about"
For long distnnce conversation the insiru
ment will have a different shape. NJ matter "a
tube. There viii lie two Of tho ear telescope
md to III" smaller end ~ each Il rubber iul
ear. Between the two trrs 'Opes. and conn"cte'
: with them hy braces Is the speaking tube. Whiel
has Il very slight angle Of divergence. Thus
.
Ench of them has megaphonr. Placing Tia
tubes in the ears. one OF the engineers can tail
through the spenking tube in an orii
nary tone Of voice, and the other wi
. hear and reply. TIL" instrument II different iron
the aroplone. which Edison has thought ot. IA
utility II which Is for very loud talk at ser
great DISTANCES. Edison proposes 10 rifle III
speaking tube ~ the mcsupho1le. so that IN
vibrations may Dc kept rs compact rs possible
Already some extraordinary experiment
hive been made with III" rough cardboard el
telescope. and It's utility for the purpose ID
| ordinary conversation Tor - distance OF Nv
miles was shown at Nonlo Park Il few days axe
, IL requires no shouting. Even Il whisper c.
be heard 300 ynrds away.
But do you moan 90 say thnt you require %
electricity no carbon. and no connecting link 2
nsked Newark doctor who had stood hy q
; | Edison explained the invention 10 tho reporter
! ION. no; there i nothing to itbut the maxim
: | OF the tube right.
low does il differ from tho acrophoneY"
Why. that OpcnS valves, yon know, by com
= | preston Of air. Tor the purpose OF THROWN
: sound over great radius. This concentrate
, | vibrations ilstnad.'
f, For hoid and long distance purposes the m,
= | Gaphone will be mounted on thrtc-lrE er
= Table like n surveyors instrument. For aud
/, euce rooms ii may rest upon the lap, and.
! ! course. has no speak ing tube.
, Already letters pour IN unOn Edison trol
, deaf persons who have heard that h" il nj wOr