The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-03-28
A PHONOGRAPH AT WORK.

describing Professor Edison's marvel
ous phonograph and how it works. We
make the following extract:
The instrument was operated some
times by Mr.. Bentley, but principally by
MIR. James Adams, the inventors repre-
sentative. Mr.. Adams, highly intelli-
gent Scotchman, with strongly marked
Scotch accent in his speech, has been for
five years the assistant of Professor
Edison in the latter's electrical and other
experiments. The machine occupied no
more space than would Webster's un-
abridged, and its construction appeared
as simple rs that of housewives coffee
mill. 1t was a fac Sinailo of one which
Professor Edison is now constructing,
and which is to have capacity of 48, 600
words.
Mr.. Adams, before the performance
began, thus explained the instrument:
/" In this gutta percha mouthpiece is a
very thin diaphragm, made of tin type
metal. The vibrations of the voice jar
the diaphragm, which has in its center,
underneath, fine steel point. Around
this brass cylinder, which, you see, is
closely and finely grooved by spiral, l
wrap sheet of tinfoil. [ shove the
mouthpiece up until the steel point
touches the tinfoil, just above the first
groove on the left. Turning the cylin-
der with this crank, I talk into the
mouthpiece., The diaphragm vibrates,
causing the steel point to perforate the
tinfoil, leaving little holes of different
diameters and resembling the old Morse
telegraphic alphabet. The cylinder
moves from left to right until the steel
point has gone over the entire length of
the spiral. Thus we have, as it were,
stereotyped plate of the voice. From
this plate matrix in sulphur (the most
desirable substance for the purpose) can
be formed, and years from now there
can be taken from that matrix other
plates capable of the same work which
you will presently see this one perform.
"Now turn the cylinder back to the
point may go overthe perforations which
piece. The steel point, kept down by
rubber spring underneath the diaphragm
trips from hole to hole, causing the
diaphragm to vibrate as it did when 1
was talking into the mouthpiece. This
causing the corresponding opening and
closing of the valves of the diaphragm,
uuC "Olub, lnbOIdtlOu dJlU HTc re-
produced with perfect accuracy. 1t
would be impossible for any human
mimic to do it so well. The small end
of this tin funnel is fixed in the mouth
piece to keep the reproduction from scat.
tering. Now listen." Several gentle
men, evidently supposing that they
would not be able to hear without hav-
ing their ears close to the funnel, were
putting their heads near the instrument,
but Mr.. Adams told them that such
proceeding was unnecessary, as they
could distinguish the sounds we'll
enough Mt distance.
Mr.. Adams, having wrapped sheet of
tin foil around the cylinder, spoke into
the mouthpiece in a voice of ordinary
pitch and time, but with distinct articul-
alton, meanwhile slowly and regularly
turning the crank, the following:
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To got bucket of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumblng after.
Having reset the cylinder and fixed
the funnel in the mouthpiece he turned
the crank and the diaphragm repeated
had uttered it, but with so perfect
VI lllC bOCOtCl tCCtub as 10 CduSe
general outburst of laughter, in which
the genial operator heartily joined.
Causing the steel point to proceed
from the ending of "Jack and JILL" Mr..
Adams again put his mouth to the
diaphragm and uttered in more varying
tones, which had range from almost
whisper up to screeching soprano, the
following :
Halo Hoop-la Ya-hoo!
Nineteen years in the bastile
L scratched my name upon the wall
And that name was Robert Lsndr-y-y
Parlez vous Francais j? Sprechen sic Deutsch :?
Turning the crank backward until the
steel point touched the beginning of
"Jack and Gill;" he again gave the for
ward motion. The diaphragm's elocutiou
of the rhyme was on this occasion rs good
as before, and the second conglomera-
tion of utterance was delivered by the
vibrating metal with all the character
istics of the operators calculations and
recitation. For the sake of novelty the
steel point was now caused to go along
the perforated spiral, while Mr.. Adams
whistled, yelled and shouted all sorts of
ridiculous things into the mouth piece
AS result the bit of metal strongly af-
by something like this -
Jack and Jill WENT Cheese it ~
Up the hill
To get bucket" o, wipe off your chin ~
OF water.
Jack fell down and Hello, young
Broke his crown
Feller. does you're mother know you're
out?'
And Jill" Ya-hoo I've bottled myself Edi,
son ~
Came tumbling after.
Halo hoopla !-"Shut up !-ya-hoo!
the Bastle.
"Im "-Scratohed my name-"a jolly Irish
man Upon the wall
And that" From Dublin town came
Name was-"Ha, ha. ha "-Robert
Parlee vous Francais? -"G Go hire hall !"
Sprechen sic Deutsch ?-"Go, give us rest =
The effect of this was too ludicrouf
for description, and for time all hands
were uncontrollably merry. Having
put on and caused the steel point tc
perforate new sheet of tin foil, again
speaking "Jack and Jill" into the in
strument, Mr.. Adams made the point
travel backward, and ssthe diaphragm
reproduced the recitation, beginning
with the last word, "after," and ending
with the first word, "Jack." In this
way the operator amused his audience
for an hour. He became hoarse, but the
instrument did not.
There is no electricity about the
Cnaakino rhonooraoh and like so many