Smyrna times., 1878-06-05
New Wonders of the Telephope.

| We appear to be only at the bepinninc
OF discoveries III the line of the telenbon"
ana phOnograph. An entirely new field of
science has been opened the limits cannot
even be guessed. An instrument has hoon
devised that bears relation to our conoc;.
ty Tor hearing, similar to that which tho
microscope or the telescope does for vision
lie new device magniiies sound I, i
appropriately called the microphonn Ry
It's means sounds so faint that they have
never before been heard by human ears
may be made OF any degree of loudnsss
feathers edge brushed over the sound.
ing board of this instrument. has bnen
made to crash upon the ears of the listeners
Inc touch OF the tip of 4 camels.hair brush
was the occasion of "a cracking noise. Of
Whlch the intensity was almost painful to
the ear. The faintest whisper of the
human voice can be reproduced in the
iouuGst 1s' tones. Ihe malden's sigh may
roar like the cataract of Niagara"
Professor d. +. Hughes has given a full
account OF the mlcrophone to the Royal
society OF London, and described the stems
oy Which ne was led to the invention. lie
IS most widely known in England as the
inventor OF type printing telegraph in
strument which is in general use IN tbat
country. Although he is an aceomnIsbod
electrician, the apparatus which he has nm.
ployed for his new experiments is of tho
simplest character, and the most tria;no
cost with it he has made the footstens
OF u housetly distinctly audible: and ali
these sounds, after being intensified. are
transmitted to any needful distance by the
ordinary telephone. At a recent exhibi.
lloh oil these experiments to a few scientific
friends IN London, all the astonishing
effects that have been referred to ware
easll y produced, except the fly performance
With great difficulty the philosonhers
found fly in the house. With vet ter
difficulty they caught the insect. But the
hnal trouble was insurmountable: the can.
tured fly would stay on the glass tumbler
that imprisoned him nothing could in.
duce him to walk on the sounding hoard
which the tumbler covered. But witness
TO the scene, describing it in Nature. found
consolation liz watching Professor Huxley
talking with great solemnity to glass tube
TWO inches long, his grave tones being
IouoIy enumerated to listener with a tele,
phone in distant apartment.
The philosophy of the new invention il
more dllhcult to explain than is the tele.
phone itself The discovery has been nal
by Professor Hughes that the vibrations of
dellcacy and increased force, by certain
materials interposed in an electric circuit
The reproduced sounds gain their increase
OF power, doubtless, at the EXPENSE of the
current. After large number OF experi. |
nments, he gives his preference to carbon |
l0r thls purpose; especially to pieces of |
charcoal that have been heated to white. |
ness, and then plunged into mercury. |
hese pieces, in one of his experiments. he |
placed in glass tube, and brought n nres.
sure upon them that squeezed their ends
together. This apparatus was made part of
a closed electric circuit of three small Guns.
bell telephone was then introduced into
tne circuit, and the whole thing was com.
plete. All that was necessary to do was to
talk 10 the tube, even at respectful dis
lance from 1T, and the telephone repeated
the sound, at any distance yet tried, with n
ioudness dependent only on the pressure
in the tube.
IhIs dlsposes at once of the fear that
the telephone was nearing the end of its
usefulness as an instrument for CONVEYING
speech. IL is only at the beginning. With
such means there will be no obstacle To
reporting public speaker or singer; no
In fact, in hearing whispers in.
audible to unassisted ears. All that has
ever been imagined as among the possibili.
ties OF the phonograph or the telephone
seems now certain to be outdone. Since
the falling Of pin can now be heard at
the distance of hundred miles, little will
be needed to realize hoods metaphor. that
Silence herself may be making a row.
". y. Tribune.
Why is a crow like a political gatherina?I