The Van Buren press., 1878-07-02

tick down at the station, lOoo
feet away and | heard one curious, soft
" grinding sound that l could not iden.
tify till followed 1t up and fond it to be
a COW biting off and chewing ersss, 1000
feet distant--two filths of mile
There were present on the porch, Edi.
son, James Redpath, famous for his
Kansas and war letters, uriah Painter,
noted Washington journalist; w X.
Apple baugh president of the phonograph
Company, Charles Bachelor and several
other gentleman eager to see the expert
ments. They had waited for pleasant
day.
They speedily arranged series of
signals to express " hear and ~ do
not hear" by waving the hands in pecu
liar way.
Then Mr.. Bachelor and Uriah Painter
took one of the ear-trumpets and went
forth, across the field, to store 600 feet
distant.
One of them said: "Do you hear me
nowt'
"Yes!' - shouted they in the porch,
with laughing accompaniment, for the
voice was distinctly audible to all with
the naked ear.
"Do you hear this ?" he repeated, in n
lower tone, scarcely auciblc.
Again he was answered in the alllrma.
tive.
The question was repeated over and
over till the ear trumpets had to be used
AT last came to the car Of the listners.
II am whispering now; do you hear me 7"
Mr. Painter was GOO feet distant, yet his
whispers were perfectly distinct. Bach.
walked away from him fifteen feet and
signaled that he could not, with the un-
aided ear hear his companions whispers,
which were audible to us in the porch
AS 600 is to fifteen, so is Edison's car
trumpet to the unaided ear--twenty to
one!
But the experiments were scarcely
begun,
Bachelor and Painter walked off across
the fields till they were a mile distant
They crossed many undulations-up hill,
down dale, now vanishing, now reappcar-
ing till they finally stood forth on bill
lock in plain sight, but dimnutive and
boy-like in size.
Signals were exchanged. "All ready
One Mt each end put the trumpet to his
ear
perfectly distinctw says Redpath.
"IIe says John Browns body lies mould
ing in the grave"
Then he spoke towards the figures on
the distant hill, 81 heard that ditinctly.
uOr Land ,ro ,arY talsiur p'f
" In an ordinary tone of voice." came
in response to the man with the trumpet,
scarcely louder than | would speak in a
parlor."
Then we tried II all round. 1t seemed
very strange and uncanny to holda con-
versation in an ordinary voice with a
man a mile off, without speaking trum.
tanee whatever
"rais is really telegraphing without a
telegraph" exclaimed Redpath.
As we could plainly see with our ope
ra glasses that the man on the hill had
his trumpet in "position. Mr. Edison
stopped to the front of the porch and
spoke to them, clearly, but in voice
that could scarcely have been heard 200
feet away: "Go mile further off and
Get in range"
We waited a while, and chatted about
the phonograph and telephone, and the
new sound. .magniier of the Englishman,
Hughes, which Edison declared straight
steal from the principal of his carbon
telephone, when at last Mr.. Redpath said,
q" hear thom.'
But we could not see them anywhere.
They had vanished.
"He says" Nj. Redpath repeated.
4" Now is winter of our discomfort !,
flour SI4 barrel, and haven't got a
cent
There was a laugh at this, and Edison
announced from the other end of the
stoop that he had found them, We
moved wenty feet, and their white flag
was just visible through the distant
trees.
Salutations were exchanged over the
two miles of intervening ground, and an
opportunity was furnished to all present
to hear the wonderful phenomena.
This ear. trumpet or "telesopophon,"
as it is called, is internally curious
combination Of funIels centering in a
chamber and radiated wires. Mr. Edi-
son before Christmas hopes to complete
for the use OF partially deaf people Il
small but somewhat complex instra
men', which; when connected with a thin
wire to the ear, will enable any one to