The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-03-29
THE PHONOGRAPH.
An Easily Understood Description Of the WOnd,

An Easily Understood Description OF the Wonder
fol Invention
The monograph has been frequently
mentioned and described. The fellow.
ing may make the wonderful invention
still better understood. 1t is from
report of experiments given in Phila-
delphia:
The instrument was operated some
times by Mr.. Bentley, but principally by
Mr. James Adams, the inventors repre-
sentative. Mr.. Adams, highly intelli-
gent Seotchman, with strongly marked
Scotch accent i'll 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 ,Vebsters una
bridged, and its construction appeared
almost as simple as that of housewives
coffee mill. 1t was a fac-simile of one
which Prof. Edison is now constructing,
and which is to have a capacity of IS, 900
words
Mr.. Adams, before the performance
began, thus explained the instrument
" In this guttapercha 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,
wrap a sheet of tin foil. ] shove the
mouthpiece up until the steel point
touches the tin foil, just above the first
groove on the left. Turning the cylin-
der with this crank talk into the mouth
piece. The diaphragm vibrates, causing
the steel point to perforate the tin foil,
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, a stereotype plate
of the voice. From this plate a maUrix
in sulphur (the most desirable substance
for the purpose) can be formed, and years
from now there san be taken from that
matrix other plates capable of the same
work which you will presently see this
one perform.
Now 1 turn the cylinder back to the
starting point, in order that the steel
point may go over the perforations which
it made when l talked into the moath-
piece. The steel point, kept down by a
rubber spring under the diaphragm,
trips from hole to hole, causing the
diaphragm to vibrate as it did when l
was talking into the mouth piece. This
causing corresponding opening and
closing of the valves of the diaphragm,
the words, information and accent are
reproduced with perfect accuracy. 1t
would be impossible for any human
mimic TO do it 80 well. The email end
of this tin funnel is fixed in. the mouth
piece to keep the reproduction from
scattering. Now listen" Several gen.
tlemen, 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 a
proceeding was unnecessary, as they
could distinguish sounds well enough at
a distance.
Mr. Adams, having wrapped sheet of
tin foil around the cylinder, spoke into
the mouthpiece in veice of ordinary
pitch and time, but with distinct articu-
lation, meanwhile slowly and regularly
turning the crank, the following:
Jack and Jill went up the hill,
To get a bucket of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
Aud Jill came tumbling after.
Having reset the cylinder and fixed
the funnel in the mouthpiece, he turned
the crank, and the diaphragm repeated
the rhyme, not only as distinctly as he
had uttered it, but with 80 perfect a
mimicry OF the Scotch accent as to cause
a general outburst of laughter, in which
the genial operator heartily joined.