Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-10-18

Tested
A letter from st. Omer, Ind, to a
New York paper says: There is rus
tic Edison here who cherishes the belief
that he has invented an improvement on
the telephone and greatly simplified the
workings of that wonderful instrument.
He has one of his instruments in use
here-one OF very crude shape, it must
be admitted. He is experimenting with
it all the time, to the wonderment and
delight of his neighbors, but its success
hinges mainly upon the question
whether it is an original invention which
dous not infringe upon Edison's patents.
Israel Jewett-for that is the name of
the inventor here-calls his machine the
agaphone, by which name he means to
convey the idea that it is sound gath
ering instrument. Edison calls his the
telephone, or simply sound bearer.
Yet the object of both is the same
namely, to converse by the voice while
the speakers are at long distances apart.
st. Oner is little country village,
five or six miles from the railroad, just
on the line between Decatur and Shell
by counties, Ind.--a little cluster Of
houses and single church, with coun-
try store, blacksmith shop and drug
store representing its sole evidences Of
business. The drug store is where our
inventor lives, for he keeps it, with the
postofice, and here he spends his spare
time-and most of it is spare, because
the trade in physic and letters is very
meager indeed-in making inventions.
Here the agaphone was born, and here
the only one yet made is in operation.
At a distance of ITO rods, or say one
third of mile, stands the only good,
substantial building in st. Omer. 1t is
rather handsome brick house of
modern style, and is the residence of
the elder Jewett, father of the inventor.
The agaphone connects the drug store
with the paternal residence.
The principal claim of Mr.. Jewett is
that his appliance is simpler, doing
away with the electric current altogeth'
er, and that instead of losing sound ir
its transmission it gathers, or holds
rather, all that it receives, giving the
tone of voice with as much distinctnest
at long distance as at short one
though on this latter point it has moi
had the test of experience, the longest
line to which it has been applied having
been only a trife over a mile.
The construction of the instrument is
apparently very simple indeed. A cubi.
cal box. say of five inches, has thin
sheet of metal for its back, while the
front is open. This thin sheet of metal is
the diaphragm of the instrument, and to
it is fastened small brass wire no longer
than grandmother knitting needle,
which transmits the sound current, and
this is all that can be seen, though the
inventor claims that at each end of this
wire he has O sound collector, which,
however, is open for inspection, and
though painted black on one side the
other bears close resemblance to a
sheet of tin or platinum.
An elderly lady, the mother of the in
ventor is sat home" at the other end of
the agaphone and the conversation is car
ried on with her, the speaker in the drug
store standing two or three feet from
the box or mouthpiece, and addressing
her at that distance in an ordinary con-
versational tone. Mr.. Jewett, father
of the inventor. opens the conversation
by rapping on the box. Presently an
snswer comes back, "What do you
want ?"
"Is that you. Melindy9" Answer
eyes"
"Wont you count ten for gentle
man who is here?" Answer, in rather
indistinct tones, but still easily recog-
nized Gone, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, eight. nine, ten there, will
that doP"
"What was that she said last p the
investigator inquiries. Answer" She
said, Will that do?' You see she
hasn't tooth in her head and can't talk
plain"
The tone was as loud as though the
speaker were in the same room, but the
difficulty was in the enunciation. Per-
haps it was the toothless misfortune of
Melinda that caused it, though more
likely the fault was in the diaphragm
being too thick.
The elder Jewett taps again with his
knife loud tap, scarcely distinguish
able ten feet away, on the wooden door
frame of the postoffice department of
the store. A moment later the inquiry
comes from the agaphone, "What that ?"
ooh, I was just tapping against the
door frame here. Can't you play us
piece on the organ ?"
The instrument referred to, he ex-
planned, was small cabinet organ stu
ated on the opposite side of the room
and behind the mouthpiece Of the aga
phone. Soon after the notes of the old
tune "China were heard, full, rich and
sonorous, accompanying her voice and
continued through two verses. Melinda
can evidently sing better than she can
talk.
After it l had been concluded asked:
&C. Do you hear anything going on over
here?"
Eyes, hear everything you say"
was the reply.
"What is this ?" opening my watch
and placing it in the box.
81 hear watch ticking" was the an.
swer that came promptly.
There was quite long conversation
kept up in this way, but enough has
been given to show the qualities of the
agaphone. It's inventor says that he at.
tempted to obtain the use of the tele-
graph wires at the nearest railroad point,
but was refused. He believes that their
reason for doing this is because the
Western Union telegraph company
control Edison's invention, and do not
desire to have other inventors use their
wires for experiments with what he is
pleased to believe will do away with the
one they control.
Lucifer matches will not ignite If they
are damp, because the cold, produced by