Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-09-18
THE nICnOPHoNE.
A Report Of Interesting Experiments in
Lawrence.

By the courtesy Of Agent Fallen, Of
the Pacific mills, who is quite an en-
thusiast in scientific matters, we spent
delightful hour n few days since in ex-
periments with that latest marvel of
discovery, the microphone, little in
strument which becomes to the ear
what the microscope is to the eye.
This is . discovery of Prof. Hughes, of
Great Britain, who while experiment.
ing with the telephone found new
element, through which he has sue
ceeded in perfecting an instrument by
which sound is magnified or increased,
and conveyed by wire in q wonderful
manner. The microphone of Mr.. Fall
lon, imported from Eng land, is SIM
pie little affair; thin piece OF deal per
haps five inches by three, insulated by
means OF four bits Of rubber, one at
each corner, on which it rests, to this is
attached small ordinary battery; a
small piece of pure carbon is fastened
with bit of wire to the board, and
another piece of carbon, like an inch
and n half pipe-stem, If pivoted near the
centre from little supports, one end
resting upon the piece strapped to the
board; the wires by which the sound is
to be conveyed are attached to either
corner of the board, and connected by
other wires with the carbon vibrator and
the battery; the carbon, highly charged
as it is with mercury, possesses the
power not only of conductivity and Of
reproducing sound, but of vastly in
creasing its power, and as the micro
scope reveals to the eye of man the
most insignificant of natures works,
does the microphone disclose to our
hearing otherwise inaudible sound.
Mr.. Fallon has connected with his
microphone some six hundred feet of
wire, and in the room a, the other, end
an ordinary Bell telephone attachment.
During the experiments which we made
with the assistance of DIR. Rideout,
watch was placed on the instrument,
and through the nearly me-eighth of a
mile of wire came to tie ear not only
the separate ticking, r.sounding like
the heavy beating of marine or tower
clock. but we could clclrly detect the
whirr of the minute wheels, the buzz
and friction of the delicate machinery
of the watch. Then the watch was re-
moved, and the gentleA sweep of the
down of feather, BRUSHED as lightly
as possible across the hoard, reached
the ear magnifed to sound like the
coarse grating Of file o. the scraping
of a heavy brush. Their q small wire
cage, containing two ommOn house
flies, was placed on the Instrument, and
to the listening ear, 600 feet away, dis
tinctly came the soft and irregular pat
ter of the tiny feet, as tie flies walked
over the board, and as hey flew from
one side of their cage tCthe other, the
sound as they struck against the fine
wire was heard with harp metallic
ring, altogether like that If the hammer
Of a boiler-maker, as he rivets the
bolts in the iron cylinter. We were
somewhat skeptical in elation to this
last experiment, it seemd so much be-
yond credence, and the wires were de-
tached, the annunciator listened to the
instrument, with only lev feet Of wire,
and we sat down in frpnt of the little
wonder, and with our eys made certain
that there was no possibility of deceit
as to the source Of the marvellous
sounds to which we lishned; but there
was no difference, the footballs of the
fly came with no seeming greater dis
tinctness than when tranmitted through
600 feet Of wire, and we see no reason
why miles may not be added with the
same result. Conversation in the room
where the instrument was located, with
out the Intervention Of a mouth-piece
as in the telephone, was distinctly heard
at the other end of the wire.