Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-07-25
gtlistellaneoas 4eadiaa
THE PHONOGRAPH.
HOW 1T Is OPERATED-TIN FOIL SPEAKING
LIKE A HUMAN BEING. .... .......

- II z THE PHONOGRAPH. ; = u ; "
HOW 1T Is oPERATED-T1N FOIL SPEAKING
LIKE HUMAN BEING. .-... 49,.
We copy the following fine description o
the phonograph from the atlanta Constitution
The phonograph is here at last. And
Atlanta, recovering from the modification
that seized her when she found that Angus
ia and Macon had seen it before, is lifting
her eyes slowly and looking at its wonders.
The phonograph is, to all appearance, sim
ply piece of iron roller mounted on wind
lass. 1t is surmounted by mouthpiece, in
side of which are arrayed a few needles
Just underneath three needles, wrapped close
ly around the roller, is a sheet of tin foil.
The voice of the man who speaks to ths
photograph shouts in this moulhpiece. Tht
waves Of his voice, striking against the need
les, impinge them against the foil and make
little perforations therein: The roller mus
be turned slowly and regularly as the voice il
poured in through the mouthpiece. When il
is desired to reproduce the voice, the phono
graph is turned and the words are sounded
distinctly and in fac simle.
THE RESULT OF THE EXPERIMENTS.
There is no doubt that the phonograph ex
ceeded the expectations Of those who saw it
The experiments made succeeded wonderfully
The first words spoken to it we're these: "Mr
Phonograph, will you talk?" A breathless
pause succeeded this question, The operator
then turned the roller steadily, and from the
depths of the phonograph came the words, in
ghost-like, metallic tones, "Mr. Phonograph
will you talk ?" There was something actu
ally uncanny about it. The few spectators
looked wonderingly in each others faces
and Harris turned pale to the roots of his
hair, which was pretty pale. 1t almost sur
passed belief, that this instrument could SC
reproduce the sounds of the human voice.
The operator then barked in it, and when
he turned the crank you would have though
that he was turning it over the toes Of an im'
prisoned dog. He sung into it, and the tune
was reproduced with startling distinctness
with all the infections. A cornet solo that
was poured into the instrument from the lips
of some musical Maconite, was then repro
duced, and gave great delight to the~crowd
The song of f"Old Uncle Ned" was then5suDg
to the foil and tune wbistled in over it.sssThe
song and the whistle were then reproduced
simultaneously. The marvellous instrument
then crowed, prayed, laughed, whooped
coughed, and issued every sound that the
human voice was capable of suggesting to it.
The tones of the voice are perfectly repro
duced, and the accent memorably preserved
but the volume Of the voice is much less than
in nature. The gutteral sounds are occasion.
ally indistinct, but words spoken into it clear.
ly can be heard across large room very
plainly. .a. ......'. ....
Professor William Henry Peck spoke a
Shakspearian quotation into the phonograph,
and every sound of his voice was reproduced
with perfect .distinctness, even the catches
that he purposely threw in being duplicated.
In pronouncing the word "rat'' he rolled his
"r's" and the machine, in reproducing the
word would have made Frenchman asham.
ed of himself. The machine is veritable
wonder. ..... .-' (.
A 100000 LIFT.
There are no monographs for sale. There
are only forty in existence, all of them being
used for exhibition purposes. Ofthese TWEEN
ty.fve are in America and fifteen in Europe.
The right to exhibit them has been sold at
enormous prices The one in Boston sold for
$4,000, and it is probable that every one
brought this much. If this is so, the first 40
machines will yield the inventor $400.000
Edison was born in America, about three
months after his parents reached this country.
He was very poor for the most of his life, and
it is said that he had very little business tal
ent. He failed once, however, for about
100000, which argues very good order of
talent. He is now worth probably million
dollars. He has an annual income from the
Western Union Telegraph Company of $56.
900 for certain inventions of his that they are
now using. The Western Union Company
has agreed to take 10000 of these machines
as soon as they are perfected, and to pay him
$126,000 per annum for the use of them.
Their idea is to combine them with tele.
phones, and speak dispatches instead of send
ing them throug instruments. Edison has
now 121 patents, every one of which is con-
nected with telegraphy or electricity, every
one of which yields him some income.
InAugusta, Mr. Maloney succeeded in hav-
ing nine languages spoken into the machine,
and in Savannah eleven languages were spo.
ken. Atlanta must decidedly outdo these
towns. Prof. Peck has already led off with
some English, Irish, Latin, Greek, French,
Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Chinese, Indian,
and nigger. A half dozen languages can
doubtless be added to these. ,:s
THE USES TO WHICH THE PHoNoGRAPH
can be put are infinite. The proprietors pro.
pose to print books upon tin foil. A single
sheet of foil will take book of 400 pages,
and it can be read off to family instead of
them having to read it. A book done up
this way will cost only 10 cents. -'.-------.
The machine will do away with steno-
graphic reporters 1t is now 80 perfected
that it can be set nine feet off from speaker
and drink in and record every word and in
Election that he uses, so that it can be un-
wound at pleasure 1t is already being put
in clocks so that they will call out the hours
instead of striking them. 1t can call out in
structions at any time of the day so that a
person can be reminded Of what he must do
A speaker can have his thoughts bottled up
and distributed at pleasure. A lecturer can
speak his lecture in it and have it wound ST.
multaneously in a dozen cities. An opera
troupe can sing an opera in it, and mana
ger can then carry his troupe in his trunk, un-
winding a little Parepa Rosa and Aimiee at
announced intervals. A preacher can load a
phonograph with dozen sermons and then 90
of on vacation and let his thoughts be re-
turned Sunday after Sunday.
Altogether the phonograph is the marvel of
the century. No man should fail to see it,
The cost of admission is only so cents, and it
is worth twice that amount.
When they are regularly manufactured
the cost will be only s25-and then no family
will be complete without one. But until the
time arrives, it is more than worth the money