The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1878-06-22
THE rsLEscoPopHoH.

The TELESCUfOFHONs
derfal Ear-Trumpet-The Deaf Mads TO
From the New York Graphical
It was yesterday noon that q few Of
Mr.. Edison's enthusiastic assistants and
friends gathered around him at Menlo
Park, to witness the first trial, in the
presence of witnesses, of the new ear
trumpet which the inventor had evolved
from his inner consciousness.
Mr.. Edison revealed to the Graphic.
some two months ago, the fact that he
was engaged in the construction OF q
highly susceptible ear-trumpet, and our
readers will recall the letter in which he
promised, without hesitation and with
ont reserve, that he would make an ear
tube, by the use of which the deaf could
hear. As Mr.. Edison is himself SO deaf
that he hears only when quite near and
with considerable vigilance, the utmost
confidence was reposed in his purpose;
and his marvellous success in developing
the 160 inventions which now stand In
his name on the books of the Patent
office generated a wide belief that he
could really do what he had set his hand
to. This confidence seems now to be
justified and realized.
As Mr.. Edison and his friends stepped
out of the long laboratory where his
wonders are born to the open porch at
its front, looking south, they bore half
a dozen ear-trumpets with them. These
implements looked externally much like
ordinary ear trumpets, only they were
five or six feet long.
az stood here the other day." said
Edison, turning his eager gray eyes up
on the Graphic, ''and I put one of these
to my ear. 1 heard child cry; / heard
the instrument tick down at the station,
1000 feet away; and heard one Curl
Gus, softly grinding sound that l could
not identity till I followed it up and
found it to be COW biting off and chew
ing grass 1000 feet distant-two-fifths
of a mile"
There were present on the porch, Edi-
son, James Redpath, famous for his
Kansas war letters; Uriah Painter, a
noted Washington journalist; w. X.
Applebaugh, President of the Phono-
graph Company; Charles Bachelor aud
several other gentlemen eager to see the
experiment. They had waited for a
pleasant day.
They speedily arranged a series of
signals to express 81 hear' and 81 do
not hear" by waving the hands in a
peculiar way. Then Mr.. Bachelor and
Uriah Painter took one of the ear-trim-
pets and went forth, across the field, to
store 600 feet distant.
One of them then said: "Do you hear
me now?"
"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
lower tone, scarcely audible.
Again he was answered in the affirm
alive.
The question was repeated over and
over till the ear-trumpets had to be used.
At last came to the ear of the listeners,
81 am whispering now; do you hear
me?" Mr.. Painter was 600 feet distant,
yet his whispers were perfectly distinct.
Bachelor walked away from him Is feet
and signaled that he could not, with the
unaided ear, hear his companions whis-
pers, which were audible to US in the
porch. As 600 is to Is, so is Edison's
ear-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 mile
distant. They crossed many undula-
tiOns-up hill, down dale, now vanish
ing, now reappearing, till they finally
stood forth on a hillock in plain sight,
but diminutive and boy-like in size.
Signals were exchanged. "All ready"
One at each end put the trumpet to his
ear.
"Perfectly distinct" said Redpath.
"He says John Browns body lies
Wondering in the grave.
Then he spoke towards the figures on
the distant hill, I" heard that distinctly.
How loud are you talking?"
"In an ordinary tone of voice." came
in response to the man with the trum-
pet; scarcely louder than would
speak in parlor."
Then we tried it all around. 1t seem
ed very strange and uncanny to hold a
conversation in an ordinary voice with
man a mile off, without speaking
trumpet and with no wire or electrical
assistance whatever.
"This is really telegraphing without
a telegraph" exclaimed Redpath.
As we could plainly see with our
opera-glasses that the man on the hill
had his trumpet sin position" Mr.. Edi-
son stepped to the front of the porch
and spoke to him, clearly, but in a
voice that could scarcely have been
heard 200 feet away: "Go mile fur
Their off and get in range"
We waited while and chatted about
the phonogragh and telephone, and the
new sound magnifer ofthe Englishman,
Hughes, which Edison declared ''a
straight steal" from the principle of his
carbon-telephone, when at last Mr..
Redpath said, 81 hear them"
But we could not see them anywhere.
Ttey had vanished.
"He says" Mr.. Redpath repeated,
"Now is the winter of our discomfort;
flour S14 barrel, and haven't got
cent"
There was laugh at this, and Edison
announced from the other end of the
stoop that he had found them. We
moved 20 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 hea: the wonderful phenomena. &,
This ear-trumpet or telescope
phon," as it is called, is internally Gu
rious combination of tunnels centering