The Cecil Whig., 1878-03-16
SPEECH BOTTLED UP.
TALKING PHoNOGRAPH HARD AT woR

A TALKING PHoNOGRAPH HARD AT WORK.
Shoming Hon 10 Stereotype Your Vocal
therances. Making a Plate from Which a
Reproduction Of Your Speech Can be Had
When YOu are in tie Craze
We're the veracious Munchausen in at
tendance at an exhibition which was given
on the Sth, in the Philadelphia Local Tele-
graph Company's office, Third and Chest
nut streets, of Professor Thos A. Edisons
marvellous invention called the speaking
phonograph, he might have trium phantly
said - told you SO, with reference to at
least one of his yarns-the story of his
journey by post from St Petersburg dur
ing Winter of uncommon severity.
The exhibition. to say the least, was
equally as remarkable as the one described
by Baron Munchausen 1t demonstrated
TO the entire satisfaction of some OF Phiia-
deIphla'S most intelligent citizens, who
were present 10y invitation OF Mr. Henry
ii. Bentley. president of the Local Tele-
graph Company, that person can, so to
speak, bottle up any quantity of his vocal
utterances, and, at the end of an indefinite
period of time. cause the bottle to REPRO
duce them exactly as it originally came
f nm his lips'
WHAT THE THING Is
The instrument was operated sometimes
by Mr.. Bently, but principally by Mr. Jas.
Adams, highly intelligent Scotchman,
with a strongly marked Scotch accent in
his speech, who has been for five years the
assistant of Professor Edison in the latter's
electrial and other experiments. The
machine occupied 30 more space than
would Webster's Unabridged, and it's
construction appeared almost as simple as
that of house wife's coffee mill. 1t was
d fac sImiIe of one which Professor Edison
Is now constructing, and which is to have
capacity of forty eight thousand words.
Mr. Adams, before the performance be-
gan, thus explained the instrument: lin
this gutta percha mouthpiece is a very thin
diaphragm, made OF tin-type metal. The
vibrations of the voice Jar the diaphragm,
which has in It's center. underneath. a fine
steel point Around this brass cylinder,
which, you see, is closely and finely grooved
ny spiral; also wrap 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 dameters
aud 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 1t were, stereotype plate of the
voice. From this plate matrix in sui
phur tthe most desirable substance for the
purposey can be formed, and years from
now there can be taken from that matrix
other plates capable of the same work which
y"u will presently see this one perform.
COMING OUT OF THE BOTTLE"
New | turn the cylinder back to the
starting place, in order that the steel point
may go over the prrforatons which it made
when | talked inio the mouthpece. The
steel point, kept down by rubber spring
underneath the diaphragm, trips from hole
tn hole, causing the diaphragm to vlbrate
it did when | was talk ing into the mouth
piece. This causing corresponding OPEN
Ing and closing OF the valves of the dia.
phragm. the words, intouation, and accent
are reproduced with perfect accuracy. 1t
would be impossible for any human mimic
I" d" it so well. The small end OF this tin
uuuel Is fixed i'll the moulh hpiece TO keep
the reproduction from scattering. Now,
listen" Several gentlemen, evidently sup
posing that they woGld not be able to hear
without having THEN ears close to the fun
mel, were putting their heads near the in
>siumeut, but Mr. Adams told them that
such "A proceeding was unnecessary, as they
could distinguish The sounds well enough
at distance.
Mr. Adams, having wrapped u sheet of
tin foil around the cy Under. spoke INTO the
III Il voice of ordinary pitch
aud time, but with distinct articulation,
meanwhile slowly aud regularly turning
the crank, the following:
Jack and jill went up the hill
To get IA bucket of water;
Jack fell down and broke bis crown
Aud Jill came tumbhng 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 SO perfect mimicry
Of the Scoych accent as to cause a general
nutburst of laughter, in which the genial
operator heartily joined.
THE TALKING MACHINE FUNNY
Causing the steel point To proceed from
the ending of Jack and Jill Mr.. Adams
again put his mouth to the diaphragm and
uttered in more varying tones, which had a
range from almost whisper up to
scrceching soprano, the following:
Halle, Hoop.a. IA hoo,
Nineteen years III the Bastile,
| scratched my name upon the wall.
And that name was Robert Landr-y-y-y.
Parlez vous Francois Sprechen Isie
Deutsch
Turning the crank backward until the
steel point touched the beginning of Jack
and JILL" he again gave the forward mo-
ton. The diaphragm's elocution of the
rhyme was on this occasion as good as be-
fore, and the second conglomeration of ut
terance was delivered by the vibrating
metal with all the characteristics of the
operators ejoculations and recitation. For
the sake of novelty the steel point was now
caused to go along the perforated spiral
while Mr.. Adams whistled, yelled and
shouted all sorts of ridiculous things into
the mouth piece. AS result the bit of
metal strongly affected the rsihle muscles
of the audience by something like this:
Jack and Jill went" Cheese it,
Up the hill
TO get a bucket" wipe of your chinr'
OF water;
Jack fell down and" Hello younr-