The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-04-22
THE PHONOGRAPH.
Thomas A. Edison's Wonderful In
vention Examined.
GRAPHICAL RECORDS OF SOUND.
Vibrations and Their Development in
Various Bodies.
MUSICAL NOTES AND NOISES.
MUSICAL NOTES AND NOISES.
A Mechanical Triumph Of Ingenuity
and Simplicity.

One OF the most remarkable features OF American
progress compared with that OF the old nations OF
Europe is the extraordinary development OF inventive
power. The progress OF invention begins with mans
arst realization OF the necessity Of labor for the sup
port OF life Tho flint heads Of the prehistoric
indicate intelligent study OF form aud the APP
pcaton results special and useful purposes.
The rude bow instrument for projecting missiles
invention Of the highest importance, as ena-
BLEED tho primitive hunter warrior TO strike his VIC
tim at a distance and avoid the fatigue Of
long and cxhaus,ing chase or tho doubtful
Issue of a personal encounter. From the bow has
grown thousands Of inventions suited 10 as many
special purposes The idea embodied in II of using
proectes formed the basis oil the nding results
realized In the 100-ton gun. The feathers the
shalt regulate the fight certainly made
Il the first arm OF precision ever invented, finally
led the idea Of riflng gun barrel 20 the
utmost accuracy In the flight OF conical bullet. 10
follow the development OF the various rude inven.
lions OF man through their progressive stages to their
present perfection would occupy time aud space that
is not allotted even TO lifetime But the bare sug
gestion OF such progress OF invention will De suni-
Gent for tho reader when studying the nature OF
latest and perhaps the greatest triumph Of the human
brain.
steam, electricity, chemistry, photography. tee-
scopy and microscopy. the spectroscope and the va
rious applications tho mechanical powers have filed
tho lives OF the OF this century with occupations
that promote In the highest degree the material vel
fare = the human Compared with the conditions
OF life of even only one century back those OF to-day
advanced beyond calculation. Science labors to
draw abundanty from all that the great treasury
Of nature holds in for the ages to come and the
daily results, they presented to the world. only
serve to show by their astounding grandeur how in-
sxhausbe is the source and how ncalcuable arc the
object OF tho present article is to deal with
the abstract but to detail the especial
ders beautiful simplicity of q recent discovery
which ranks with the greatest yet made
VIBRATIONS
Efforts have been made. and with some success, to
record graphically the actual vibrations Ut the air
produced by the more or less rapid succession Of
shocks that produce the phenomenon OF sound. BY
Of worry sensitive vbrstory disph ragms II has
been possible to register prepared surfaces the
OF the point OF tine needle othcr ndi-
Gator attached 70 the centre Of the vibrating surface
and which, Of course, governed by the vibrations
To make the matter clear to tho reader II may be
necessary state that vibration is regular
turbancs Of the particles of body which gives them
motion around the their positions
OF rest. These motions do not necessarily involve
any permanent displacement OF the PARTICLES OF mat
ter but Inc vbratory properties OF many substances
In the metals changes the structure OF
the under the influence Of constant rather
than strong vibrations. Thus bars OF wrought iron
aud Steel when subjected to vibratory Influences,
lose In grcat measure their fbrous texture and
suspension and other bridges vibrate from the con.
slant trafhc and under the influence of changing Wind
deprived OF tensile strength and therefore useless
Tor their purposes. The particles OF tho substance
Of cymbas and bells viorate when the latter are
struck, and produce grave acute sou nds
Ing to the pitch or note to which the instru.
ments are tuned IN their manufacture. Violin
and harp strings vbrate under the touch
OF the bow ana hngcr and continue to give forth
sounds as long as the movements oil the strings
tinuc, winch loud proportion the energy
OF such movements. Drums and tambourincs sound
because OF The vibration oil their membraneous heads
which are stretched to their utmost tens 10 provide
. vibrating surface, the motous OF which resctng ON
the cause II to strike the organs OF hearing
succession Of impulses that govern By their number
per second the transmitted. Ali sounds in fact
lre produced by shocks delivered to tho air and
through It's medium received on the tympanum OF the
Without air ~ would DO impossible to produce
sound and although body may vibrato q vacuum
no sound viii be produced by II.
GRAPHICAL RECORDS
AS stated the cnoris " record graphically tho vbra.
ton oil substances have been In u measure successful
The syrcn OF Cagniard Latour WAS devised simply 10
measure tho number OF vibrations Of body witnin
given time, ana Savarts touthed wheel apparatus to
measure the number Of vibrations necessary to pro-
strumcnts however did not satisfactorily accomplish
the objects Of their inventors al Toast that is the
entinc verdict expressed in their regard An appa-
ratus Invented by Duhamel Was successful In record
Ing graphically the vibrations oil body
such as tuning FORK, bar or plate,
but its usefulness was hmiteu TO thh re-
suit. Various experiments were made Ia tho study
vipraIous by means OF mirrors attached to tho vi
brating bodies whence rays OF light we're thrown on
the dark surfaces and the motions Of the bright spots
noted wblIo the body or instrument was Vibrating.
Curious, interesting and highly important results
obtained from all these experiments; but the man
object OF research was yet unionnd-namcly, means
OF recording, graphically tho vibrations
oeve opec IN substance acted on by sound--lhe
atmospheric impulses that produced the sounds. To
9 sounded opposite the head OF "A drum. rho
air Is agtated Ny succession oil rapid impulses corrc
spending IN number per second 10 that required TO
produce the particular note. These impulses
Inc the hearcr OF the note and UPON mem.
braneous head Of the drum much IN the same manner.
The vibratory membrane OF the car Is struck by
each impulse aud conveys to the brain by the
AUDITORY nerves the sensation known as sound
But tho Incmbraneous head vi tho drum, receiving
similar impulses. Is agitatcd by them or caused
TO vbrato These vbrauons or movements will cor
respond With the number OF impulses per second
causing them. Honce II lne needle 10 attached to
the centre OF the drum head IL will move vbra
tion, and trace puncture any substance placed
with IL lines small holes, ropresep ting
the variations Of the movement OF needle under
tho influence Of ths vibrating to which u Is
attached. In the one every movement OF tho
point the needle around across ITS position oi
rcst IS traced on the prepared surface ~ series u
punctufes are MADE Tor every motion forward from
the state OF rcs and. when tue SUFFICE puncturcd
Is subjected to uniform motion, The LAMENTATIONS
will be exactly IN the order OF the vbra-
tons that governed the movement OF the needle as
tory movement
PHoSAUroeRArm
The nrst INSTRUMENT Invented Tor the purpose OF
graphically recording the vibrations OF adlaphragm
under tho influence OF composite sounds the pho
nautograph oil Leon Scott Inc given 10 the In
strament indicates that ny u the sounds make their
own records graphically. The extreme sensitivencss
OF the vibrating membrane TO the aerial impulses due
10 sounds Of every Ki0d produces the most minutey
exact diagram OF each vibration and Its relation 10
preceding syncbronous and following vibrations
Thus when Two notes are sounded SIMULTANEOUSLY be-
tore aud act Independently, the line
traced tue prepared surface win show both
Ia comonation, yet distinct as TO Their relations aud
intepsiiies. II will be seen therefore, that lar
the apbical recording OF sounds Is concerned
remarkable advances had been made before any seri-
Gus effort was male TO analyse the diagrams and
discover what portions represented the vowel ana
what The ovnsousnt and this differences between tho
sbillant aud CULTURAL sounds IL was generally adj
mittod that MI these were distinctly traced, but who
was to say IN what fornf
Before touching inc solution Of this grand prob
icm aud describing the triumph Of Edison his
ograpn may DO we'll to state that the produc-
ton OF sounds an almost minute number Of combine