Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-06-13
EDISON OUTDOISG HIKsELF.

hSdth oudNSS' w 1Ou IHllk Was
born to be killed"
EDISON OUTDOING HIMSELF.
A Trumpet wIsh which tha Human
Voice May be Heard Two Miles
Away. ~
New York SUM- t 8
''The telescopopohone" is the
name of Mr.. Edison's invention.
1t is simply q marvellous ear
trumpet, upon the construction of
which Mr.. Edison has been work
ing for several months. Mr.. Edi-
sons attention was attracted to the
subject by his own deafness. He is
enabled to hear only when the
speaker enunciates in bold tone.
Mr.. Edison is 10th to describe the
telescopopohone except generally,
as it is not completed, and is to be
patented. The implement is about
five and a half feet long, and has
an internal arrangement by which
sound is concentrated and made
louder. A sound which to the un-
aided ear is inaudible becomes dis.
tinct by the use of the telescopopo-
hone. Concerning it Mr.. Edison
said:
"The telescopopohone is assured :
ly successful. | have demonstrated
that by its use not only can those
partly deaf hear, but persons can
talk mile or two apart"
"But do not other sounds com.
mingle-souuds intervening be-
tween the speaker and the bearer"
"Certainly they do to limited
extent, and more so if the instru-
ments are not pointed straight"
GLOW do you remedy that'"
"Why you must point 'em
straight. The same objection
could be made to a telescope,
If you do not point it straight
you can see other objects than
the one intended. But when
the telescopopohoue is pointed
directly at the distant speaker with
telescope exactness, the voice o.
the speaker is the chief thing
heard"
4" Does it increase the volume o
sound 2"
Ihaye whispered in one of these
things in a very low tone, aud the
sound in my ear was SO loud as tC
be absolutely painful"
Mr.. Edison expressed the fullest
confidence that he would perfec
the telescopopohone, so that by it:
aid partly deaf persons may heal
every whisper on the stage of thu
largest theater.
A gentleman who heard expert
ments with the telescopopohont
said that Mr.. Edison heard distinct
ly the ticking of a telegraphic in
strument a thousand feet away, ant
even the noise of the chewing ant
biting of grass by a COW nearly 2O0(
feet distant.
One of the party then stood 60(
feet away, and his whisper was dis
tinctly heard, although Mr.. Bache
lor, standing only fifteen feet from
him, without the aid Of the tele
scopopohOne, could not hear {
word. '..4
Then the party tried a NOR,
striking experiment. Two of then
went at least a mile off, and talked
to each other in an ordinary tone o
voice. Even at that distance ordi
nary conversation was dist nctl,
heard without a speaking tube
without any wire or electrical ap
paratus, but simply by the aid o
the new ear-trumpet or telescope
hone.
But, even this was surpassed by
the next experiment, which was al
a distance estimated at two miles
From that point the ordinary ton,
of voice could not be heard, anC
shouting was necessary, yet the new
ear trumpet did its work, and the
hearing was repeated as before.
"Now, Mr.. Edison, what next p
co." said Mr.. Edison, with on,
of those hearty bursts Of laughte
that he SO often ihdulgeS in, "l'v,
not got to the end YETI i3 o