, 1878-06-14
The Latest Invention.

Aerophone. What II is anu M"a' ~ WI,
So are told by an "interviewer" connected
With the New York World:
~ am very sorry" said Mr. Edison
sthat | cannot show you the aerophone
today; have Just sent the application
for a patent to Washington, and have
taken the machine l had here to pieces;
Thai he has invented machine which,
nlaced upon locomotive, will raise lis
Voice and announce in giant tones, that can
he heard for miles, 81 am engine Mama,
duke, and will stop at Boonton station,
or whatever other warning or intorma'
tion it chooses, thereis not the least reason
10 doubt. The vibrating diaphragm
nriuciplc in use in the marvellous phono-
graph is made key to the mystery.
The vibrating-plate which in the phono-
graph moves a sharp point over reVolV-
mo cylinder, in the aeropbone operates
as a valve TO shut off aud open the flow
of steam through pipe leading from
the boiler to peculiarly arranged horn
or whistle. BY this contrivance the
steam, instead Of producing long, con
tiuuous toot, is made to pronounce words.
at Is quite simple" said Mr.. Edison
smiling upon the perpexed reporter
"but If you don't understand 1t altogether,
lust take my word for it that this thing
will utter words which can be heard dis
tinctly four miles off, and wait patiently
for few weeks, when / will demonstrate
what say to you"
With this, for the present, the reporter
had to content himself, Mr.. Edison first
having called his attention to the immense
value il would have on shipboard in time
of fog, or in lighthouses on stormy coasts,
from which, by its aid, the keepers could
hail all surrounding vessels, informing
them of their whereabouts, and of the
peculiar dangers Of each particular coast.
81 have been so busy 10 perfecting the
phonograph," said Mr.. Edison, "that l
have thought of but little else for the last
swo weeks. All the monographs that
have as yet been exhibited are, you know,
very imperfect, or rather very meagre in
their results. They have been mere ex-
periments. have, however, perfected
the instrument, and in few days a talk
ing.machine that is a talking machine
will be completed" So saying, he led
the way down stairs to machine shop.
where eight busy machinists we're indus
triously at work, and where perfect net
work Of leather bands, attached to all
manner of machines, was in animated
motion. Among the workmen, looking
over their shoulders and giving instruc-
tions here and there, this little man, whose
brain had supplied the occasion for all
that was going on, moved quietly about,
while the reporter, lost in admiration,
followed behind. Eight men, and these
the most expert machinists--Swiss work
men all of them--are employed at an ex.
pense of several hundred dollars a week,
merely to make in iron and brass the
myriad inventions that are constantly
taking form in his mind.
"Ah, here it is" said he, picking up a
circular piece Of brass, the surface of
which was reamed with a fine thread,
which, starting at the centre, ran around
the plate many thousand times before the
circumference was gained. This is to
take the place Of the cylinder in the new
phonograph. 1t reyolves, you see, in this
way (placing it upon pivot and twirling
It around like platter), and the pointer,
which is attached TO the diaphragm, will
follow the thread by means Of movable
arm. The plate will be turned by clock
work TO insure uniform rate of motion.
Instead Of having to put the sheets of tia
foil directly on cylinder, with the risk
of tearing in removing them, by the
means Of this fat plate we will be able
TO have the tin-foil made secure to card
board frame, which, having holes at the
four corners, that will just fit over four
pegs, can be easily lifted from the ma
chine when used, and put away in safe
place until wanted again.
The reporter asked how many words
could be put upon sheet of tin-foil suf-
fciently large to cover this plate, which
is about ten inches in diameter. Mr..
Edison replied that he was confident any
ordinary 50-cent novel could easily be
regulated upon il. To perfect the cult
walton Of the monographs voice SO
that it will be capable of transmit
ting precisely the same tones of voice
that are spoken to it, Mr.. Edison is en-
gagged in making an affair to take the
place of the metallic funnel which is now
used to bring out the sound. He pro-
poses to construct tube which shall be
shaped like the interior of the human
mouth, and which shall be supplied with
teeth somewhat similar to those employed
in the vor humanG organ-stop.
~ have another ides,n said he. II pro-
pose, in sending the exhibit of several of
my inventions to the Paris Exposition, to
have large phonograph running in the
machinery department. will have a
piece of tin-foil electrOtyped so that the
Impressions upon it will not wear out by
constant use. A very simple contrivance
will shift the cylinder-I intend using
one of the cylinder monographs for this
purpose-after it has passed under the
pointer, to the other side, and so a per-
petual stream of talk can be kept up. l
hgvn't decided lust what to make this