Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-04-18

. rszsss5zEssssSss:
and we are now talking through 800
miles of wire, via St. Louis, Cincin-
natl, Louisville, Washington and Phil
adelphia-tbe parabola OF the West.
1t doesn't work well yet Thissis the
largest circuit ever attempted and it
would not be possible without Edi-
sons repeating machine"
In the middle of the room is man
about five feet ten inches high, with q
thin face, high cheek bones, and q
long lean neck. He would not be
picked out in a crowd as a man Of
more than ordinary intelligence, and
he is the person whom banco-steer-
er would be likely to take into his
confidence. Time he evidently con-
siders too valuable to waste on per.
sonal decoration, for his boots have
not been blackened this week, and,
although he is ostensibly whiskerless,
his beard has had about fivs days
growth. His hair is of a chestnut
brown, and Judge he cuts it himself,
for it stands up in an anxious way all
over his head, with striking tenden
cy forward, and at the crown it stiff
fly radiates like the tborny top of q
pineapple. There is guild of tobacco
IN his cheek. His mouth is sensitive,
the blue veins show out on his hands,
and the fingers futter as if each had
an intelligent purpose; but the only
feature that would Immediately at
tract the attention of stranger as
worth second look is his keen, deep
eager gray eye, which reveals the in
tensity of the man. This is Thomas
Alva Edison.
"You have turned out good many
inventions, Mr.. Edison"
eyes" he answers. with percep-
tible Western twang in his speech.
give made some machines but this
is my baby" patting the speaking
phonograph and taking chair before
it, "and expect it to grow up to be
a big Teller and support me in my old
age"
Edison showed us his dismantled
aerophone, "some OF it started for Eu-
rope last week." said he, ssand can't
show you how it sounds. But here,
you see, is the same tympanum that
we use in the telephone and phono-
graph; we speak against this, and its
vibrations, instead Of pricking q sheet
| of tin-foil, opens and closes valve in
the steam pipe, and thus gives to the
whistle the calculations of the human
voice. 1t is much simpler than the
photograph, and its audible speech
can be heard four miles,or even more.
I will guarantee that it shall read the
Declaration of independence so that
every word will be distinctly heard
by every citizen of Manhattan Island.
| It will call out all the stations on a
railroad, and the locomotive will 90
through the country talking whatever
| the engineer thinks it necessary to
say. Steamers can converse at sea-
Lighthouses can warn ships in a
storm. Fire districts can be shouted;
also information whether a fire is
spreading or is being mastered
81 will have on exhibition at Paris"
said Edison, "eight telephones, be-
sides my phonograph and aerophone. !"
"To what uses do you expect the
| monographs will be put?' he was
asked. aSeveral," he replied.
81. For debating it will take the
place of shorthand reporters, as thus !:
A man who has many letters to write
will talk them to the phonograph, and
send the sheets directly to his CORE.
spondents, who will lay them on the
phonograph and hear what they have
to say. Such letters as 90 to people
who have no monographs will be
copied by the Office boy.
so. For reading. A first.class ell.
ocutionist will read one Of Dickens
novels into the phonograph. II can
all be printed on shees ten inches
square, and these can be multiplied
by the million copies by cheap pro.
cess of electrotyping. These sheets
will be sold tor, say, Is cents. A
man 10 tlTeu, anu LIS vines eyes are
failing, and 80 they sit around and
hear the telephone read from this
sheet the whole novel with all the ex>
preston of q first-class reader. See
A company tor printing these is al.
ready organized in New York.
So. It will sing in the very voice Of
Patti and Kellogg, so that every fam
| lily can have an opera any evening.
81. II may be used as . musical
composer. When singing some fa-
yorlte airs backward it hits some love-
~ airs and believe musician could
get ops pop4Isr melody every day by
experimenting 10 that way,
"s. Il may hepsed to read to inmates
| of blind asyluns, OF to the ignorant
who have never learned to read.
sc Itmay be used to teach languages
and ] have already sold the right to
use it to teach children the alphabet
| Suppose Stanley had had one and
thus obtained for the world all the