Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-05-09
Facls of the Phenograph.


FACTS of the PhenOgraph.
In the current number Of the North Amer
ican Review Mr.. Edison makes, for the firsi
time. a statement over his own signature Of
the progress already made with his wonderful
! invention, the speaking pAonograph, indicates
| the line on which his efforts for its further
development are making, and suggests few
| of the uses to which he is reasonably sure the
invention can be applied. He is moved to
this publication by desire 70 free himself
from responsibility for the many sensational
stories put afoat in the press concerning this,
the latest of his many inventions, and TO ena-
bic the public to separate accomplished facts
from mere possibilities, or at most Probabili-
ties. The facts are sufficiently wonderful,
without resorting TO exaggerahon, and that
which is exsggeration to-day may in short
time fall short of established facts
What Mr.. Edison claims to be accomplish
ed facts are the captivity Of all manner OF
sound-waves heretofore designated as "tugl-.
tive' and their permanent retention; their re-
production with all their original character
isties at will, without the presence or consent
of the original source, and after the lapse OF
any neriod of time; the Transmission OF such
captive sound through the ordinary channels
of commercial intercourse and trade in mate
rial form, for purposes of communication or
as merchantable goods; indefinite multiplied
tion and preservation of such sounds, without
regard to the existence or non-existence OF the
original source; and the captivation Of sounds,
with or without the knowledge or consent OF
the source of their origin. The practical ap-
plicatien of these principles isin grea, measure
as vet subject Of experiment, requiring the
exercise of more or less practical ingenuity.
Mr.. Edison has only progressed so far as to
collect and register the sounds produced by
speaking directly into the mouth-picce OF the
phonograph, or in loud tone at distance
of two or three feet from it. If the sound is
to be audible at any distance when repro
duced by the instrument it must be spoken
into it in loud tone, though whisper has
been heard when the ear is placed close. Mr..
Edison is satisfied that the gathering up OF
sounds at distance from the instrument and
recording them is merely question OF capac-
ity of the collecting tube, the fexibility OF
the diaphragm and the sensitiveness cf the
recordiag material. In his experiments SO
far be has found that much depends upon at
tention to many seemingly urinportant and
minor details, such as the form and material
of the embossing point, the pI oper dampening
of the plate, the character of the material
embossed, and the formation of the mouth
piece. The result attained has been the exact
reproduction of the sounds communicated to
the instrument with the exception of loss OF
quality, which is a non- n-essential in the prac-
tical application of the instrument. a curl
GUS fact is recorded that the articulation OF
some individuals has been very perceptibly
improved by passage through the phonograph,
the original utterance being mutilated by i'm
perfection of lip and mouth formation, and
these mutilations eliminated or corrected by
the mechanism of the monograph.
So far the perpetuation OF the indented
record by electrotyping is more a possibility
than an accomplished fact, the experiments
not having been wholly successful. This,
however, is a matter of time. The indenta-
tions on tin-foil have been found to possess
wonderful power Of endurance even when
the reproduction has been effected by the
comparatively rigid plate used for their pro
duction. 1t is proposed to use more flexible
plate, with perfectly smooth embossing
point of diamond or sapphire, which win rem
der the record capable of from fifty 10 one.
hundred repetitions, which Mr.. Edison thinks
enough for all practical purposes. What the
inventor is now aiming at is the perfection OF
his carbon telephone and speaking phono-
graph, and the combination of the, two, SO
that business man at one end of the tele
phone line can talk to his correspondent at
the other, and the phonograph at either end,
revolving automatically, win preserve for the
talker a record of the message sent, and for
the listener copy of the, message received.
Mr.. Edison says: '1he minor and totally in
consequent details which seem to arise as OBJ
stacles in the eyes of the groove travelling tel
egraph man, welded to existing methods,
will wholly disappear before that remorseless
Juggernaut--'the needs of man," for, wilfnot
the necessities of man surmeunt strifes in or
der to reap the full benefit of an invention
which practically brings him face to- face
with whom he will; and, better still, doing
the work of conscientious and infallible
scribeS" r.-. f-,.sl .l - IL