Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-08
EDISON'S NEWTELEPHONE.
The Inventors Latest Machine
Exhibited at MenlO Park.

EDISON'S NEWTELEPHONE.
The Inventors Latest Machine
Exhibited at MenlO Park.
From the New York Tribune.
In response to an invitation from Mr..
Edison, a Tribune reporter went to
Menlo Park, n. j., yesterday afternoon,
to see the new electro-chemical tele-
phone. At the laboratory Mr.. Edison's
chief assistant, Edward II. Johnson,
was found, surrounded by large num-
Der OF lately finished telephones OF an
unusual form, evidently preparing them
for journey. "These are the first We
have finished" he explained, "and |
start with these fifty for London to-mor
row, where | shall establish .Tele-
phOnic Exchange similar to that now
making such progress in New York.
The fact is" he continued, "the tele-
phones at present in Use are too feeble
for the peculiar electrical conditions OF
Europe, so that they are used very little
across the ocean except as toys. | eX-
dect to put this mouthpiece at work, y
he concluded, picking up one OF the
queer iron boxes and exhibiting it.
Before showing what it would do he
proc eeded to explain how it came TO be.
The Bell patent preceded Edison 5,
and soon after Edison improved the tel
ephones by substituting the carbon but
ton transmitter. The machine, how
ever, was still far from what was re-
quired. 1t could not be used advan-
tageously in Europe. And it involved
lawsuits brought by the Bell Telephone
Company, which had bought Edison's
patents. In this strait, the English
agent telegraphed to Edison: "Gou
must make new receiver and dispense
with the magnet" This was difficult
undertaking, for the magnet was con-
sidered indispensable in every telephone
to convert sound waves into electrical
waves, and vice versa. But the inven-
tor began experimenting. He tried
wood. lie tried various metals. At
last it occurred to him that he might
chalk, mOistened with GER
tain chemicals. He tried it, and 1t
produced results which delighted him.
After this explanation, Mr.. johnson
exhibited the cXectrO-Chemlcal tele-
phone as now finished. The machine
is about six inches square, and consists
of spool OF chalk mounted on a small
shaft turned by a crank. There is no
magnet, and the current passes directly
through this spool OF chalk to thick
tongue of steel that rests on it, and
thence TO thin metallic diaphragm,
which reproduces the voice. When the
spool is turned the voice is heard, but
when the friction stops II is silent.
The peculiarly of this telephone, as
with any other, is that it is
not necessary put the receiver to the
ear in order to hear its message; indeed,
it is fastened immOvably to the wall.
When the little crank is turned the
voice of the distant speaker is distinctly
heard all over large room or hall.
Tha room used for the purpose at Menlo
Park was small, but the voice was
strong and loud, and the words OF the
speaker who was stationed at the other
end of the grOunds) were distinctly
heard, even when the listener walked
thirty or forty feet away from the re-
ceivcr. The articulation was equally
clear when the speaker was reciting
some familiar trihe like "Mary had
little lamb" which seems to be favorite
at Menlo, and when he read from some
unknown book an English criticism on
America and Americans. Indeed, the
experiments at Menlo yesterday demon
strated that this telephone will deliver
messages in loud and distinct voice, so
that they can be heard by everybody
over large room. 1t is said to operate
perfectly, at least for fifty miles. More
over, the peculiarities of the voice are
so that friends readily rec
ognize each others voices.
I'm reply TO a question as to the special
used as a mOiStenGr, Mr. John
son said it was caustic soda, and that 1t
rO-operated with the electric current only
after being Crystalized and polarized
within the spool of chalk. 1t is intended
to simplify this receiver by furnishing
il with clOckwork TO turn the spool. this
to he stopped and started by electricity
nj the will of the speaker The Western
Union Telegraph Company has otaincd
the right to this telephone, and it
will doubtless substitute it for that at
present i'm use.
After experimenting at some length
with the telephone, and getting consid-
cradle fun out OF it, the visitors, OF
whom there were twenty or thirty
ladies' and gentlemen, went to the brick
back OF the laboratory,
and were there received by Mr.. Edison
himself. He stood by the side OF his
new electric generator, with his coat oil,
weighing horse power on a pair OF plat
'orm scales 10y an ingenious gearing OF
The belt that ran from the adjacent
steam engine. Thin copper wires cX
tended from the foot Of the generator To
half a dozen standards or platinum
lamps" for the electric light, ranged on
I shelf.
GLOW does it come on?' inquired one
If the party.
at Keeps coming" said Edison. 'In
act. il has come. have demonstrated,
10 myself and to my friends, that | have
all | ever expected to in
his matter. have supplied six electric
lights from one horsepower. These
,ost me just about one-third as much as
hree similar gas-burners will cost ga
| claim that this solves
he question"
Mr.. Edison then explained the gen
,rator to the company, and said he had
got it pretty near right but there
vas a good Zeal to be done yet in COM
putting and establishing proportions so
Is to construct all parts of the complied
ed machinery so correctly that the
work need not be done over again. In
he meantime Mr.. Johnson had been
sending off his telephones to the train,
md will start with them to-day upon
he Wisconsin.
To Consumptives.
The advertiser, a retired physician,
having providentially discovered while