Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-06-05

LISTENING TO A PREACHER AT A DIS

LISTENING TO A PREACHER AT A Dis
TANCE OF THIRTY-sIX MILES.
From Manchester (Eng Guardian, April 10.
A number of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and others-met on Sunday morning
ut the Office of Mr. T.. c. Warburton,
Superintendent Engineer lancaster
aud Yorkshire Railway Company's
Telegraph Department, Manchester,
for the purpose of witnessing an inter
esting experiment with the telephone.
Their object was, in fact, by means of
this instrument to form part of the
auditory of the Rev. DIR. Mellor, who
was conducting his usual service at the
Square Congregational Church, Hall
fax. One of the ordinary conducting
wires of the railway telegraph was
used. II was fitted Mt the Manchester
end with four of Bellstclcphoncs, while
Mt Halifax the wire was extended to
DR.. Mellor's chapel, and connected with
one of Mr.. Louis John Crosslcy's pat
ent telephone transmitters, which is Il
modification of the microphonc of Prof
Hughes. The arrangements at Hall
fax had been carried out by Mr.. En-
not lMcssrs. Blakey Brothers d En-
not). The distance between Man
chester and Halifax as the wire goes
is about SO miles. Precisely nj 1870
o'clock the service commenced with
the singing of n hymn, which was re-
produced through the telephone almost
perfectly, the sonorous voice of DIR.
Mellor being heard above that of the
congregation. Aftorward there was
prayer and the usual lessons but we
pass at once to the sermon, which was
regarded as the crucial tc.t of the in
strumcnt. The result was, on the
whole, very encouraging, though it
was made evident that much remains
to be- done before this mode Of com
munication is perfected. The chief
drawback to the success of the expert
mcnt was the induction caused by the
transmission of messages along the
telegraph wires, the wire in connection
with the telephone gathering in the
sound and drowning the voice of the
speaker. This difficulty, however, will
be overcome. When the wires were
at rest DIR. Mellor's powerful tones
were heard quite distinctly, but the
articulation was not go clear, and il
was rarely that whole sentences could
be heard. A dozen or twenty con.ccu-
tive words might he caught, and the
rest were lost. owing, doubtless, to n
way which the preacher seemed to
have Of lowering his voice at the end
of sentence. In order not to expose
it to the gaze of the congregation, the
transmtter or microphonc was placed
III the pulpit, almost at the reverend
gcntlemau's feet, 80 that when he lean
ed over the pulpit or turned his head
in a particular direction, hearing was
rendered difficult Had the instru-
ment been placed before him il is un-
questionable that but for the unhappy
trick which the conducting wire had
of gathering in sounds from the other
wires, every word would have been
distinctly heard. The experiments
will be prosecuted further, and it il
hoped, in course of time. to introduce
the telephone as a means of communi-
cation between the railway signal box
&. II is obvious that it will have for
that purpose many advantages over
the telegraph. After the service, con.
versation was carried on between par
ties Mt Halifax and Manchester, and
the hearing was perfect. We may
mention that the telephone is an insti.
tuition in DR. Mellor's chapel, it having
for some time been in successful opera
ton between that place of worship and
the residence of an invalid lady. about
three miles distant. The transmitter
used was the same one which the tele.
graph wire was connected on Sunday