The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-03-04
LETTER FROM NEW YORK
[FROM OUR REGULAR cORREspoNpEN-
New YORK, February Il. 1890

New YORK, February Il, 1880.
70 THE EDITOR or THE NEW NORTHWEST:
Have all deaf people heard Of the
audiphone, the latest invention for
making the deaf hear through the me-
dium of the teeth? Mr.. Richard r.
Rhodes, the inventor of it, and himself
partially deaf, gave an exhibition
of the instrument the other day at
the asylum of the deaf and dumb,
where the results were the same as in
other similar asylums-deaf mutes with
good teeth, good brains, and good audi
tory nerves could hear well. OF course,
when these media are defective, the
hearing is modified, as is also the case
when one uses badly-fitting false teeth.
Mr.. Rhodes makes use Of two audi
phones, one for conversation and the
Other-called the 'opera audiphone"-
for use at concerts, lectures, churches,
etc. The conversational audiphone is
made Of hard rubber, and fan-like in
shape, being thin enough to be readily
bent. An attachment OF silk cord and a
"clutch" are used to bend aud hold the
rubber plate in a convex shape, the hol-
low side being held toward the source Of
sound, while the upper end is pressed
against one or more Of the teeth, the
eye-tooth being generally the best con-
duetOr. The opera audiphone is similar,
but two plates or discs are used, and
with this deaf person can hear his own
voice. The idea that the teeth convey
sound is not new, as many persons with
impaired hearing have observed that
they could hear better by holding some
thing between the teeth-even a lead
pencil. But Mr.. Rhodes's inven tion is
practical application of the fact, aud
and will no doubt become generally
used until something still better is dis
covered, which will in course of time
surely follow. Naturally, the audiphone
improves the health of the person using
/ it, as it relieves the nervous strains all
/ partially deaf persons suffer in their eff
/ forts to hear. The audiphone, when not
In use, may be used as q fan, and one
can readily imagine how attractively a
eoquettish woman with fine teeth could
make use of one. and perhaps after all
bless her stars for her deafness.
Tt is said, and doubtless truly, that in
1880, little less than fifty years ago,
only one citizen of New York, John
Jacob Astor, was worth more than
1000. 600. Nothing can better illustrate
the growth Of wealth in New York than
this fact, which now seems surprising
enough. Millionaires are very plenty
in these days, so very plenty that they
are hardly taken into account. Every
few days somebody dies, leaving an es-
tate valued at over 100000; and yet
the mass Of our old inhabitants may not
even have heard Of his name. II has
been asserted that there are at present
in the metropolis fully 500 men whose
property is estimated at 81, 600, 600 and
upward. Half a century has made
wondrous changes in New York In
other things than private fortunes.
Then the city had little more than 2OO,-
600 people; now, including adjacent
towns and the population properly ours,
within a radius Of five miles Of Union
square, it includes not far from 9. 900. 600.
Then Chambers street was far I'D town.
the City Hall Park was the principal
park we bad no hotels, newspapers,
libraries, theaters, worthy Of the name;
We had no ocean crossing steamers, no
modern Improvements, few foreign
fashions, no regularly recurring defalea-
tions, little official or legislative corrup-
ton, no stupendOus municipal debt, no
reckless ambitions, no "bOOming' Wall
street, not many luxuries, but an amaz-
ing amount Of public and private hon.
esty. What revolutions fifty years have
| producedl When we look back through
the light of history, IL seems as if 1880
must have been all Of five centuries ago.
The details Of domestic exports from
the port Of New York for the year 1879
are in many respects Of high interest. 1
give below some Of the more noticeable
items. The exports Of agricultural i'm
plements from this country show to
what an extent our inventors and man.
ufacturers are competing with those of
Europe. In 1879, there were exported
from New York mowers aud reapers,
plows, and other machines and impIe-
ments used in tilling the ground, to the
value of s.. 227, ,149 OF food materials
the exhibit is equally gratifying. In
1879, there were exported from New
York hogs, horned cattle, sheep, and
other edible animals to the value of
SS,S44.OOO. OF the flesh Of animals pre-
served in various ways, there was ex-
ported the value of So, ,6O7, sos. The
amount of grain, ground and unground,
sent from other countries to New York
is enormous, amounting in 1879 to the
value Of SIG. 1851 sos. Of draft animals
we exported from New York, in 1879,
1925, l66 worth. AUGUST