Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-14
Price Four Cents.
A wonderful Discovery. CD
From the Bethlehem {Pa.) Times.1

special meeting of the Monocacy Scien- tifc Club was held on Saturday evening to listen to paper by Dr. H. E. Licks of Old South Bethlehem on the diaphote. an instru- ment invented by him after nearly three years of study, and now so nearly perfected that he feels warranted in bringing some few Of the results thus far attained to the notice of the public. There were present, besides many scientists of Eastern Pennsylvania Prof. M. E. Ksnnich of the Polytechnic school at Pittsburg, and Col. A. D. A. Blatic of the Brazilian corps of engineers, who is now in this country making extensive pur- chases of iron and steel The meeting was called to order by the president, Prof. L. M NIscate, who in introducing Dr. Licks made few remarks, saying that he had an opportu- nifty to witness few experiments with the diaphote, and he felt convinced that the fun damental principle therein involved was one that would ultimately cause it to rank with the teephone. the photograph and the sub- divided electric light, as one of the remarkable triumphs of science in the nineteenth centu- ".
 Dr. Licks prefaced his paper by saying that the idea of the invention was first suggested to his mind about three years ago by reading accounts of some of the early experiments with Bells telephone, and that little later, when Edison brought out the carbon instru- ment, his studies had become so far advanced as to assure him of it's theoretical practicabil- lty. By the telephone the sound of the~hu- man voice may be transmitted hundreds or thousands of miles away, and, with the micro. phone attachment, even the faintest whispers distinctly heard. Why then cannot light he transmitted in some similar way, so that by the use of connecting wire one may dis tinctly see the image of an object far remoy- ed? This said Dr. Lcks, is the form in which the inquiry first suggested itself three years ago, and he felt gratified to be able to exhibit to the club this evening an instrument called the diaphote, in which the practical realization of the idea had been in a great measure satisfactorily attained. The word diaphote, from the Greek, dia signifyipg through, and photos, signifying light, had been selected as its name implying that the light travelled through or along wire. Although popularly this might be imagined to be the case, it was really no more so than with sound in the telephone. There the sound waves strike diaphragm that is set into vi- brations, which generate induced electricity along the wire, and cause corresponding vii brations in another distant diaphragm and the latter hence reproduces similar sounds. In the diaphote, likewise, the waves of light from an object strike peculiarly constructed mirror joined by several wires with another mirror or speculum the image of an object in the first mortifes electric currentsin in the wires. and these currents passing quietly onward to the receiving instruments produce there sec ondary image. The intermediate wire as in the telephone, may be hundreds of miles long, yet such is the delicacy and power of the dia- photic plates that the transmitted image of a single object is almost as distinct as the orig inal, and Dr. Licks feels confident that after the removal of few obstacles, of mechani- cal nature merely, the most complex forms will be reproduced with the strictest fidelity in shade and color.
 The diaphote consists of four essential parts, the receiving mirror, the transmitting wires 8 common galvanic battery, and the repro- ducing speculum. Dr. Licks gave detailed account of the many experiments undertaken to determine the proper composition and ar- engagement of the mirror and speculum. For the former he had finally selected an anal gam of selenium and chromium. The pecuI- jar sensitiveness of iodide of silver and chro- mium to light has long been known, and their practical use in photography suggested their application in the diaphote. It was found, however, after many experiments, that their action must be so modified that each ray of light should influence the electric current pro- portonally to it's position in the solar spect- rum, and selenium was ascertained to be best adapted to this purpose At first small mir TOT was employed with only a single wire, but the images reproduced in the speculum were indistinct and confused, so that it became necessary to make the mirror of number of small pieces each about one-third of a square inch in area, and having small wire attached In the c!laphote e4hiDlt5d by Dr. Licks to the club the mirror was six inches by four, and
 
 CT into one about foot back of the frame the whole then being finely wrapped with an insulating covering, and on reaching the ceiving speculum each little wire was con- nected to division similarly placed as in the mirror. From common galvanic battery wires also ran to each diaphotic plate, and thus circuit formed which could be closed or not at pleasure. The theoretical action of the in strumept appears now to be the following: The waves of light from an object are conducted through an ordinary camera, so that they fall on certain of the divisions of the mirror when the electric circuit is closed. The light and accompanying heat produce momentary chemical changes in the amalgam of the mir TOT, which modify the electric current and cause similar changes in the corresponding partitions of the remote speculum, thus re- producing similar image, which by second camera may be readily seen by the eye or thrown upon screen. Dr. Licks explained how the proportions of selenium in the mir TOT and speculum should be scientifically ad-
 usted to the size of the divisions and the re- sistance of the electric circuit, so ss to avoid any blending of the reproduced image: This he said had been the problem which had caus- ed him the most difficulty, aud which at one time had seemed almost insurmountable.
 At the close of the paper an illustration was given of the powers of the instrument The mirror of the diaphote, in charge of committee of three, was taken to room in the lower part of the building, and the con meeting wires laid through the halls and stair ways to the speculum on the lecturers plat form Before the mirror the committee held in succession various objects Illuminating each by the light of burning magnesium wire since the rays from gas are deficient in actinic power, and simultaneously the speeulum appeared the secondary images, which for exhibition to the audience were thrown on a screen considerably magnified. An apple, penknife and trade dollar were l n AI,aI InNA.. AIa@ lines of the goddess of liberty were recogniz- l ed, and the date 1878 was plainly legible. A watch was held five minutes before the mirror and the audience could plainly per | ceiye the motion of the minute hand on the screen, but the movement of the second hand was not satisfactorily seen. although Prof. Kannich by looking into the camera thought that it was there quite perceptible. An ink bottle, flower, and a part of theatre hand bill were also shown and when the head of a little kitten appeared on the screen the club testified it's satisfaction by the most hearty applause. After the close of the experiments the scientists extended their congratulations | to Dr. Licks, and the president made flew re- l marks on the probable scientific and industrial applications of the diaphote in the future. | With the telephone and the diRphote it might vet be possible for friends, separated by the
 wide Atlantic, to hear and see each other at the same time, to talk, as it were, face to | face In connection with the interlocking switch system it might be used to enable sig
 nal men or the central office to see hundreds
 of miles of railroad track at once, thus lessen ing the liability to accident. In connection
 with photolithography it might be so em-
 ployed that the great English dailies could be l printed in New York few hours after their
 appearance in London.
 We learn that Dr. Licks will lecture next | week on the diaphote before the American
 Society of Arts, and that he will make defi-
 mite arrangements for the manufacture for
 the instrument as soon as the seven patents
 for which he has applied are formally is
 sued.
 The Celtic's White Owl.