National Republican., 1880-02-27
THE LATEST FOND Err.
Light Reproduced by Means of Electricity
The Telephone Outdone,

The TelepnOne OutuOnes
In this age one wonder succeeds another 70
rapidly that people are beginning to think that
nothing Is impossible. The telephone, which
would have been considered an impossibility
a few years ago, has ceased to be a wonder.
Even now, however, If any daring genius
should announce that he had made an apparatus
by which he could reproduce instantly in Now
York scenes occurring in Washington or let
the people IN Washington view an animated
picture Of events occurring on the streets OF
San Francisco, he would be laughed at. Such
an announcement, however, has been made.
Mr.. T. A. Connolly, of this city, and Mr.
Thomas J. McTighe, of Pittsburg, have APP
piled for u patent for an apparatus, which has
not yet been named, though telcphoto, teloi'
can and elopticon have been suggested.
The claim made is the ability to transmit
the physical wave force of light electrically,
similar to the Transmission of sound by the
telephone 1t having been demonstrated that
electricity is q creation of solar light, the
principle basinR this invention is that OF the
convertihiity of electricity back again into
light, and in the process undergone the re-
production at the point OF reception OF the
Object submitted TO the action Of the solar or
powerful electric rays at the point Of trans
mission. 1t is claimed by the inventors that
when the apparatus is sufficiently perfected
for practical use u will be possible for one
of two persous couversing by telephone TO
perceive distinctly ut the same time the imugo
of tho person with whom he IL engaged. The
practical utility of the invention will, how.
ever, he mere thoroughly apparent when II is
tated that the inventors believe they Will be
able to transmit instantnncously from point
to noint any written or printed dooumcnt-as,
COr instance, one entire side Of newspaper.
The reproduction of the iulage Is the result
of chemical changes which are now utilized
in tho science of photography and are per-
fectly familiar to all operators in that branch
of science and art The inventors began their
investigation of the subject several years ago,
the idea being obtained from the first attempts
made at the development of the telephone. In
order to be able to work understandingly
Messrs. Connolly and Mcrigho took up the
subject of photography and mastered IL com
pletely. In order to establish the priority
of their claim, papers relating thereto,
with proof of the same, have been
filed in this city from time to time rs the in-
ventOrs made new plans and discoveries Dir.
Licks, of South Bethlehem, Pa, has recently
put in claim for au invention called the
diaphote According to the printed state
ments. the results of this instrument are upon
small scale what It is proposed by the Con-
nolly-Mcrigho invention to do upon large
! scale. The comparative uupraCticability OF
| the diaphOte is made apparent from the fact
that it requires seveuty.two wires to transmit
the image. The tclephote, like the telephone
requires but single wire. 1t will transmit
the image of any object, however large, which
while sent in diminished size, is magnified at
the receiving point before its reproduction, tc
to the required size. Mr.. T. A. Connolly, tho
Washington member of the firm of Connolly s
McTighe, while very sangunc of success, is
modest in his statements regarding their in
| vention. He says that the results of their cx
perimcnts convince them that II is possible tC
transmit light by electricity. and reproduce
images and scenes. The Inventors have been
able to reproduce images from the other ent
of the line" aud while stating that the tole
photo, or "What-is-itp" ?" is still in its infancy
have no doubt of its ultimate perfection ant
utility.