Omaha daily bee., 1883-10-24
TELEPHONES AT VIENNA.
The Microphonic TRANSMITTED Super.
seding the Magnetic telephone
Novel Instruments.

Novel Instruments.
And now, on coming to the telephone,
| have at once to remark that | have seen
very little new or even particularly inter
esting, writes a Vienna correspondent of
The London Times. There are three
telephone rooms for musical reprtitions.
In one of them the Berllner telephone,
exhibited by Mr.. j. Berliner, of Han
over, reproduces the concert of a military
band performing at Ronacher's restau-
rant in the Prater. The receiver is an
ordinary Bell; the transmitter is the ex-
hibitor's invention, is of very simple con-
struction, and admirably adapted for or
binary transmission of speech. The con.
versation can be carried on in the lowest
tone of voice, and every word is repeated
with great clearness. And here ! may
say at once that the microphonic trans
mitter has ousted the magnetic telephone.
With the exception of Siemens' electro.
dynamic telephone all the other systems
shown at the Rotunda use ~microphenic
transmitters; and there can be no
doubt that this use is justified
by the fact that with microphonic trans
mitter no shouting on the part of the
subscriber is necessary, while with the
magnetic telephone the subscriber has
always considerably to raise his voice ia
order to be heard. Berliner's transmitter
consists of a small hard carbon point sus-
pended between two conical screws; the
carbon point touches a small equally
hard carbon disc which is fastened to a
metallic membrane, and thus the micro
phonic contact is made without friction.
The circular membrane is only fixed at
one point to the cover of the microphone
case, and on closing the case is pressed
against the cover by a spring which is,
together with a carbon disc, fastened to
the membrane. This spring serves not
only as conductor between the carbon
disc and the induction coil, but also as
n regulator in case of the vibrations of
the membrane being too strong or not
strong enough. The transmitter battery
consists, as u rule, of one Lechauche ele-
ment.
The repetition of the different pieces
played at the restaurant was clear and
distinct whenever a soft tune was played;
as soon as a noisy piece was performed
the sounds became confused n indis-
tinct. The fault lay, as | convinced my
self, in the arrangement of the trans
mitters at Ronacher's; they were fastened
to the entrance of the pavilion under
which the baud was playing. If they had
been suspended to the trees at some dis.
lance from the pavilion, the effect would
doubtless have been better. The two
other telephone rooms are tenanted by
the Vienna Private Telegraph company.
T., ,,,, & tl,,, 7 l.o,l 4, ,tln, ,.tn,o,&
ing performance. A lady singing at
Baden (about twelve miles from Vienna)
was accompanied by a man playing the
either at Kornenburg, the same distance
from Vienna, but IN the opposite side of
the Danube. The repetition itself was
very successful, but the peculiar cracking
noise of the induction was only too
audible, and greatly interfered with the
performance. In the third room | heard
the finale of the first act of Verdi's
"Aida," which was being performed Mt
the Imperial opera. The repetition was
a perfect success, and the solos, choruses,
the instrumental music, and also the
, applause of the audience were reproduced
with the greatest clearness. The Vienna
Private Telegraph company use a trans.
mitter almost identical with Berliner's.
/, The only difference seemed to me that ii
, has three parallel carbon contacts instead
, of one.
. A very interesting instrument is exhib
tied by Mr.. Ericsson, of Stockholm. IL
: is intended for q limited number of sub
scribers (not more than ive) living a
some distance from IA central station, anG
replaces a second station which woulc
o necessitate the employment of at leas
one clerk. BY means of this apparatus
{ the correspondence between two If tn,
t five subscribers, or between one subscri
r Der and the central office, is effected b,
the latter. There is one main line be
o tween the main station II the, as W,
may call it, second automatic switchboard
which is put up at any place at or nea
8 the residence Of tho five subscribers, aut
t from it a separate short line connect
each of the five subscribers with tn,
automatic switch board. If one of tn,
|, five subscribers calls, the call is hear,
only at the central office, where a bel
10 rings and an a|nnunciator falls, exhibitin,
.s the number of the calling line. Afte
h this the clerk at the central Office has t.
ascertain which of the five subscriber
has called, and this being done communi
cation may be established between tn
&c caller and any other subscriber of tn
# central station. AS long as connection
is made neither of the other four bell
can ring because the connection is inter
As rupted ut the automatic switch-boar
As soon as the conversation is finished
it the clerk at the central Office re.estab
fishes the original connections, and tn
station is ready for a fresh call. A mum
d her of these secondary automatic sta
h tions can be controlled from one centra
if office, and the saving of conductin
IS wire, and also of carbons, is consider
able.
OF the many remedies before the public f.
Nervous Debility aud weakness of NerN
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