Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-10-27
"HALLOE." "
To Telephone Across the Ooean--Webstsr
Gillett's Apparatus to Increase Trans
mitted Sound.

| To Telepohne Across the Ooeanr-Webstsr
GiIlett's Apparatus to Increase Trans
! mitted Sound.
There is an inventor in the village
of Flushing, L. T., who believes he
has an apparatus that will revolu-
tionize the telephone business and
materially increase the usefulness of
the Atlantic cable. He has rooms
in large boarding house about a
block from the railroad station. Here
he has passed the last four months
at work upon his invention. His
name is Webster Gillette, and he is
from Michigan. A reporter found
him seated in little room in which
were three tables loaded with elec-
trical apparatus. and a network OF
wires stretched between the walls.
The inventor appeared to be about
40 years old. He has lively dark
blue eyes, high forhead that bulges
in the region of constructiveness,
brown mustache and side whiskers,
and ruddy and healthful counte-
nance.
On the largest table in the room
stood disk about thirteen inches in
diameter. Projecting from the CEN
ter of one face of the disk was fun
nel-shaped object. Running into
the table from the lower edge Of the
disk was number of wires. On the
table, arranged in a row a short dis
tance from the wires, were ten black
cylindrical induction coils. That is
what the reporter noticed. This the
inventor said:
"That funnel-shaped object in the
center OF the disk is the resonator.
You see that it is not like the speak
| ing tube of an ordinary telephone,
The larger part of the funnel is held
to the mouth. The volume OF the
voice, instead of being concentrated
in q small space as in other tele-
phones, is spread over and causes the
whole metallic diaphragm to vibrate.
You will notice on the opposite side
of the disk there are ten deviating
points, which are held in position by
Ssn rubber arms that may remind you
somewhat of q cutie fish. When
you talk through the speaking tube
or resonator, the metallic diaphragm,
or popularly speaking, the tin plate.
vibrates. The vibrations are COM
mupicated to the ten deviating points
or needles. The needles penetrate
through rubber cushions into small
brass cylinders containing granulated
carbon. The cylinders are secured
| in their places by ten brass arms at
| tached to the rim OF the disk that
holds the metallic plate. Ten wires
run through the arms, form the
primaries Of the induction coils, and
return to their respective poles, The
| ten secondary wires from the induc-
ton coils are carried to plug switch
SO arranged as to place one or as
many wires as may be desired in cir
cult. The power of ten batteries,
| ten induction coils. and q correspond
| ing number of deviating points,
acted upon simultaneously by
single vibrating tin plate, may thus
be concentrated upon a single wire.
This is something that has never
been done before.
Il claim that conversation may be
carried on over an ordinary telegraph
wire with my telephone between
points 1000 miles apart. Twelve
words q minute is considered q fair
| rate of transmission over the Atlantic
cable. By using this telephone 120
words a minute may be transmitted
| il q shorthand writer is employed as
a receiver. All the important fea-
lures of my invention are new. By
the use of the granulated carbon and
the rubber cushions into which the
needles penetrate I secure q steady,
uninterruptable sound"
Mr.. Gillette went into an adioin-
| ing room, where he had another tele-
phone connecting with the one on
the table. The receiving tube OF the
new apparatus was put in position.
After few minutes It began to emit
q series Of distinct "Halloes" in q
bass voice.
After returning to the room Mr..
Gillette said that ten batteries, ten
deviating points, and ten induction
coils have about six times the power
OF one battery and corresponding
number of the other necessary cleo.
trical agencies. He thought that the
time was not remote when we could
not only speak across the ocean, but
also see those to whom We might be
speaking. He said that an expert
meut with the new telephone proba-
bly, would be made in ten days be-
tween places in Maine and Msssa-
chusetts. 500 miles apart.
RAu.ROAD RAcKET.-A brakeman