The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-28
LONG-DIsrANCE TELEPHONES.

New York Special.

Solved the Problem.
New York Special.
There is an inventor in the village of Flush
ing, l.. l., who believes he has an apparatus
that will revolutionize tine telephone bust
ness and materially increase the usefulness
OF the Atlantic cable. He has rooms in
large boarding house about block from the
railroad station. Here be 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
a little room in which were three tables
loaded with electrical apparatus, and net
work OF wire stretched between the walls.
The inventor appeared to be about forty
years old. He has dark blue eyes, a high
forehead that bulges in the region of CON
structiveResS, a brown mustache and side
whiskers and ruddy and healthful coun-
tenance.
On the largest table in the room stood a
disk about thirteen inches in diameter. Pro-
jecting from the center of one face of the
disk was a funnel-shaped object. Running
into the table from the lower edge of the disk
were number OF wires. On the table, ar
ranged in a row a short distance from the
wires were ten black cylindrical induction
coils. That is what the reporter noticed. This
is what the inventor said
''The funnel-shaped object in the center of
the disk is the resonator. You see that it is
not like the speaking 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 a small
space, as in other telepopnes, is spread over,
and causes the whole metallic diaphragm to
yibrate You will notice on the opposite side
of the disk ten deviating points, which are
held in position by ten rubber arms, that
may remind you Of cuttle-fish. When you
talk through the speaking-tube or resonator
the metallic diaphragm, or, popularity speak
ing, the tin plate, vibrates. The vibrations are
communicated 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
attached 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 induction
coils are carried to a plug switch, so ar
ranged as to place one or as many wires as
may be desired in circuit, The power of ten
batteries, ten induction coils. and CORE
spending number of deviating points, acted
upon simultaneously by single
vibrating tin plate, may thus be con-
centrated upon single wire. This is some
thing that has never been done before. l
claim that conversation may be carried on
over an ordinary telegraph wire with my
telephone between points $500 miles apart
Twelve words minute is considered fair
rate OF transmission over the Atlantic cable,
By using this telephone 100 words a minlte
may be transmitted, if shorthand writer is
employed as a receiver All the important
features of my invention are new. BY the
use Of the grarulated carbon and the rubber
cushions, into which the needles penetrate,
l secure a steady, uninterrupted sound"
Mr.. Gillette went into an adjoining room,
where he had another telephone connecting
with the one on the table. The receiving
tube of the new apparatus was put in posi-
ton. After few minutes it began to emit
series of distinct "hallos" ins 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 oil one battery, and a corresponding
number of the other necessary electrical
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 ex-
pertinent with the new telephone woula be
made in ten days between places in Maine
and Massachusetts, 500 miles apart.