National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-04-17

Paper No. IL of q Series of Articles by
G. j.. Kintner, United States Patent
,Ohice-The Telephone, Continued.

Paper No. IL of Series of Articles by
c. j.. Kintner, United States Patent
,Ohice-The Telephone, Continued.
Early in the present century 1t was known
that articulate speech, and other sounds,
could be transmitted to limited distances by
what is now familarly called the tlover's
telephone" consisting, In Its simplest form,
oftwo common tin cups, having the other
surfaces Of their bottoms connected by o
cord or wire tightly stretched. Upon speak
ing into one OF the cups its bottom vibrated
in harmony with the sound waves and trans
mitted them through the connecting wire
to the bottom Of the distant cup, which
copied them in a very diminutive manner,
and In turn they were given of as sound
waves which reached the car Of the listener,
as the exact counterpart of the speech ut
tered at the transmltter. Such telephone
acts by molecular vibrations through
the connecting wire, or cord, and is purely
mechanical In its nature. The distance to
which sound can thus be transmitted is not
great, being at best, only q few hundred
yards. 1t was soon after Prof, Morse's
great invention of the electric telegraph
that scientists first put themselves about
solving the great problem of transmitting
| speech by electricity, and for quarter of q
| century they had been, In the language OF
an eminent jurist, fumbling at the lock OF
the door, which should open into this great
storehouse of research, only to find their
| efforts futile. 1t was not, as is pretty gen.
orally conceded, until Prof. Bell threw
| wide open the door, by the aid of the mag
neto telephone, that the speaking telephone
came into existence, and that the world was
astonished with the most marvellous inven-
ton Of the age. In 1876, at the Centennial
i To fire ayhihf.
ten before such scientists as Prof. Thomp-
son, of England; Prof Watson, Prof. Bar
ker,and others OF this country, who declared
II marvel of wonders.
| We venture to say that no invention has
gone into more general use, and yet is less
| perfectly understood by Its users, than the
telephone. The ordinary Bell telephone,
such as is used as receiver In nearly all
telephone boxes, is, at the same time, the
i simplest and the most wonderful OF mech
anisms. BY reason Of It's simplicity, We are
forced TO wonder at its marvellous exhibit
tions and almost human action, In repeat
ing that which is So to 1t. 1t consists OF
simple bar magnet, about six inches In length
and three-eighths Of an inch In diameter, on
one end OF which is wound n bobbln of fine
insulated wire, the ends thereof being con-
nected electrically to binding posts outside
the gutta percha case, which contains the
operative parts. Opposite that pole or end
OF a magnet, upon which the coil Is wound,
is located in very close proximity thereto the
diaphragm, thin circular sheet of iron,
usually photographers tin type. This
| diaphragm is held in place by screw
threaded gutta p0fcha cap, screwed into
the case, and in such proximity to the end
OF the magnet as to be attracted by 1t.
This constitutes the transmitter. The re-
ceiver is the exact counterpart Now, both
OF these instruments are connected by two
wires attached to their binding posts, so as
to make complete metallic circuit, or. II
desired, one binding post Of each instrument
may be connected TO the gas-pipe at Its sta
tion, and others by a single conductor,
thus Joining the two instruments through
the wires and back by an earth circuit
These two instruments thus connected up
constitute the simplest form OF electric
telephone, and with them speech has been
transmitted over a low resistance postal
telegraph wire from New York to Chicago.
We will now describe their operation.
1t will be remembered that In our article
upon dynamo and magnetic machines, we
said that electricity could always be gener-
ing power In one OF two ways viz; First,
by causing power 10 carry o conductor
through a magnetic field and across Its
lines of magnetic force, and second, by
carrying said magnetic field, and hence It's
lines OF magnetic force across orpast con-
ductor.
These two magnetic telephones stand &c
each other in the relation OF magnetic gen
orator ON the part Of the transmitter and {
magnetic motor on the part of the receiver
the diaphragm OF which latter shall mag
netically copy the motions mechanically
given the diaphragm OF the transmitter BY
the power OF the voice, In both Of the in
struments there exist imaginary lines o
magnetic force extending from their per
manent magnetic cores out radially through