The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-07-29
EDIS0N'S BRIGHT IDEA.
WHAT TIE PHONOGRAPH OF THE FU
TURE WILL BE LIi1E.
II VIII Talk with the Voice of n Fall Grown
Man-EIectric PrOpu,son
(From the New York Star. }

('rom the New \ ok Slar)
After an extended honeymoon III
Florida, Mr.. Edison has returned to the
scenes of his electrical laborS and TIL
umphs and now divides his time between
his laboratory on Seventeenth street nnd
his Dalatial residence mt Llcwclyn Park
on the Orange Mountain, paying on oc'
casional visit to his private Office IN Wall
street. He has not been spoiled by sue.
cess, being still the genial, approachablc,
common sense, hard-workin8 "Tom'
Edison he was when unknown to fame
and fortune. He has not startled the
world Of late by any new marvel, but his
brain is busy as ever, his laboratory has
not lost its fascination, and it is dull
day indeed when he has not half dozen
experiments in progress A few years
ago he said: ''Ihat which is known, to
that which is unknown, stands. we will
say, as one to 10,000,0O0," and he seems
to feel that his mission is to change that
proportion by q few figures.
An intimate friend and business asso-
ciate of NIr. Edison, in conversation
with Star reporter OF electrical tcndcn-
cies, said:
cit would be premature just at present
to make public mention Of what is now
being done by Mr.. Edison III the line of
original investigation. There is much
to be learned yet in the field Of clcctrici-
ty, both as to means Of production and
methods of utilization. SO far rs the
conversion Of steam power into electric
energy is concerned there is little left to
be desired, as our present dynamos give
an efficiency of % per cent. out Of pos
siblo l00-and when the real is within 5
per cent. of the ideal there is not much
to be gained in that direction. Could
makers Of steam generators and engines
approach anywhere near such perfection
Ill the construction OF apparatus for con-
vertlnS heat into power the mechanical
millennium would be ut hand.
"What Mr.. Edison is doing in this
direction" he added, 81 am not at libcr-
ty to say, though it is generally known
that he has given the subject much
thought. [ believe it would be no
breach of confluence, however, to mon
ton the fact that the long-distancc telc-
and some day, before long, he may be
SO far advanced with his Experiments as
to give something for publication that
will interest the readers of the Star"
"About the phomo9raph!"
"About the phonogrNph there is moth
lug to say, except that il is ut present
taking nap. When 1t awakes, as it
doubtless will some day, it will not be
10 nf infn
but with the voice Of full-grown man,
ready to take its place in the ranks OF
commercial necessities. Recording tcIc-
phones? Yes, [ have heard of them, but
L really know no more about them than
what has been printed in the technical
journals. 1t is an admitted fact that a
telepliopp which will preserve a lcgiblc
record Of every sound transmitted
through it is Il necessity, and that the
pcrfecting of such a telephone is only Il
question of time | have not the slightest
doubt. Several inventors are at work
upon tho problem, and two or three have
already produced results sufficient to
show that they are on TIC right track"
lis MI. Edison among Tie fortunate
few?'
"On that point, my friend, / fear your
very lnudablo thirst for information will
have to go unslaitcd. for the present ut
least But, to answer your question by
another, don't you think q perfect auto
patic ploDGgraph in combination with
q good receiver Or transmittcr would
make an instrument closely resembling
your conception of recording tele-
phone? Train tclcgraphy is rapidly ap-
proncililg perfection. lis feasibility has
been fully demonstrated by numerous
experiments, public aS well rs private.
A company has been forn}8d to develop
the system and put itupon commercial
basis, and as soon rs cXpcdicnt many of
ON leading railroads will be fully
equipped with train tclcgraphs, so that
passengers, while travelling at full speed,
may communicate with thoir friends ut
hono or receive messages from them
without lonying their seats in the car"
"Will it be possible to do 50 much for
steamship travGlers?'
"That question requires copSdcNtion.
Perhaps at some carly day may be able
to give you some information on that
that point. Mcpnwhilc you may depend
upon it that aspect 0f the subject has not
been overlooked"
At frequent intervals during the past
two or three years the public has been
rcgated by accounts Of marvellous pro-
gress made in tho application of cleo
tricity to railways Us a motive power.
Statements have been given Of wonder
full results achieved on two or three short
lines of electric road III Europe, and
predictions made that the steam luComo-
GVes yves would soon be dispensed with on
the elevated roads in this city. Edison
hornessed his electric stccd to q passcn-
ger caf ono exhibited it's PAGES OIL an OK
Perlme,nttl track at Menlo Pnrk, but
q soon tnrG'd his thoughts to liohtcr
down q '!alf-mile road at Greenu ito ',1, ON
Ncwn1k Bay. Others worke I owoy ,o' OF ot
the same problem, but still me % smol," ~
gas-geperating, numbering iocomntiT,SS l, >
continue 70 DO the hauling on the eel % .
The Field Edison company fitted m o
section OF the Second avenue rood dpr ro1 a
experimental purposes, and Daft did tTr fTr
same on Ninth aYeGHc. The latter gnn-
tlcman gave al exhibition of his motnr
several months ago, only to find ita
power deficient. Nothing has yet been
hea1 of experiments on the Second
oxyo,n5,o 1ino