The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-07-15
A RIVAL OF THE TELEPHONE,


Professor Alexander Graham Bell
and. his cousin, DIR; Chichester Bell,
have recently made very remark
able discovery, which they think is
quite as important as the transmits
sion of the tones of the voice through
the telephone. They have discover
ed that falling jet of water or
flame of gas burning in room re-
produces every word spoken and
every sound uttered within a given
distance. When two people join
in conversation i'll room in the
evening, the gas which burns above
their heads repeats every word they
say, and sounds uttered in the vicin-
ity of flowing water produce vibra-
tons.
To reporter of local paper
Prof. Bell showed large disk, upon
which appeared a spiral streak com
posed of tiny little shade lines,
placed together or farther apart to
make up the variation of intensity.
The surface was one of depression
and elevation. This, Prof. Bell,
said, represented sound waves.
When the plate was revolved upon
pivot and the depressions and eleva-
tions conveyed to the ear by mi
crophone, there was repetition of
the conversation there recorded rs
distinct as when il was delivered.
The undulating surface representing
sound waves was produced by pho
Biography. Professor Bell says that
if any one will go to a water-pipe
and turn ON the faucet, so that the
water will fall in stream to the
ground, that water can be made to
report the conversation taking place
in its presence, and a stream regis
ter every sound within hearing
of it.
Professor Bell considers this dis
covery quite as important as that of
the telephone, and his cousin, Chi
chester Bell, has gone to Europe for
the purpose of bringing it before
scientific men in England and on
the Continent. Patents have already
been obtained in all the principal
countries of both continents. The
great object of the inventors was to
record by photography or otherwise
the vibrations in the jet of water
which correspond to sound waves;
the result of words spoken in the
vicinity: to keep the voice on re-
cord bottled up as it were, for any
length of time, and then, when call
ed upon, to let the record speak.
This, Mr.. Bell says, has been accom-
plished. The water or liquid OF
whatever kind it may be, is colored
with bichromate of potash. If it
were perfectly clear it would not
answer, because the light used in
photographing would pass through
without resistance and no record
would be made on the tablet. The
water is colored for photographing.
and the jet is made to fall obliquely
on glass plate. The water spreads
itself out on the glass plate and
runs off. 1t is the water so spread
out that is TO be photographed as it
passes. Words spoken cause the
jet of water to vibrate, the vibra
tions in the jet cause corresponding
vibrations in the film of water as il
breaks and spreads on the glass
plate and runs off. A ray OF
light is passed through that film
and through the glass plate to a
sensitive tablet behind. The sensi-
tive tablet receives the impression
of every vibration while the speak
ing continues, the jet keeps burning,
the film passes over the plate, the
recording tablet keeps moving, and
the light passing through the film to
the tablet makes a record Of the
| speech far more accurate than any
verbatim report. These scientists
do not consider their invention per-
feet, but they are at work improving
it. Washington Cor. N. Y. Gra-
| phin