Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-15
EvoLUr1oH OF THE xHoEsGRApH.

Edison's victory over TIE photograph is
of far greater importance than at first
glanceis apparent. Thirteen years ago he
entered upon its invention. One of the
earliest instruments of his manufacture
was exhibited in Masonic Hall in this city
some eight or nine years ago. 1t amounted
then to very little more than mechanical
toy. Words shouted into its receiver Vi
brated diaphragm carrying stylus point
that made indentations upon a tin foil
sheet carried upon e revolving cylinder.
When this was reversed and the cylinder
rapidly rotated the diaphraghm was vi
brated by the passage of the stylus point
ever the indentations, and resulted in a
muflled return Of the words. In this state
the phonograph remained for a number OF
years, during which Nj. Edison devoted
much attention to it with more or less
successful Improvement as a result. He
has now brought it to very near the goal
of his desire, and promises by the first of
July to give it to the public as a practical
and valuable aid in business. The main
improvements consist in greater delicacy
of vibration of the diaphragm; in the
use of wax sheets instead of tin foil; in
the application of a small electrical motor
to secure the even and exact rotation of
the cylinder, and in means of adjusting
the length of the tunnel-shaped receiver
that gathers the sound waves and concen-
trates them upon the diaphragm. He has
discovered that this receiver must be of a
given length for one character of sounds
and of different graduation for another,
and that the indentations must be sharper
and more distinct than tin foil is capable
Of receiving. Taking musical sounds as
combined and as related in song and in the
playing Of instruments, as the highest
standard, he has so constructed the ma
chinery and adjusted the speed of
the electrical motor and the length and
spread of the receiver funnel, that these
musical sounds can be received with great
nicely and reproduced with almost as
much exactitude as they were heard in
their original character. This attained,
all sounds Of less nicely and simpler COM
bination are easily made receivable by the
photograph and repeated back with great
distinctness. Recorded speech by mechan-
ical means thus becomes a possibility upon
plane of clearness, distinctness of enun-
citation and general faithfulness. The
practical usefulness of such machine is
readily understood. 1t will enable con
yersatlons, speeches, and even testimony to
be taken in manner giving a far lower
minimum of error than attaches to stenog-
raphy; it will make it possible, after the
lapse OF many years, to reproduce given
conversation or speech, and to transmit the
record of utterance long distances, to be
-'Hproduced in simulated speech very
ly resembling that originally spoken
will be possible with the phone.
'h, in its improved form, for the
siness man to dictate to it at will and
ave to clerical labor the transcription
while he goes about other business; in
short it will add in these and other ways
very largely to the convenience of the
business and literary world If its i'm
provement has been such as to preserve
with any considerable degree of accuracy
the tones and character of the voice, the
instrument will possess a good deal Of
sentimental interest, by preserving tones
the character of which can be easily rec
ognized, and it may enable vocal music to
be reproduced with sufficient preservation
of original character as to give its hearers
fair idea of the quality of the voices Of
great singers and of their method. Upon
these matters however, we are as yet I'M
informed, and Mr.. Edison has not ex-
pressed himself.