The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-05-24
THE PHONOGR.APTt \ SUCCESS.
Edison Completes his Wonderful Talking
Machine-Speech and Music En-
crared by Sound, Presery-
ed and .Articu!ated
Again.

Again.
New YORK, May l3.-Edison's
speaking phonograph is at last perfect
cd and ready for public use.
The Wizard Of Llewclyn Park said to
a Herald reporter yesterday that the
phonograph had given him more
trouble than any other of his numerous
inventions. Since it was first exhibited
in this country and in London, eleven
years ago, it has been revolutionized,
and tie machine of to-day is entirely
unlike the tin foil recording phonograph
OF 1877, except so far as theprinciple on
which it records sounds is concerned.
\ Herald reporter made 4 special
visit to Mr. Edison's laboratory at
Llewellyn Park yesterday afternoon.
On entering the experimental room he
heard cornet playing, without horns
or musicians in sight. 1t was .Idison's
wonderful phonograph throwing out
music like brass band. Half an hour
previously horns had been played near
the instrument. Not note was lost.
"The music would come out just as
good fifty years hence as now,' said the
Wizard to the astonished visitors who
were gathered around the strange
machine. The same musicians were
called in, and they played waitzes,
sonates and military marches. A big
funnel, six feet long, coaxed in the
music and focused it against the tiny
drum Of the phonograph. which, in
turn, vibrated under each sound wave
and punched little needle against a
wax cylinder revolving by electric bat
terry power at the rate of 100 revolutions
minute.
EVERY SOUND FAITHFULLY RECORDED.
All the music was faithfully recorded,
and in few minutes the phonograph
was repeating those wild and stormy
notes as we'll as the softer cooling pas
sages to delighted human ears. In the
centre of the room stood a concert grand
piano.
"It was made by the manufacturers
for little Josef Hofmann," said Mr..
Edison. BY requeet this instrument
was also played and its music repro
duced again and again, nearly as it
come from the fingers of the man on
the piano stool.
Mr.. Edison said that having perfect
ed the phonograph for the human
voice he was now trying to make it
capable of reproducing music exactly as
it is written and played. He had found
great difficulty in determining the
proper length and focus ofthe receiving
cone which, like an ear trumpet, con-
ducts sound to its little end attached to
the monographs drum.
Experiments showed that music
played in a low octave was transformed
into piccolo by the phonograph when
run at II high speed, while the high
notes become rich bass with lower
speed of the phonograph roller. If the
speed Of the roller and the size, length
and pitch Of the receiving cone be just
right the music will he transmitted and
reproduced exactly as played. \ good
illustration was given when one Of the
experts said that q mans image was
exactly reproduced without distortion
in two mirrows if they were placed at
the proper angles. The slightest devia'
ton from correct position would make
Il mans reflection appear too tall, toe
short or out ofproportion, as in concave
or convex mirrows. The laws govern,
ing sound, waves and light are some.
what similar. The Wizard said he eX'
pccted to have his musical monographs
ready for use in j few weeks.
THE TALKING MACHINE TESTED.
The speaking phonograph was testet
in various ways. 1t was success. The
WAX cylinders, on which the sounC
impressions are registered. are hollow
four inches long and about two inche:
in diameter-the shell being from /;
sixteenth to an eighth of an inch
thick. They closely resemble fou
inches of large church wax candle
bored out and turned smooth. TIL.
phonograph, with its wax cylinder re
volving, looks like boys turning
lathe, the cutting chise being the piI
fastened to the little drum of the re
ceiving tube and which records on the
wax roller the sound. They are mere
dots, SO fine that one can scarcely dis
tinguish them without a glass.
One thousand words are taken on one
Of these cylinders and no eye can distin
guish them. The screw that propels
it has 100 threads to the square inch
and the ordinary speed is seventy revo
lutions a minute. \ ten minutes talk
of dictation fills the roll. Atypewritel
man can copy it e thousand times and
then put it away i'll a box to respect in
the tones of the original human voice
that first uttered the sentences. Mr..
Edison said he would soon be turning
out the talking machines at the rate OF
POO day.
TO test the practicability Of the ma
chine, extracts were read to it by the
reporter and dictation givenit Every
word was taken and then copied of on
typewriter by Mr.. Edison's secretary
He said that all their correspondence
was dictated to the wax rolls and copied
ond ,,roccrvpd They were cheaD