The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-12
THE HUMAN VOICE IN THE MAILS
a Wonderful Invention that May Do
Away with Letter Writing.
From the NetU York World

From the Neto York World.
The Metropolitan Photograph Company,
No. Is, Park row, is introducing to the
public Tor the first time the graphophone-
photograph, an instrument combining all
the wonderful qualities of the Edison phono-
graph with the simplicity of the graphic
Phone, a comparatively recent invention.
The graph phone-phonograph is the work
of Charles Sumner Tanner and Chichester
A. Bell, the latter brother of Prof. Graham
Bell, OF telephone fame. and 1t is SAID TO De
more useful for business purposes because or
its simplicity than the Edison phonograph,
both of which. however, are controlled by
the Metropolitan Photograph Company.
The graphophone-pho consists OF
wax cylinder about l inch in diameter
and 6 inches long, hollow and weighing
about three ounces, which is rapidly re-
volved by a very simple apparatus, closely
resembling a wood-turner'S lathe, operated
either by pedal or b. an electric motor, If
preferred. Resting on the waxen cylinder
is Il disk of steel, in which is diaphragm of
mica, having in its center steel point; to
tae disk is attached a rubber tube with
mouthpiece like that used for al ordinary
speaking trumpet. Sounds of any descrip-
ton thrown into the mouthpiece are re-
corded by the steel point upon the cylinder,
which when removed looks as though it
had been scratched in parallel lines by the
point of fine cambria needle. When the
end Of the cylinder is held to the eye and
examined through magnifying glass, how
ever, 1t presents very much the appearance
of a circular saw, except that the teeth are
not pointed and are irregular in depth, the
irregularity being caused by the difference
in the volume of the sounds uttered through
the speaking tube.
By an extremely simple process, another
rubber pipe, with tube at one end and two
ear-tubes at the other, is then attached aud
the ear tubes placed in tile ears. Every
sound, no matter how insignificant, is
clearly and faithfully repeated in per-
fectly distinct tone, having all the qualities
and infections of the sounds originally
thrown into the mouthplece. The entire
apparatus is placed upon a stand precisely
like that of an ordinary sewing machine.
This little instrument bids fair to create a
big sensat ton, if not complete revolution
in business and social circles, for by its use
correspondence of all kinds can be made a
pleasure instead of the task it now is to
many. The merest novice, who has never
seen a graphophone, has but to seat himself,
adjust a wax cylinder, pick up the recorder,
talk as long as ne pleases, remove the cylln-
der, put it in box provided for the pur-
pose, affix 2-cent stamp to it, mail it, and
his correspondent. when it reaches its desti-
nation, has but to remove it from the box,
readjust it, put the reproducer to his ear,
and every word, infection and tone of the
sender is reproduced with fidelity simply
astounding. This is but one of the uses to
which this extremely ingenious contrivance
may be put. A little thought will suggest
thousands of others, and, in fact, its useful
ness may be said to be without limit