Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-10
THE NEW PH0NoGRArl
EdisOn's improvements
the Old Machine.
soMErmSG GETqER THAN 4 To1
Its Practical Utility Demonstrating
10 Placed on The Market
in Fe@ wetks.

@ttfAAHf ~. -
stray visitor to his laboratory at LlcNf !
lyn patk. N. l., a day or two ago.
This laboratory, by the way, %
surprise Ia its way. The word conyoy
tie idea Of little den 10 an upper atof
Of ones housc, OF in some corner o. one
pardon, where the owner experlnleAl
with n lew chemicals or tinhers Win
handful OF tools in developing pot idca
Edison's laboratory u a huge wofkauop
bic enough and containing machinc1y
tools and power enough 70 build a locnr44
tive. II Is a three-story brick bullding,N
feet wide and nearly 200 long, withAeyefs
extenaions and outlying buildings. Iron
eighty to 100 men find employment IN
in assisting Edison TO develop his idec
and to bring his Inventions to mcchap
cal perfection. II contains EdiHoQ
library Of II 900 yolumcs in magn'
cent iibrary-room nearly bOx2O fe
three stories high IN the clear, with "
galleries running completely round ~
wonderful establishment it is in itg "a !,
tent and completeness. but not hall
wonderful ~ the single individual WIN
has ideas enough 10 keep 10 many mo1
busy Ia experiments. w
Come and listen TO Home MUSIC, |.
said Edison, as he led tho way 70 an
upper room which extended the Inn
width of the building. M.
a little machine, not over foot
square aud three or four inches high,
stood on desk. Theinyantor touched NJ
switch and white cylinder nt tie top 2!
the machine began TO revoye One euu
OF something which looked like tho end
of a pair OF spectacles. reated ON thiA4
cylinder. Mr.. Edison picked up rubM
ber tube OF small diameter and abou~
eighteen inches long. II was forkcd fo1
half its length, and at each end Of theI
FORK was sort of nozzle or tip ol harQ
rubber. The inventor placed onS
Of the tips TO each eur aud
attached the other end oil tne
rubber tube to the eye OF the Hpectaclel
resting on tile revolving cylindef
In d moment he nodded his head as a
satisfied, and passed the forked end ovor1
TO the visitor. The latter placed the tiu
TO his ears and heard the strains OF ''l
Gitana" waltz, as il played on q piano IN
an adjoining room. Melody and ho4
mony were perfect, and only softenad
trine, apparently by the distance.
magnificent grand piano stood few ten
away and the visitor was not q littla3
wildered at the first glance 10 see thst
had nothing to do apparently withS
music to which he had been listening.
"The phonograph," said Edisons
the visitor removed the tips from his eal
That explained it. 1t was music stQr
away and drawn upon at pleasure th
sounded in the visitors ears.
The photograph OF ten years ago,
scientific toy, imperfect in operation a
crude at best, has become q perfect thin
OF practical use, through years OF exIiefI
ments, and the wonder Of il is in its Hlu1
plicity. In so far as mechanism is cod
cerned there is really almost nothing
The few parts are made to work accurJ
ately and exactly and that is all. Thy
central feature or part OF
machine is revolving sha
eight inches long. For one-ha
its length the shaft is simply very in
screw, 100 threads to the inch. I'M
other half is cylinder about an inch in
diameter. The bearings in which tkicI
shaft revolves are one AT the point where
Che screw and cylinder are joined, and
the other at the opposite end OF th01
screw. Just outside this bearing i4&I
pulley and geared wheel for connect
with an electric motor. Upon the
Under is slipped hollow cylinder
wax, and both are taapecNa tritler
the wax shell may be pushed T.,
enough TO make it hold bH
to the metallic cylind
revolve with it. Back
shaft, and part OF n,
work OF the instrument, is aSo0
about the thickness of a leafhci
this rod slides an arm whiciove'
ly from one end to the oth ana
reaches up to and over thgN cyiI
To this Unattached til spocfa
mentiore4s5 s5os-.a ~ iiNSla ,FeSSo-s7y ~ "
snectac re " contain two fsiaphragms -0
cpIay cpIits It's OF flexible material. Ton
nnsr side OF one Of the diaphragrns
Sed the receiving tool, sharp ltd
Knife which cuts a groove in tho wa
and records the sound, and to the otho
wire it looks like, which follow
in the groove when it is desired toX
reproduced the sound. The spectacle is1 d
pivoted or hinged to the arm, so thai
either eye may be brought to bear on !
the wax Another branch OF the slidinr
arm reaches over and engages
threaded screw, so that when the
made to revolVe, and either eve
spectacle rests on the wax cylind
sliding arm is carried by the tthrJ
the screw slowly along from one en-
the other, and the eve OF the spectacl6d
slowly travels the length of the wa
screw, with much coarser thread th
the other, running the reverse wa
SO that il the sliding arm
disengaged from the central screw
shaft, and made to engage with the front
screw, the sliding arm, and, OF course, i
the spectacle frame, will be moved back
ward. This can be done by PRESSING a.
little lever in front of the machine, if one
wants to repeat the last few words OF a
letter, for instance. Or the whole aituli
may be lifted off the cylinder and moved R
back to the starting point, Just as thea
roller Of the typewriter is moved back 4
when the operator gets to the end OF hist
line. The base OF the machine contains
a small electric motor, in the Construct
lion of which there is nothing particul-7
lrly new save that it has a governor by
which the speed may be regulated. The
motor is connected TO the phonographSl 4
shaft by the ordinary mechanical ap-i
pliance of geared wheel and power is
supplied to the motor by battery which
may be conveniently placed under the 1
desk or by connecting il to an inCandes-
cent electrical light circuit These are
the essential parts of the phonograph.
There are others, the Office of which is
to adjust the parts described to perfect
working condition, There is gauge in
front OF the instrument to enable thal
operator to turn back and repeat juSnl
such parts Of the sounds recorda\oas 81
may wish. There are adAHS'hg screws
at each eye OF the sp4clacle to bring
either needle to bear on \ he wax with irsf
the right pressure, and ylere is also on,
the sliding arm a little( lathe tool to
plane off the record front the wax cyljnA,
der and leave it smooth for another
raaord