Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-24
EDIS0N'S NEW MACHINE
The Wizard OF LleWellyn Park Com
pletes His Photographic
Marvellous Exhibition.
Speech and Music Engraved by Sound.
Preserved and Articulated
Again.
NAH York Herald


last perfected and ready for public use.
The Wizard of Llewellyn Park said to
Herald reporter yesterday that the
photograph had given him more trouble
than any other of his numerous inven-
tions. Since it was first exhibited in this
and in London, eleven years ago, it has
been revolutionized, and the machine of
today is entirely unlike the tin foil re-
cording photograph Of 1887, except so
far as the prInci pie on which it records
sounds is concerned.
Herald reporter made a special visit
to Mr.. Edison's laboratory at Llewellyn
Park yesterday afternoon. On entering
the experim entail room he heard cornet
playing without horns or musicians in
sight. 1t was Edis0n's wonderful phopo-
graph 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 ont just as good fifty years hence
as now" said the wizard to the astonished
visitors who were gathered around the
strang e-machine. Then some musicians
were called IN, and they played waltzes,
sonatas and military marches. A big
funnel, six feet long, coaxed in the music
and focused it against the tiny drum OF
the phonogTapb, which, IN turn, viharted
under each sound wave and punched q
little needle against q wax cylinder re-
volving by electric battery power at the
rate OF one 100 revolutions minute.
EVERY SOUND FAITHFULLY RECORDED.
All the music was faithfully recorded,
and in a few minutes the phonograph was
repeating those wild and stormy notes as
well as the softer cooling passages TO
delighted human ears. IN the centre of
the room stood concert grand piano.
cit was made by the manufacturers for
little Joses Hofman1," said Mr.. Edison
By request this instrument was also play
ed and it's music reproduced again and
again nearly as it was come from the
fingers Of the man on the piano stool.
Mr.. Edison said that having perfected
the monograph for the human voice he
was now trying 80 make it capable OF
re producing music exactly as it is written
and played. He had found great diff
Guilty in determining tbs proper speed
for the machine, and the proper length
and focus of the receiving cone which,
Iike an ear trumpet, conducts sound to
its little end attached to the monographs
drum.
Experiments showed that music played
IN low octave was transformed into
piccolo by the photograph when run at
a high speed, while the high notes become
rich bass with slower speed of the phonO-
graph roller. If the speed of the roller
and the size, length and pitch of the re-
ceiving cone be just right the music will
be transmitted and reproduced exactly as
played. A good illustration was given
when one of the experts said that mans
image was exactly reproduced without
distortion in two mirrors if they were
placed at the proper angles. The slight
est deviation from correct position would
make mans reflection appear TOO tall,
too short or cut of proportion, as ia con-
cave Or convex mirrors. The laws gov
erning sound, waves and light were some
what similar. The Wizard said he ex
pected to have his musical monographs
ready for use in a few weeks.
THE TALKING MACHINE TESTED.
The speaking photograph was tested
in various ways. Il was success. The
wax cylinders, on which the sound i'm
pressions are registered, are hollow, four
inches long and about two inches in eli
ameter-the she'll being from a sixteenth
to an eight of an inch thick. They close
ly resemble four inches of large church
wax candle, bored out ana turned smooth.
The photograph, with it's wax cylinder
revolving, looks like boys turning lathe,
the cutting chisei being the pin fastened
to the little drum of the receiving tube
and which records on the wax roller the
sound waves. They are mere dots, SO fine
that one can scarcely distinguish them
without glass.
One thousand words are taken on one of
these cylinders and no eye can distinguish
them. The screw that propels it has 100
threads to the inch, and the ordinary
speed is seventy revolutions minute. A
ten minutes talk or dictation fills the roll.
A typewriter can copy it thousand times
and then put it away in box to repeat 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 200 day.
TO test the pract1cability of the ma
chine extracts were read to it by the re-
porter and dictation given it. Every
word was taken and then copied off on
typewriter by Mr.. Edison's secretary. He
said that all their correspondence was
dictated to the wax rolls and copied and
preserved. They were cheap. Each
would contain 10000 words before worn
out. A little knife pares off the surface
of the roll when filled if the last dictation
is not to be preserved, otherwise new
roll must be used.
Mr.. Edison said the machine wonld do
away with much of the labor Of stenogra-
ply for dictations and private CORES
pondence. For taking public speeches
the big music funnel must be used as
when recording music from an orchestra