Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-06-06
THE PHesosRArH eRAPHorHosS
A Machine That Rcproduces the
Human speech.

II
A Machine That Reproduces the
Human speech.
The Charles Warner Company Of this
city, shows its enterprise in adopting the
newest labof.saYing Inventions as soon as
they are found to be practical and are
/ placed on the market. They have In
their Office photograph graphophone,
which they have been using in business
way for almost month past, and 1t Is
the first one in office use in this city.
They or their predecessors have been
first in ether local enterprises, as is shown
by neat little card which they have just
issued. They were the first to place
passenger steamer TO ply between this
city and Philadelphia, the YeEta, In 1916.
They placed the u. l. DUPONT, the first
propeller, on the game route in 1916.
They ran the first freight steamer, the
West Chester, on the same route in 1865.
They established the first express deliy-
cry system in connection with their
freight line 10 1865. They introduced
the first type writer to office work In Will
mington in 1878; the first to establish the
telephone exchange, in 1873, md the FIRST
to introduce the phunograpn in 1859.
Of course ph0nogrsph was exhibited
in No. school aud Institute Hall ten
| years ago, hut they have not been put to
practical use until the present time. In
fact, the Edison photograph has not yet
appeared on the market and may I'M.
doubtedly embody improvements on the
one now In use. The photograph used
by the Charles Warner Co. is the patent
of Bell, of telephone fame, and Is
furnished by the Columbia Phonograph
Go. OF Washington.
A GAZETTE reporter who called
yesterday was SHOWN the practical work
ing OF the novel machine. When closed
IL almost resembles q sewing machine in
general mako up and finish. II il as sim
pie piece of mechanism 40 can we'll be
imagined. A pasteboard cylinder, about
sn inch or an Inch and half in diameter,
covered with thin film of wax, is firmly
fixed between two sGjustable endb which
reyolye by the application Of the foot to
| the treadle exactly as in sewing ma
chine. You talk into the month. piece OF
producer which Registers your words
on the wax Of the revolving cylinder, End
you place the ends Of raproducer in
your ears, which ra:t.ea OF what you have
said as plainly and as distinctly as
though the person speaking stood beside
you.
The producer is simply rubber tube
with mouth piece st one end. At the
other end is mica diaphragm similar to
those used in telephones which conveys
the sound waves through fine needle to
the waxed cylinder.
Tie producer is first attached to sta
tionary bar which allows the needle to
rtst lightly on the wax. As tho cylinder
reyolves, the sound waved Of the speaker
are registered in fine scratching lines en-
the wax across the entire length OF the
cylinder, one OF which will hold from
], 200 TO 1909 words. The reproducer is
almost similar to the producer in that the
sound waves are conveyed from the
waxed cylinder through another fine
needle to smaller diaphragm where they
are condensed and by means OF a rubber
tube, divided to make two outlets, one of
which ia lightly placed in each ear, the
entire previous conversation 10 repro.
duned.
When the photograph has been properly
adjusted it works TO charm. Every
word la distinctly heard, including the
stops, or heGitatinnS in speech, the inhac-
tion OF the voice, Ia fact every detail lg
repeated exactly IS it was uttered. There
can 0s NO question - ,tnsi man said
o. did rot say IL his speech IL REGISTERED
by one cf 'hsse macainpa Anu should
the listener iaii 10 eaton the entire speech
at first, he can have II repeated as often
as he pleases by simply placing the pin
of the reproducer at tine beginning OF the
1 speech. 1t will be ratified eff 200 times
/ iouk Ifutf,,ottr, a. Al.
The reporter talked into 1t and the
talking machine returned his spsech. He
sang into it,lnaking oil kinds Of uneaithly
noiaes, but the Singing machine also re-
solved itself into wild menagerie, Civ.
ing an exact reproduction of the re-
/ portsr's diabolieal Efforts. The reader
can imagine the eject which would be
produced if he could have the machine
relate to him the actions OF some spoony
couple which might have come into too
close proximity to it during one Of their
confidential moments.
! These machines talk about as distinctly
as good telephone aud the sound Is
somewhat similar. In debating TO it the
voice is only raised little above the
ordinary. The cylinders On which the
speeches are registered cost about three
cents and will hold from ~ TO is bust
ness letters. If business letter IS to bs
sent the letter is registered on the
cylinder and the part containing the
letter then cut of and sent By mail, when
the receiver places it on his machine and
hears what his correspondent has to say.
They font for $40 annually, but are not
sold The cost OF the cylinders promises
to be reduced to y or 2 cents in the near
future The manufacturers can not keep
up With the orders. 1t is proposed in