Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-08-24
A SCIENTIFIC WONDER
TAO RhOn0G1ANh - Servo Of Its PS0u
IIATitI0s sd Possibilities.

IIATiti0s sd Possibilities.
II the achievements OF science had
not already iAmiliarized tho people
with the ago of fable In which, they
live, tho rooms in which there was
lOtely exhibited in this city the perfect
cd phonOgrnph, upon which Edison
has spent some Of the best yenrs of his
life. would have been crowded hourly
with an awe-struck multitude. OF NIL
the wonders OF invention, this II un-
questionably the greatest. g:
With the mere principle Of tho ma
chine We were acquainted years ago;
how the sound waves created by the
voice in speaking or singing act upon
sensitive plate Of mica, and are thence
transmitted to q vibrating steel point,
pressed close against the surface Of
cylinder of wax; how the tiny waving
spiral thus traced is an absolutely
faithful record of the omitted sound;
how tho process may be reversed, the
vibrating point be made to retraverse
Its course, and its movements be again
received by sensitive diaphragm, and
made audible by q resonant multipli-
nothing more wonderful or difficult to
understand about the principle OF the
monograph than about that of the tel
ephone. But it will appear, none tho
less. q weird and diabolical thing for
years to come.
The invention is now really per-
footed. He who sets the transmitter
Mt work and listen at tho ear-piece can
hear the words originally spoken repro
duced with the famous accuracy of ma
chino work, and with human quality
of which it might seem that no ma
chine is capable. There is no diminu-
ton in the volume Of sound, no loss of
any distinguishing characteristic. The
quality and peculiarities of the individ-
ual voice. every infection and accent,
every interruption and imperfection is
thcre with the same fidelity with
which plate-glass mirror returns the
features Of one gazing into it. And
then. wonder OF wonders. the funnel OF
tho speaking tube is applied to the ma
chine, and the auditor, standing distant
by the space Of q large room, hears a
speech delivered or q song repeated as
distinctly rs if he were in the presence
of the performer. It is the talking ma
chine, with which the public will re-
quire long conversarce to rid them
selves Of tho creepiness Of superstition.
The practical. utility and CONNER
cial value OF the machine are not yet
decided. But it will find its place rs
speedily as the telephone and the
typewriter The wner of the phono-
graph can hear the finost efforts OF
oratory and the divincst effects Of
music reproduced in his own library
Mt pleasure. Me nber3 of families
divided by thousands Of miles can
hold actual converse in place of the
unsatisfactory records of the pen
Tho human voice and manner are
made capable of preservation through
all the ages. Moro than this, the
practicabiIity of stereotyping these
wax cylinders and reproducing any
number Of them discloses the nature
Of the library of the future. An enter
prising publisher will employ a
skilled clocutionist to read into the
monograph the new novel that is the
sensation OF tho day.
The resulting cylinders will be ste.
reotyped and multiplied. Instead OF
buying the now book, the tired man OF
business will purchase the two or
three cylinders that contain it, and
! have his monograph read it to him IN
the leisure ovoning hours. The meth
DDS Of employment ore many already,
and now applications can be made. In
one respect the photograph is not in
accord WITH tho spirit of tho age. II
is, for most purposes, not II; time,
saver; and tho economy of time is
above all other things, q demand o.
tho practica! generation. But IL will
find its varied uses, soon to become
Indispensable: and in itself it must
stand for the present as the GROWING