Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-11-22

81 have never seen in print true ac-
count of how Thomas \. Edison first
conceived the idea Of the phonoeraph, {"
remarked an electrician who was at one
tine in the ''Wizzard's" employ, to u
New York World reporter. ''Thc phono-
graph is the wonder of the world and one
of the few inventions which envious
rivals have not charged Edison with hay
Ing stolen. In fact even his b;tterest
rivals for fame, all of whom appear 10
iIarbor the idea that it is their duty to
deiract from his reputation for genius
ans: honesty, rs Il rule conccdc that ''Edi-
son did really invent the Photographs +"
|, is al interesting story how he came To
invent it. Many years ago, when Edison
WAS still ut McIlo Park and working
night and day Tor fame, he devoted
months Ia pcrfccting the telephone, and
undoubtedly did more than any other III
vcnior to make it practical by introduce
Ing the carbon plate into the tr;,nsmittcr
While experimenting on diaphrams for
The telephone, Edison had constructed II
number of small sheapskin dr,mhcads,
10 test their value as diaphrams as co;u-
pared with metal and other substances.
so some of these shccpskin dia-
pfiragms he had attached IL small metal
needle, which WAS intended to project
toward the magnet and assist in convey
Ing tine vibrations caused by the human
voice. The shcepskin diaphragms did
not fulfill Edisons expectations and he dis
cardcd them and, as usual with appliances
lie decides to he useless, they were thrown
aside to he removed with other rubbish
His assistants soon discovered that by
holding the sheepskin diaphragns in
front OF their mouths AID emitting gut
teral sound between the lips Il peculiar
noise approaching music could be pro-
, duced. 1t was something similar to the
alleged music produced by covering a
! comb with thin paper and hummng IA
tune on it. In passing one of the men
engaged in playing on Il diaphragm one
. day Edison playfully attempted to stop
the noise by touching the projecting
metal pin with the finger, and no sooner
had he done so than he gave one of his
peculiar starts. Eth! What's thatH said
he, which so astonished the performer
that he dropped the diaphragm. DO that
again said the Wizard, aud it was re-
l.eated, and again lis finger touched the
pin to his evident delight lie went
about FOR some time asking one after
another of his assistants 20 hum or
sing against Che diaphragm. and finally he
got them TO talking against it, he all the
time touching the pin lightly with his
finger.
"I have it, said he, finally, and he
retired To his den and commenced
drawing diagrams for new machinery,
which his assistants speedily made, and IA
few days later the first monograph was
put together. 1t was a crude affair, the
pin making an impression on wax and it
talked impcrfcctly, but it did well enough,
10 show Edison that he was on the right
track, and he rapidly improved it until
now ii is very nearly perfection. a
| hundred men might have felt the vi
bration of that pin attached 10 the
piece of sheepskin, but it took an Edi-
son to instantly realize that the vibra-
tons might be made to indcnt a soft
substance and be susceptible of repro
ducing the exact sounds of the human
voice that caused the different vibrations.
The phonograph was regarded as toy at
first, but it sold for II million dollars re-
! Gently -