News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-01-10
THE PHONOGRAPH.
Some Facts About Inventor Edison's
Talking Machine.

Isaac Pitman, of Bath, England, is
76 years old. He invented word. That
word was photography. 1t meant writ
ing by sonud. Mr.. Pitman had invent
ed the only logical system of shorthand
writing and the system is in almost uni
Versal use at this day This system he
named photography. So well
though out was photography that it has
required very few improvements since it
was first given to the public. In 1916
the photographic Reporters Companion
was established, and in 1847 the word
photography was recognized as a new
word in the English language. But the
same year baby boy was born in Ohio,
and that boy, although Mr.. Pitman
knew nothing of it, was destined to take
possession of the word Mr.. Pitman has
up to date calIel his own. The small
boy in Ohio was named Thomas Alva
Edison, and his father thrashed him
| under the name of Tom
From about this time forward "phono-
graphy" will mean the use of the phono-
graph; photographic, pertaining to
the phonograph; "Phonograms," letters
written by the photograph, and so on.
The phonograph enables person to
really write by sound. Not only has
Edison ''squatted" on the word phono-
graphy but it looks as if his machine
would take the place of those who use
short No man can compete
against machine The phonograph
has not to buy clothes nor does it need
to pay board. 1t can therefore work
much cheaper than man can. The
improvements that are now being made
on the phonograph are delaying it's
IL l..
who expected to have monographs in
operation last November have not yet
got their machines. The Edison factory
seems to be at work night and day but
no monographs issue tFerefrom. The
reason given is that Edison has made
new and remarkable improvements on
the machine that will astonish even
those who were astonished at the instru-
ment as shown few months ago. He
does not wish any machine to go out
without the latest modern improve
ments.
One improvement is the phonogram
sheet. AS is we'll known the present
message is dotted on a wax cylinder,
which Is n cumbersome and breakable
thing to transport. Edison has invent
ed phonoeraph sheet that can be sent
in an ordinary letter. This is fixed to
cylinder in some manner and can be
talked on, then sent fat by mail. put on
another cylinder and made to give out
It's message. These sheets can be repro
duced at the rate of 20, 900 an hour if re-
CURED, SO that a person can speak his
little piece on the sheet and that spoken
on sheet, with its lines and dots, can be
duplicated to any extent. Mr.. Edison
proposes to form q phonOgraphic news
paper company. Reporters will speak
their items into the phonograph, and the
sheets will then be struck off and news
boys will rush through the streets with
them shouting: "Daily P'onOgraph! All
about the murder! !" Buyers will put
the sheets on their Photographs and
listen to the news as that machine talks
it out. 1t gives us great pleasure to re-
cord this improvement as it was sug-
gested in this column about year ago,
Mr.. Edison was asked to invent it as the
writer was so busy just then that he
hadn't the time - Detroit Free Press