The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-11-23
EDISON STUMBLED OMIT.

How the Wizard of Menlo Park
Happene1 to Invent the Phono-
graph.
81 have never seen in print a true
account OF how Thomas "A. Edison
first conceived the idea of the phono-
graph" remarked an electrician who
was at one time id the Wizards eni-
ploy to a New York World reporter
The photograph is the wonder of
the world, and one Of the few inven-
tions which envious rivals have not
charged Edison with having stolen. In
fact, even his bitterest rivals for fame,
all Of whom appear to harbor the idea
that 1t is their duty to detract from his
reputation for genius and honesty, as
a rule concede that Edison did really
invent the monograph. 1t is an inter-
esting story how he came to invent
it. Many years ago, when Edison was
still at Menlo Park and working night
and day for fame, he devoted months
to perfecting the telephone; and UNI
doubtedly did more than any other in
ventor to make it practical by intro
ducing the carbon plate into the trans
mitter. While experimenting on dia-
phragms for the telephone, Edison
had constructed number of small
sheepskin drumheads, TO test their
value as diaphragms as compared with
metal and Othop Substances
TO some of these sheepskin
diaphragms he had attached small
met needle, which was intended to
project towards the magnet and assist
in conveying the vibrations caused by
the human voice. The sheepskin
diaphragms did not fulfill Edison's ex-
pectations and he discarded them and,
as usual with appliances he decides to
be useless, they were thrown aside to
be removed with other rubbish.
His assistants soon discovered that
by holding the sheepskin diaphragms
in front of their mouths and emitting
a cultural sound between the lips
peculiar noise approaching music could
be produced. 1t was something SINH
lar to the alleged music produced by
covering comb with thin paper and
humming a tune on it. In passing one
of the men engaged in playing on a
diaphram one d:y, Edison playfully
attempted to stop the noise by touch
ing the projecting metal pin with his
finger, and no sooner had he done so
than he gave one of his peculiar starts.
'Eh! What's that?' said he, which so
astonished the performer that he drop
ped the diaphragm. DO that again,
said the Wizard, and it was repeated,
and again his finger touched the pin to
his evident delight. He went about
for sometime asking one after another
of his assistants to hum or sing against
the diaphragm, and finally he got them
talking against it, he all the time
touching the pin lightly with his fin
ger.
Il have it, said he, finally, and he
retired to his den and commenced
drawing diagrams for new machinery,
which his assistants speedily made,
and few days later the first phono-
graph was put together. 1t was a
crude affair, the pin making an impress
sion on wax and it talked imperfectly,
but it did well enough to show Edison
that he was on the right track, and he
rapidly improved it until now it is very
nearly perfection. A hundred men
might have felt the vibration of that
pin attached to the piece Of sheepskin,
but it it took an Edison to instantly rea-
lie that the vibrations might be made
to indent soft substance and be sus-
ceptible of reproducing the exact
sounds of the human voice that caused
the different vibrations. The phono-
graph was regarded as toy at first,
but it sold for a million dollars recent
ly."