Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-15
A NOVEL TELEPHONE.
IT OPERATES ON AN ENTIRELY NEW
PRINCIPLE.
Lowth's stetho-TeIephone, Which Makes
Use of no Transmitter Diaphragm
How it Works.
IRON the chicago Inter.oeean. ]

From the Chicago Inter-ocean.
Aside from its almost invaluable service
to the public, the American Bell Tele-
phone is quite generally regarded as the
instrument of monopoly. And the decis-
ion of the Supreme Court of the celebrated
telephone case seems to fix the user in the
power of that great corporation. But in
that famous decision there is saving
clause which extends ray of hope to the
people, and causes a general wish that
some invention may be found which may
take the place of the Bell telephone, or at
least be permitted to compete with it.
March 10, 1855, the Supreme Court of
the United States, in the Bell telephone
decision, used this language; "If another
discovers different art or method of doing
the same thing, reduces it to practical use,
and gets patent for his discovery, the new
discovery will be the property of the new
discoverer, and thereafter the two will be
permitted to operate each in his own way,
without interference by the other"
These specifications for new telephone
have at last been definitely filed IN the
stetho-telephone just perfected by James
Lowth, of this city Mr.. Lowth claims to
have produced a new invention, and also
that it is practical, operating telephone,
entirely and fundamentally different from
the Bell, or any other telephone ever pro-
duced.
A reporter of the Inter Ocean called at
the office of the Lowth Stetho-telephoue
Company, at No. 225 Dearborn street, the
other day, to see the new instrument, and
to test its peculiar usefulness. There are
so many new things in existence which are,
after all, not new at all, or, if new, are not
practically successfully, that general
feeling of skepticism is certainly excusable
when SO sweeping claim Is made as that
put forth for the Lowth stetho-telephone.
An examination of the instrument, how
ever, and test of its practical working,
| must certainly convince any one that here
is a new departure.
The striking popularity Of this appli-
ance is the entire absence of any trans
hitting diaphragm, or "hole" to talk into.
The operator places the receiver to the
ear and the transmitting button against
the side of the throat. If he be novice
| in the use of this ingenious contrivance, he
at once begins to look around for some
thing to talk to, or at, or into. But there
is nothing. He must waste his sweetness
on the desert air" or scold the Central
in the open.
Briefly described, the Lowth stetho-
telephone may be said to be receiver
and transmitter in one. It takes its name
| from the manner of using, and somewhat
from its peculiar capabilities. The prefix
stetho is from the same word from which
stethoscope is formed, and the instrument
has all the capabilities OF the ordinary
stethoscope, with the addition that it is
able to transmit electrically all voice
sounds to a distance The combined in
strument, transmitter and receiver, is four
and one-half inches long from the center
of the transmitting button TO the center of
| the ear-piece. The transmitting button
projects about two inches from the side of
the instrument, and in convenient posi-
| ton to be placed against the side of the
! throat when the receiver ear-piece is
placed in its proper position against the
ear. Holding the instrument with its
f, transmitting button pressed lightly against
| the throat, the user speaks into space, and
| the actual physiological changes taking
place in and about the larynx are con-
veyed by the button to the electrical
| parts of the instrument, and through them
| sent over the line to the distant receiver,
in which the most perfectly formed words
are reproduced. Mr.. Lowth distinguishes
| his system from those in which trans
hitting diaphragm is used by calling it
the solid medium system, the agency
through which the instrument is operated
being positive and mechanical, and not
| atmospheric.
| An opportunity was afforded for testing
the qualities of the instrument yesterday
by line connecting different parts of the
building at No 225 Dearborn street. The
resistance was furnished by rheostat.
A. c. Knapp, Secretary of the company,
went to another part of the building.
Placing the instrument in position a con-
versation was easily carried on, the resist
ance being gradually increased to 10000
ohms.
"What distance does that resistance rep
resent in miles," was asked.
"Well, the resistance between Chicago
and St. Paul on number copper wire is
about $500 ohms," said Mr. Lowth. ''Of
course, this reheostat does not meet with
the obstacle of induction. But that is just
one of the valuable features of this instru
ment. All aerial lines are troubled with
induction, and any accidental disturbance
will render conversation almost impossi-
bic. You have undoubtedly been troubled
in conversing by telephone by noise in the
room, or by some disturbance in the room
| at the other end. But a valuable and
peculiar feature of this instrument is that
| the operator may be surrounded by all
manner of loud noises, and only his voice
| will be transmitted and then he may
speak almost in whisper"
"The differences between this system
and the vibrating diaphragm continued
| Mr. Lowth, "are several. In the first
place, vibrating diaphragm must have
return vibration, and each sound as it
strikes the diaphragm is necessarily more
or less confused by a return wave. Then
the Blake transmitter which is the one
used by the Bell Company, depends for
successful operation upon very light con-
tact of the electrodes-so light that it re-
quires only trifing disturbance to pre-
| duce confusion. Besides this, its action is
limited to the action Of the diaphragm.
On the other hand, the Lowth system has
heavily-seated electrodes, moved by posi-
tive and heavy mechanical action, giving
consequently better use of the current.
| Any disturbance, therefore, produces
better current and a consequently better
sound.
"All the discoveries as to telephones
| were not from the brain of any single in
ventor, but were the outgrowth of series
of experiments, which finally eliminated
in the telephone invented by Phillip Refs,