The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-10
LOADING UP A pHoNoaRAPH.
Darby Voices Beat All Others for This
Purpose.


beat, scraped aud otherwise Inaltreated
their suffering instruments, and made al
this noise, moreover, 10 closed doors IN al
atmosphere that was sitting. The red-faced
leader at length cut an unusually broad
swath in the air and the selection was I'M
ished. Rushing to the wiudow, Prof. Baton
threw up the sash and inhaled the welcome
! breeze.
But why all this Juror in a little room
I5x20l
They are loading up phonograph. See
| that machine standing the table, with
the great exaggerated-loOking ear trumpet
hung by the string from the wall, with It's
smaller end fastened 10 the receiver or ear
of the contrivancel 1t is really an ear
trumpet, as for ordinary practical purposes
the phonograph is as, deaf as any human
that needs the tube. The trumpet is of thu,
about two inches in diameter at its smaller
and four feet at its larger end. The outside
is wrapped tightly round and round with
Irvine, after the fashion of ball-bat handle,
to deaden a metallic ring and imprison the
sound waves.
After turning the cylinder and crying
into the tube in loud tones, &" Down Upon
the Suwanee River rendered by Prof.
Blton's Brass and String Military Band on
| Sept. 20, $780," the gentleman In charge Of
| the photograph set the wheel revolving at
the proper speed, and motioned for the
music TO start up. First, however, he was
careful to close The window, lest some of
| the strains be lost in the outside air, and
the instrument fail to get good impress
| sion. The musicians rendered the plaintive
| melody with deafening effect, and the
photograph man smiled broadly as he
| stopped his ears perforce on account of the
din.
"You see," he affably explained to a
| Gtobe-DemOcrdt visitor, "the instrument
has not reached so perfect form as we
would wish, and we take this mode of filling
| cylinder. 1t is absolutely necessary, in
order to get every note. that the room be
very small and the photograph right up
| among the performers. We have taken
Gilmore time and time again, but, as we
been obliged to get as far off as among the
side wings of the Music Hall stage, our re-
suits have not been quite up to the mark of
first-class work.
THAT will do, gentlemen; believe that's
about all III ask of you to-day. Now let's
have the Dark Secret quartettel"
The exhausted musicians put their instru-
ments in their cases and slowly filed down
the stairs. John, the Office factotum, then
stepped down about half way to the bottom
of the fight, and, placing his fingers to his
lips, drew therefrom what was meant for
the tune of climbing Up the Golden
Stair" -Four shining faces appeared at the
doorway, and the Dark Secret Quartet was
soon on deck.
"Now we will change our ear trumpet"
said the operator, as the colored gentlemen
found seats. Detaching the large four-foot
trumpet from the monograph and string,
he substituted one of similar shape, but of
about The size of an ordinary cornet. This
was likewise covered on its outer surface
with cord.
"Now you fellows stand here" continued
the operator. mo, nearer yet! There,
about three feet from the trumpet-it don't
shoot-you're loading the gun, not firing
it-see-what do you singp and he paused
partly from want of breath and partly for
their reply.
"By-by. my Honey, I'm a-gonep'
Golden Slippah"
"Bill and the Devil"
well, what do you want TO siug?" in
quired the operator with a smile, as he
noticed that the fourth man of the Dark
Secret was silent.
He'll sing anything" he answered, with
a broad display of worries; "Bin an de
Deble suits dis chicken"
"All right, go MISUNDERSTANDING
therep
With rollicking rhythm and that quaint,
plaintiye information and refrain found only
IN the Threats of the African descendants,
thes quartette metaphorically unloosened
UuoulsclNoS Oh bue iuolOuy U0ab seaman
made so popular. All through the old ne
gro's tale of his trial with the arch enemy,
and how at length he had cut the evil one
off with you can puzzle all them white
folks with that trash, but you can't fool
poor black Bill" the wheel of the phouo-
graph whizzed merrily. and the operator
kept time with his nodding head.
Then the quartette was dissolved, and
duet was organized with double banjo &C
axair he. al Il.
dies that the four could remember were
brought out with gusto and vim that
would shame Billy Emerson, and caught
upon its cunning waxen brain to be spoken
again may be ten years hence in some land
across the sea.
Then little child, perhaps year in age
was given the place of honor before the ma
chine, and the trumpet again changed to
one of somewhat over 81 X inches in diameter.
The little one gazed in terror at the formid-
able looking contrivance, evidently stran-
ger to such plaything. The operator
brought out doll and toy monkey for
the purpose of getting hearty laugh from
the child. Try as he would, however, the
baby was all eyes for the photograph, but
utterly oblivious to the monkey, although
the operator made the beast swallow the
doll, and vice versa, many times, aud per-
formed dozen other antics just as anus
ing.
"If you won't laugh for me, my dear, u
he at last rather impatiently exclaimed,
you'll cry. guessl Wen register a good,
hearty boo-hoo, won't weg' Here the en-
thusiastic operator pinched the baby's plump
arm and threw the doll and monkey in the
corner. The effect was magical Now
that the toys were out of all reach and her
arms smarted holly from the pinching, the
child oblgingly set most healthy pair of
lungs to work. The photograph took down
the sobs as they came up from the little
choking throat, and after a sufficient num-
Der had been gathered in the wheel stopped.
well, my little sugar lump" continued
| the base tormentor, you can have the
| things back, now that we have got what
| we want The cylinder is full and I'll send
| this to New York. Bah. you mean little
impl You're laughing, as sure as am liv-
| ing, you are! And my cylinder is full, too.
What luckw and he turned disconsolately
away.
Yes, it is rather interesting to see us fill
'em up for future generations of men to
| listen to. Wehave all sorts of tunes, though,
| and all sorts of bothers once in a while.
l Sometimes, when we have a gem of a comic
song nearly through, the singer will stop to
| cough or blow his nose. The effect is hor-
rible. Think of sitting down in your par
lar with your folks to the family phono.
| graph. The song is fine. With the truest
| information and the sweetest effect imagin-
able the singer sings He's Going to Marry
| Yum YUM or some other gem. Just at
Il fhn hacf