Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-01


for the dolls was begun.
The first doll photograph that MIR. Edi-
son made has had an eventful career. 1t
has been shown to every toy-maSer OF
note in this country, and it has twice
crossed the ocean and been exhibited TO
hundreds of dealers and manufacturers
in Europe. Yet, in spite of its wide ex-
perIence, it comes very far from being
perfect doll. 1t was only model, and
it has been changed greatly in shape and
size since it came out of the shop, but as
the machinery inside of it has not been
materially altered viii deeribe it.
It looked like little round stem boiler
set on end. 1t was made of tin, and
was about six inches long and two inches
in diameter. At the top was little tin
funnel, out of which the sound came.
Into the side of it fitted key. When
this key was turned the cylinder re-
volved, and the verse that had pre-
viously been spoken into it was repeated
in tiny, squeaky voice.
Inside the tin case there was brass
wheel. The rim of this wheel was Gov
cred with hard wax, which was just like
the wax cylinder in big monograph,
ouly it was little smaller. AT the top
of this wheel, as 1t is shown in the Illus
tration, there was a needle, an, at
tached to this needle there was an srti7s
fetal diaphragm. y
On this wax had been cut by artifciall
means narrow, spiral groves running
continuously around its wheel. In these
grooves were very small indentatlOns
such as you would make with a needle il
you were to 90 over drawing, piercing
little holes in the artists lines. These
ara nf warp nuavan size and
form and correspond to certain sounds.
When the crank in the doll 3 back was
turned slowly, the speech was drawled
out lazily and in low tone, but when
the crank was turned quickly, the dolly
ratified through its lines in q piercing
pitch.
Before the crank was started, the
needle rested in a groove at one end of
it. AS the wheel began to revolve the
needle followed the groove and caus
the diaphragm to vibrste, reproducing
the original sounds that were spoken
into it.
On this same principle and in this same
way the new monographs work. But
the pattern has been altogether changed.
The new photograph is encssed in seven
or eight pieces of tin, which, when SOL
dered together, make the body of doll
as perfect in form as if it were modelled
of wax. To this trunk the head and
bust, made OF bisque, and the wax legs
and arms are attached, so that when it
is completed It rivals in beauty the club
best little baby a mothers heart could
covet.
10 give you clearer idea of the doll,
let me tell you about how it is made in
the big factory that Mr.. Edison has
erected in New Jersey, where his other
workshops are built. "a
In big room where there are dozen
great steam hammers, some of them
weighing five tons, the tin is takes in
long sheets. When the sheets c9me
from under the hammers they sare
stamped and cut into the proper shaRes.
Next they go into the soldering room,
where they are put together. A little
door in the back of each body is swung.
on hinges and opens and shuts. I
Through this aperture the photograph is
set in place so that it can be. taken out
again when it happens to get out Of or
der, which is not very often.
In other rooms the brass cylinders are
stamped out and the steel pinions and
needles, dlaphragms and frame works
are fashioned and polished by ma
ohlnery.
In still another room, which is divided
into small apartments, there are six big
machines which look like the common
photograph. Inside of these, on steel
rod are strung fifty little doll cylinders.
at each of the machines sits a young
woman, and next TO the inventor whose
genius devised the doll and the agents
who sell it, there is no one about the |
factory whose work is more important
than hers. She furnishes the doll with |
Its voice.
There is a big funnel, shaped a like let |
ter V before her, and as the cylinder be- |
gins to revolve she shoots into the hole a |
verse from "Mother Goose. She must |
know exactly how loud to pitch her voice |
and precisely how long to make her lines.
A little clicking voice tells her when the |
first cylinder has received its message,
and then she begins on the second one, |
and so on until the entire row is ended. |
This is not easy work. The girl's |
voice must be clear and strong, and she |
must know how to pronounce her words |
clearly and correctly. In little while |
she becomes tired and then another |
trained girl takes her place. There are |
eighteen of these girls in the factory and !
only six can work st time. The other |
Twelve TeleVe mem Wnen InoY are tlreus !
After the cylinders on which these |
verses have been cut by means of the lit |
tie indentations have told you about, |
have been taken out of the recording |
machine, they are given to a skillful
machinist, who puts the little phono-
graph together and then they are fitted |
into the dolls.
Now comes the inspection. The in
spector tries each doll by itself, and I
those that are faulty are rejected. PEREZ
haps the girl IS voice was a little husky, |
and the doll talks as though it had assGd
cold, or maybe the girl pitched heryDice
too high, and the doll squeaks cut Its
lines as no well-mannered dolly over
does in drawing room.
These defective dolls are sent baoklsnd |
new cylinders are put into them. An in
all, about twenty men and girls do some
piece of work on each doll before it gdss.
into the packing room and Is put into al
box to be shipped to the storeroom in this /
city.
At first it was knotty problem how
the dolls could be packed safely. The /
tried many experimenta