Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-01-28
THE PULSION TELEPHONE.
Mechanical Invention of Great CONNER
cial Importance.

A new mechanical telephone of extra
ordinary power has recently been eXcit-
ing considerable attention in London
and some other cities and towns in this
country, writes correspondent of
Nature. 1t is of American origin, like
SO many other modern improvements of
exceptional character, being the inven-
ton OF one Lemuel Mellet, believe, of
Boston. There have been many previous
mechanical telephones, as your readers
are aware, some of which have obtained
much publicity for a short time, and
then have been heard of but little more:
but having had an opportunity Of eXper-
imenting frequently with the new in
strument and observing it's vocal pow
er, SO to speak, under very various cir
cumstances, l can not doubt it has a
| great future before it.
| 1t may be clearly stated at once that
the pulsion instrument is absolutely in
| dependent of all electrical aids or APP
| pllances, and therefore needs neither
battery power to bring it into play nor
insulation of any of its parts to keep
! them effective. 1t consists solely of two
cheap and simple instruments connected
| by an ordinary non-inSulated wire of
copper, or, better still, of double steel
wire, the two parts being slightly
| lntertwisted, say with about a
| single turn in a couple Of
! feet. The wire Tor wires) is simply
| Topped to the instrument at either end,
| the connection being made in few
| seconds. The instrument consists of
disk in combination with series of
| small spiral springs inclosed in a case
| OF some three or four inches in diam
eter. These springs, arranged in a man
ner that has been determined by ex-
pertinent, and SO as to produce harmo-
nlZed vibrations, appear to possess the
power of magnifying or accumula ting
upon the wire the vibrations which the
voice sets up in the disk, and the wire
seems to possess - undoubtedly does
posSess-the power of transmitting to
great distances, and giving out upon
second pulsion instrument the sounds of
the voice.
The ability of this simple system of
springs, disks and wires to convey con-
versational and other sounds to con-
siderable distances with great olearness
and distinctness, reproducing the very
tones of the voice and the qualities of
musical sounds with but little reduction
or modification, is most surprising, and
to none more so.than to the many men
of science who have been recently ex-
perime nting with it.
The writer of this notice can not, per-
haps, do better than state his own expe-
ricnces with this system. After exam
lining and experimenting over several
short lengths of wire, some of them ex-
ceeding mile and a half, he last week
went to the Finchley Road Station of
the Midland railway, from point near
to which a line had been conveyed to
near the Welsh Harp Station, distance
of three miles by the line of railway,
and Of more by the track of the wire,
which for the larger part was carried by
the telegraph-posts, to which it was at
tached by very simple means. CONVEX
sation through this length of line, of
over three miles, was exceedingly easy;
indeed, so powerfully was the voice
transmitted that an ordinary hat sui
feed for all the purposes of the second
instrument, without going near to which
conversation was carried on repeatedly
by means of the hats of three gentlemen
who were present, the tops of which,
were merely placed against the tele~
phone wire.
then went into the garden of tho
''Welsh Harp" where a short length of
wire had been led between two points,
the wire on its way from one point to
the other being twice tightly twisted,
at an interval of some yards, round
small branches of trees of about one
inch in diameter, being wound round
and round the branch three times in
each case. Strange to say, this tight
twisting of the wires round the branches
in no way interfered with the transmits
sion of the voice from end to end of the
wire.
A third and last experiment was made
with a wire laid obliquely across the
Welsh Harp lake, and allowed to sink
to and rest upon the lake bottom. The
length of the line was roughly estimated
at about one-third of mile, and from
end to end excepting few yards at
each end where the wire was led from
the waters edge to the telephone box)
the wire was completely immersed, and
without any other support than the bot
tom of the lake offered it. Yet, not
withstanding this immersion of the
whole wire, converse ton was carried on
through it by means of the pulsion in
struments without the least difficulty.
In fact, the voice came through the i'm
mersed wire, and the longest wire lot
over three miles) previously mentioned,
with greater purity and mellowness than
through shorter lengths,
He Couldn't Exactly Tell.
A late respected general manager of
bo ST Dou1 rood IN ono ooooc;oo ,,