Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-05

voice, but his machinery was faulty and
in its original form his invention WIS
simply an ingenious toy aud had no prao-
tical value. In the course of time the
photograph that is now in general use
was completed, and the toy photograph
for the dolls was begun.
The first doll photograph that Mr.. Edi-
son made has had an eventful career. 1t
has been shown TO every toy-maker 81
note in this country, and it has twlR
crossed the ocean and been exhibited 20
hundreds of dealers and manufsotnagrs
in Europe. Yet, in spite OF its wideex-
perience, it comes very far from being q
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 l will decribe it.
1t 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 q 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 O big monograph {
only il was little smaller. At the top
of this wheel, as it is shown in the Illus
tration, there was a needle, and at
taohed to this needle there was an arti-
fetal diaphragm.
On this wax had been cut by artificial
means narrow, spiral groves running
continuously around its wheel. In these
grooves were very small indentatIons
such as you would make with aneedle if
you were to go over a drawing, piercing
little holes in the artists lines. These
indentations are of very uneven size and
form and correspond to certain sounds.
When the crank in the doll s back was
turned slowly, the speech was drawled
out laziIy and in low tone, but when
the crank was turned quickly, the dolly
ratified through its lines in piercing
pitch.
Before the crank was started, the
needle rested in q groove at one end of
it. AS the wheel began to revoIve the
needle followed the groove and caus
the diaphragm to vibrate, reproducing
the original sounds that were spoken
into it.
Ou IuiS huu III Iblo
way the new monographs work. Bat,
the pattern has been altogether changeds
The new photograph is encased in seveR
or eight pieces of tin, which, when SOL
dered together, make the body of doll
ss perfect in form as if it were modelled
of wax. To this trunk the head and
bust, made of bisque, and the wax legs
aud arms are attached, so that when it
is completed 1t rivals in beauty the ohub-
best little baby a mothers heart could
covet.
To 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.
In big room where there are dozen
great steam hammers, some of them
weighing five tons, the tin is taken in
long sheets. When the sheets come
from under the hammers they are
stamped and cut into the proper shapes.
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.
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, dIaphragms and frame works
are fashioned and polished by ma
chInery.
In still another room, which is divided
into small apartments, there are six big
machines which look like che common
photograph. Inside of these, on a steel
rod, are strung fifty little doll cylinders.
At each of the machines sits 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 like let
ter V before her, and as the cylinder be-
gins to revolve she shoots into the hole
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
frat 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 g
voice must be clear and strong, and she
must know now TO pronounce neF WOruS
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 at time. The other
twelve relieve them when they are tired.
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 skillful
machinist, who puts the little phono-
graph together and then they are fitted
into the dolls.
Now comes the inspection. The in
speotor tries each doll by itself, and
those that are faulty are rejected. Per-
haps the girl g voice was a little husky,
and the doll talks as though it had bad
cold, or maybe the girl pitched her voice
too high, and the doll squesks out its
lines as no well-mannered dolly ever
does In drawing room.
These defective dolls are sent back and
new cylinders are put into them. All in
all, about twenty men and girls do some
piece OF work on each doll before it goes
into the packing room and is put into a