Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-10-10
MUSIC OVER WIRES.
The PRESENT AND COMING WONDERS
or ELECTRICITY.
Notable Things Have Been Done by Teie-
phone Experts. Bat still Greater
Triumphs Are at Hand.
Now York Timss.l

COHUltlOn OF Things bhht, AZ AH' VIM
for the great Inauguration ball. 81
rnultaneous balls should be held IN
Washington, New York, Philadelphia,
Boston. Buffalo. Baltimore, and CHI
cago, each ballroom being filed with
The enticing strains OF Strauss or
chestra stationed at a telephone station IN
New York. Think Of Chauncey NJ. pepew
making an after-dinner speech or deliver
ing a political Grafton 20 the guests at ban
Duets or 20 immense party gatherings ia
all the important cities east OF tho Slissis-
sippi.
Five years ago such things would have
been put down az fancies, pure and simple
but now people arc preparing themselves
for wonders. Work is being done by thou
sands Of experts who are devotlng their
energies 90 mastering the mysterious some
thing called electricity. Most people VIII
DO interested 10 know that some great TIL
umphs are at hand. and that IN oil lkeiii,,
hood year from the coming winter VIII
zee all the things aforementioned ACCOM-
plished facts.
the science Of the telephone is making
giant strides these DAYS. II takes nara
and faithful student 10 keep abreast OF the
progress that is being made IN eiectFlcal
development generally. Possibilities, are
rapidly developing into actuallteS' "hlch
are changing business methods, making
neighbors OF cities hundreds OF Iniles
apart, and realizing the dream OF even bd-
ward Bellamy.
TLECTRTCAL INCIDENTS.
The most interesting Of recent electrical
Incidents is tho development, purely as
business project, Of the facilities Tor the
Transmission of any kind Of vocal or IN
sfrumental music or entertainment % any
number Of places NJ great or small dls,
tauces. Mr.. II. j. Mccartney. special
agcut Tor the American Telephone and
TELEGRAPH Company, invited n Tlmfs re-
porter to visit the establishment OF the
company, az - COrtlandt street, that an
idea might bee had of the present status OF
lOng-disfance telephony and what It 10 fast
developiur into. int the course Of the visit
the latest experiments were tired ana
highly instructive talk was had with Gen
eral- SuperiutendcDt a. :. Hubbard.
In the first place the telephones were
tested. Boston. three hundred miles away,
was run. up, and then ensued pleasant
conversation. The operator AT tho other
oud was % Young woman, who at once
struck up "a spirited discussion OF the
Nfest development IN Ihoosophlc Budd-
l.sm Her voice was not raised so much az
IN ordinary talking, and ITS eXprcsslVeness
was perfect Washington, two hundred
aud thirty-hyc miles away. was also trled.
Every word was heard distinctly. The
operator there 7ad he could hear about as
sell ae usual with the President away, but
chat tho absence of Congress made great
difference with the lOug-dlsiance telephone
business.
NE efficiency Of tho metalic-circuit
Telephone is fairly well understood. The
rirctlt now comprises 42.0)1 miles of cop
per wire. and Boston. Providence, Norces-
Ter. Springfield Albany, Syracuse, no
chester. Buffalo Elmlra, NllkeSbarre,
III. III tNf al
and many other big cities are reach
"a with ease and expedition. Busi-
uese-houses are rapidly learning to use tho
long-distanco wires 10 the greatest adyan-
tage. The telephone no longer holds the
position Of mcsscngcr-lt Is row the
confidential agent. Many big hrms
-se 10 systematically. Several, Tor
Instance engage wires for the first
twenty minutes of each of ten
hours in dav. The head Of a firm can
from "a distance direct his city affairs and
dictate letters exactly as If he We're ~ his
own Office Great numbers of wholesale
houses are saved the expense of keeping
goods in this city. All arrangements for
eale4 and shipments can Doe made directly
with the factory. Recently woll-known
CORPORATION IN Boston. having several
members in this city. held meeting on
fine wire" rs n re. The roll was called,
resolutions WEI <~~-lssed. and all business
was transacted, the New York members
taking an active part but being able 10 do
IL an .u q fraction Of an hour and saving
the time. expense and trouble of aJourney
70 Boston.
MoNESTOUs PROBLEMS.
Superintendent Hibbard IS young man
Of ability and carnestnrss. He IS person
ally directing the Investigations that are
ngcarriod on IN the interest OF further
improvement. -,
IAN the early telephoning was done with
the sngle-wire system, known rs the
grounded system, because the earth served
M the return-wire," SAID he. This sys-
tom is subject TO great losses in clearness
and carving power. technically known as
Irakarc but nothing better was devised
until 700 OOO telcuhunes had come INTO uso
and tho problem of improvement became
momcut0us. The best available talent was
secured aud the result of its labors IS
shown to-day in the perfect system OF
loue-di.tauce telephony. The most essen
tal rcuuIrcments were found TO be "A more
perfect conductor and increased volume
of teiep' uc current, and an absolute re-
lief fr 'Xtraucous causes of disturb
lnce.
Ea4 'or . 10 hard-drawn copper wire Of
great {, 'e at 9Th and high conduc-
tIyltF. 'U ,'e rest tests tins wire has
proved . I. the rs best over produced
for clectr 40 purposes. Bells receiver did
not need Improvement. and. az the result
cf the lai H.s of Blake, Edison, Berner,
GilIland hes. Nunnlngs. and others,
The long lceJ transmtter was per-
foctrd. Thou. IN series of experiments
covering two years, the American Bell lele-
phone Company demonstrated that. by
the use eft two wires IN metallic
circuit. protected from ground connec-
tous, all uductlvo and disturbing iniiu-
puccs were eliminated and u perfect trI -
phone circuit was established. In 1854, at
great expense, "a test line was bullt and
equipped extending from Boston TO New
York. and the possibility of a perfect long
distance service was established. Ia the
following year the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company was organized,
aud IL built twenty system into
Philadelphia, then TO Boston, Albany,
Buffalo, the Coai-folds of Pennsylvania,
Baltimore. and Washington. and great
web is constantly gathering up inter-
mediate points.
LoNG-DIsTANCE TELEPHONES.
I'm building these lines twice as many
poles 10 the mile were used as had been
called for IN the old system. Permanent
routes were brought up IN order TO get tho
most direct lines possible. In the blizzard
at 1888 these long distance wires were the
only ones in New York and were the sole
communication with New England. The
company has an instantaneous photograph
OF the bulletin-b board of the Boston Globe
surrounded by an eager crowd. Ii reads
Tho Blizzard-News Only by Long-Dis-
lance Telephonel-New York all showed
Up-Commuuication with the World Cut
od Altogether Railroads Blocked III
oil parts of the Country, II was an in
tercsting witness of the efficiency OF the
system.
TRANSMISSION or MUSIC.
"Now tho laying out of plants with such
care makes possible the transmission OF
music. IL has been only within year that
this has been seriously contemplated as
practical feature OF telephony. Lillian
Russell played an important part in giving
fins movement a distinct impetus. At the
time of the electrical exhibition at the
Icnox Lyceum last April receivers were
put up in the Casino, and Lillian
Russelfs popular songs were trans
rr,tted TO the Lyceum. There q loud
sneakine transmtter Tau important device
which magnifies the sound was set up and
.,,t 10 tl,v,fa tsh