Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-18
EDISON AND THE pAoNoeRApH.
Bow the Wizard" Came TO Invent the
Wenderfui Instrament-

A hundred electrical inventions hSvs
made Thomas Alya Edison the most ceie-
brated inventor OF his time. His phono-
graph is the wonder OF the world, and one
OF the few inventions which envious and
disappointed rivals have not charged Edi-
son with having stolen In fact even his
bitberest competitors for fame, all OF whom
appear 70 harbor the idea that II is their
due 20 detract from his reputation for gen
Jus and honesty. as a rule concede that Edi-
son did really invent the photograph. How
he came 70 invent il is most interesting
story. Here il IS rs it was told to me by .
we'll known electrician not long ago:
"Many years ago." said MY informant,
''when Edison was still ~ Menlo Park, and
working night and day for fame. he de-
voted months to perfecting the telephone
and undoub tedly did more than any other
inventor TO make II practical by introduce
ing the carbon plate into the transmitter.
While experimenting on diaphragms for
the telephone Edison had constructed .
number of small sheepskin drumheads, to
test their value as diaphragms a. COM
pared with metal and other substances.
To some of these sheepskin diaphragms he
had attached a small metal needle, which
was intended 10 project toward the mag
net and assist in conveying the vibration
caused by the human voice. The sheep
skin diaphragms did not fulfill Edison'sex-
pectations and he discarded them, and, a
usual with appliances he decides to be use
less, they were thrown aside to be removed
with other rubbish.
'His assistants soon discovered that BY
holding the sheepskin diaphraglns in front
Of their mouths and emitting a cultural
sound between the lips Q peculiar noise
approaching music could be produced. II
was something similar to the alleged mu.
sic produced by covering comb with thin
paper and humming tune on it. In pass
ing one of the men engaged in playing on
a diaphragm one day, Edison playfully at
tempted TO stop the noise by touching the
projecting metal pin with his finger, and
no sooner had he done so than he gave one
of his peculiar starts Ell, what's thats
said be, which so astonished the performer
that he dropped the diaphragm. DO that
again. said the wizard and it was re-
peated, and again his finger touched the
pin, to his evident delight He went about
for some time asking one after another OF
his assistants to hum or sing against the
diaphragm, and finally he got them tc
t1ihinS oeai1se ~ HC All Vic Olulc tOuCulu8
the pin lightly with his finger.
Il have it, said he finally. and he re
tired to his den and commenced drawing
diagrams for new machinery, which his
assistants speedily made. and a few day,
later the first photograph was put to
| gether. 1t was a crude affair, the pin max
ing an impression on wax, and it talked
imperfectly, but 1t did well enough te
Il Al =
track, and he rapidly improved it. unit
now it is very nearly perfection. A hun
dred men might have felt the vibration o.
that pin attached to the piece of sheepskin
| but it took an Edison to instantly realiz,
that the vibrations might be made to in
dent soft substance and be susceptible Of
reproducing the exact sounds of the human
voice that caused different vibrations. TIL,
| monograph was regarded as a toy at first
but later it sold for 81 ,000, 900. New Yorl
| Herald