Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1893-02-25
Edison and the Photograph.

A hundred electrical inventions
have made Thomas Alva Edison the
most celebrated inventor Of his time.
His photograph is the wonder of the
world, and one OF few inventions
which envious and disappointed II
walls have not charged Edison with
having stolen. In fact even his bit
terest competitors for fame, all OF
whom appear to harbor the IDEA
that it is their due to detract from
Interpolation for genius and honesty.
as a rule coucede that Edison really
did invent the monograph. How he
came to invent it is most interest
ing story. Here it is as it was told
to me by we'll known electrician
net long ago:
MANY years ago." said my infor
mant, when Edison was still at
Menlo Park, and working night and
dav for fame, he devoted months to
perfecting the telephone and un
doubtedly did more than any other
inventor to make it practical by in
Producing the carbon plate into the
transmitter. While experimenting
on diaphragms for the telephone
Edison had constructed a number OF
small sheepskIn drumheads, to test
their value as diaphragmS as conf
pared with metal and other SUBJ
stances. To some OF these sheep
skin diaphragms he had attached u
small metal needle, which was in
tended to project toward the mag
net and assist in conveying the vi
bration caused by the human voice.
The sheepskin diaphragms did not
fulfill EdiSon's expectations and lie
discarded them, and, as usual with
appliances he decides to be useless,
they we're thrown aside to be remov-
ed with other rubbish.
His assistant soon discovered that
by holding the sheepskin diaphragms
in front of their mouths and emit
ting cultural sound between the
lips a peculiar noise approaching mu
sic could be produced. 1t was some
thing similar to the alleged music
produced by covering a comb with
thin paper and humming q tune on
it. In passing one of the men en-
gagged in playing on diaphragm
one day, Edison playfully attempted
to stop the noise by touching the pro
lecting metal pin with his finger, and
no sooner had he done SO than he
gave one Of his peculiar starts Eth,
what's that said he, which SO aston
isicd the performer that ne dropped
tl.n diaphragm DO that again,
said the wizard, and twas repeated,
and again his finger touched the pin,
TO his evident delight. He went
about for some time asking one after
anoticr of his assistants to hum or
sing against the diaphragm, and fl
nully he got them to talking against
it, he all the time touching the pin
lightly with his finger.
a. have it., said he finally, and he
retired TO his den and commenced
drawing diagrams for new lnachin-
cry, which his assistants speedily
made, and few days later the first
photograph was put together. II
was IA crude affair, the pin innkii...
all impression on wax, and IT talked
impcrfcctly, but it did well enough to
show Edison that he WAS on the
right track, and he rapidly improved
il. until now it is very nearly perfcc-
ton. A hundred men might have
felt the vibration OF that pin attach
ed to the piece OF Hheepskin, but it
took an Edison TO instantly realize
that the vibrations might be made
to indent soft snbetanco and be
susceptible OF reproducing the exact
sounds Of the human voice that
caused different vibrations. The pho
nograph was regarded NE n toy Mt
first, but later it sold for 81 900, U00.'
New York Herald.