The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-02-25
EDISON'S PHONOGRAPH.
How the "Wizard" Came to In
vent the Wonderful Instru-
rRRnf

H0" the w tZaEa came TO In
vent the Wonderful Insfru-
ment.
A hundred electrical Inventions have
made Thomas AIya Edison the most
celebrated inventor of his time His
photograph is the wonder of the world,
and one of a few inventions which envious
and disappointed rivals have not charged
Edison with having stolen. In fact even
his btterest competitors for fame, all of
| whom appear to harbOr the idea that it
is their due to detract from his reput
alton for genius and honesty, as rule
c0ncede that Edison did really invent the
photograph. How he came to invent
it is most interesting story. Here it is
as it was told 10 mo by q well known
electrician not long age:
MANY years ago." said my informant
| when Edison was still at Menlo Park, and
working night ard day for fame. he de.
voted months to periecting the telephone
and undoubtedly did more than any
| other inventor to MAKE it practical by
introducing tho carbon plate into the
transmitter. While experimenting on
diaphragms fer the telephone Edison had
constructed . humber of small sheepslIn
druuLeads 10 test their value as dia
| phragms as compared with metal and
| other substances. To some of these
sheepskin diaphragms he had attached
q small metal needle, which was Intended
to project toward the magnet and assist
in conveying the vibration caused by the
human voice. Thesheepskin diaphragms
did not fulfill Edison's expectations and
he discarded them and as usual with
appliances he decides to be useless. they
were thrown aside to be removed with
| other rubbish
"His assistants soon discovered thas
by holding the sheepskin dirphragms in
front of their mouths and emitting a
| cultural sound between the lips peculiar
noise approaching music could be pro
duced. 1t was something similar to the
alleged music produced by covering a
comb with thin paper and l.umming a
tune on it. In passing one Of the
men engaged in playing On q diaphragm
stop the noise by touching the project
ing metal pin with bis finger, and nc
sooner had be done 50 than be gave one
of his peculiar starts. En-, what's that?
1 caiI l. :, al, H.
former that he dropped the diaphragm.
Do that again said the wizard and il
was repeated, and again his tiUgeI
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 to talking against it he all
the time touching the pin lightly with
his finger.
Il have it, said he finally, and he
retired to his den and commenced draw
ing diagrams for new machinery which
ais assistants speedily made and few
days later the FIRST photograph was put
together. 1t was crude affair, the pin
making al impression on wax, and ii
talked iinperfectly but it did well enough
to show Edison that he was on the
right track, and he rapidly improved ii
until now it is very nearly perfection
A hundred men might have felt the
vibration of that pin attached to the
piece of sheepskin, but it took an Edison
10 instantly realize that the vibrations
might be made to indent soft substance
and be susceptible of reproducing the
the exact sounds of the human voice
that caused different vibrations. The
phonogragh was regarded as toy at
first but later it sold for $1,000,000.'
-Nelc York Herald.