The morning call., 1893-05-27
IT'S ONLY A TOY.
The Sound=BottIer at It's
Very Best.
SAM DAVIS PHONOGRAPHS.
He Tries His Jokes on Them and if
They Don't Break the Machine
He Publishes Them.
SAM DAVIS PHONoGRApHs.

Up to about year ago the phonograph-
makers refused to sell any Photographs
sutright at any price whatever, and the
Only way person ould get the use of one
OF them was by renting it at so much a
nth.
7lnce changing this policy and permit
Z absolute sales the business has greatly
creased. 1t seems that people preferred
% pay comparatively large sum down
rather than TO rent their machine from
month to month and feel that it might be
taken from them at any time.
So c. E. Nestor stated yesterday, as he
took the rubber tube of an exhibition
phonograph from his ears and so cut off
the sound of Pat Brady's sweet voice
and the thrilling political Grafton that gen.
tleman was making 10 an eDthuSla site
audience.
I'VE have only about two dozen instru-
ments in use in business establishments, ~
said he. The majority of these are used
by typewriters, most Of whom are em-
ployed by court reporters. who talk testi-
mony from their note books onto the cylin-
der, go back to court and leave their
transcrlbeTs alone with the instrument.
some authors use them, but they can
hardly be said TO be making business or
commercial use OF the instruments. AS
an adjunct TO a business office the phonO-
graph has not been tropical triumph.
But il Is a noteworthy fact that the male
typewriterS seem 10 agree with the nslru-
ment more often than the girls. The lat
ter are prPladiced againStltS use for reasons
of their own. | admit mysei that the rub
ber tubes hanging from their ears do not
very greatly ada to their personal charms.
"AS means OF recreation, amusement
hOy iS lpO in
popularity. THIS is evidenced by the fact
that although the complete machine and
equipment crSts 1925 the company reports
an average daily safe of three machines.
Practically all Of them go to private
families and institutions, and they Start on
their mission If Innocent amusement and
scientific experiment. TO all parts of Cali
fornia, 10 Mexico. South America, China.
Japan and India"
Among other private families, Charles
WIeland ornaments his parlor with IA
pretty pEnnograph table. and has quite Il
hne collection Of cylinders in his ca blnet.
tie nndS II very entertaining to his friends
They are also used in two or three
better-class sal0ons as an exceedingly mild
form OF dissipation.
Major Mclaughlin of Santa Cruz takes
particular pride in his collection of cylln-
ders, VIII ch he values at eight or ten
thousand dollars. He has quite a nun Der
Of very rare and costly cylinders, among
which are some received from the Wizard
of Nenlo Park himself, with a host of
other waXen curios If sound and speech.
some years ago, when John Mccullough
was confined ln au insane asylum, Edison
visited the place and got the demented
actor to talk off a few cylinders.
As 4 ecial favor TO Mr.. Nestor, who is
an Intimate friend Of the great inventor,
Ellison had the cylinders reproduced and
allowed them to be sold as special favor.
When the Mccullough cylinderS slipped
into place and the in tTument started poor
John IS heard to scream out denunciatiuns
against the degeneracy of Rome, In his role
of ViTginiuS, and in his very best style.
Suddenly he breaks off and lmplores the
asylum ply stefan to believe that ne is not
mad. immediately he switches onto
Shakespeare, after which he breaks into
demoniacal laughter. and all on one cyl
iuder. This particular piece of wax is con-
siderrd a great treat.
Brady is our great funny man." said
MI Nestor, taking out drawer contain
ing perhaps hundred cylinders. a clever
fellow in Cincinnati spoke them all off
We have Brady making political spec chps
before and after election, Brady out with
the DOys and harangupg them in saloons,
Brady at the opera, Brady with a jag,
Brady at a wake. and, in fact, Brady in
every possible phaZe of Irish American
life. He's popular chap.
OF course Popular songs and brass bands
continue also very popular, and Patti AT a
distance also commands a ready sale. We
could only get her by stealth-that is.
point the instrument at her while she was
on the stage. We made her all sorts of
propositions and every possible induce
ment to sing right into the phonograph, so
that we might get hrst-cass reproduction
of her voice, but La Diva turned up her
exclusive little nose in undIsguised con-
tempt. She dlsiked the idea of singing at
popular prices, or as one might say, at no
price at all: So we are obliged to be con-
tent with Patti at distance"
1t is some two years now since Edison
himself has worked upon the machine
consequently during this time 10 lmpor-
tant improvements have been made, the
inventor seemingly being the only man
VINO really understands the machine. How
ever, very, much improved funnel has
beeu devised, which throws out the sound
more perfectly. The diaphragm, too,
which is now made of thin glass, has been
considerably perfected.
Inc company is now in the hands of
Edison again, and he has promised TO get
to work upon it when his present iron ore
separator invention has been perfected.
Edison is quoted as saying: ''l'll make
that phonoglap talk all over building.
I'll make it talk and walk and write, and
do great many things that people can't
do, before | get through with il"
pliclt faith in the inexhaustible inventive
resources of the Wizard that he believes it.
Scientific men find the instrument of
great practical aid in studying the nature
and laws of sound, and experimentation
in this department of science is thus won
derfuily assisted.
And the literary men-some of them
could not get along without their phono-
graph. They use them to hear how thing
sounds. Sam Davis. the Carson Journal
isi. has used one for long time.
., Not1ust one. however" said Mr.. Nestor,
but good many He has been in the
habit of trying his funny stories on inaf-
IensiVe phonographs fnr long time now.
ne cracks JOKE at the machine. and if
the instrument stands it he feels measur.
ably safe In cracking it on the public.
W ny, believe we've sent Sam Davis
as many as Tour dozen monographs within
MOZart'S Twelfth Mass