Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-08-24
VISUAL TELEGRAPHY
1T is POSSIBLE NOW TO SEE YOUR
FRIENDS BY ELECTRICITY.

with Over the Wire, Though Thousands
of Miles Separate You.
To look into an ordinary telephone re-
Heiver and while conversing with friend
eusu,iiy u GO h..i - y. 5.. - 80 49, CID
of the line perhaps thousands Of miles
awayl This is the proposition which is
stirring the scientists of the electrical
world at the present time-a long stand
ing problem, which some of them think
has been solved.
Think of New Yorker telling Chica-
go friend a funny story over the long dis
tance telephone and watching its effect on
his listener by means of an attachment on
the same instrument.
"Visual telegraphy" is the name by
which the new system is known in the
technical world. Seeing by WIRE is the
common name given to it by those who
are not scientists, and the last name best
describes it. OF course one does not actu-
ally 'see" through long distance or i'm
possible space, but the impression made
at one end Of the line is recorded ut the
other.
The apparatus transmits whatever may
come in it's way even to the expression Of
in front of telephone receiver.
The man who claims that such won
der is possible and who has designed
method for its accomplishment is N. s.
Amstutz, an electrical engineer of Cleve-
land. His papers on the subject are being
eagerly read by scientists the world over.
The effect is produced by means Of Sc
lenium, an extremely sensitive substance,
which changes its electrical properties or
conductivity with every varying condition
of light or shade under which 1t may be
placed. So sensitive is it that the least
change in the surrounding temperature
will make an appreciable difference in its
capacity for transmitting q current. De-
grees of light and shade have the greatest
effect on it, and under certain conditions
it almost seems to possess a superhuman
sensitiveness.
1t was discovered by Berzelius in 1917,
but its peculiar behavior in regard to cleo
tricity was not made known until much
later date. In 1878 Professor Willoughby
Smith discovered that it changed It's resist
ance to considerable extent when differ
emit degrees Of light were thrown on 1t.
By q mechanical device, which Is
brought into requisition at both ends Of
the line to be operated, sections of seleni-
um as small as pin points are made to TO-
tate in the telephone receiver in front Of
the image to be photographed. AS before
stated, light and shade produce variable
effect on the selenium, and the points take
on various conductivities as the shades Of
expression are passing over the face Of the
person whose picture is being recorded.
The passage Of the electric current over
the line constantly influences the selenium
at the other end, and it, changing with
every degree of current, produces a fac
smile of what is taking place in front Of
the first transmitter. Thus person car
rying on an animated conversation in a
Chicago Office can practically be watch
ed" by colleague in New York Office.
Here is panel game" such as the swim
der has never dreamed of.
In an article on the subject, which ap-
peared in Electricity, Mr.. Amstutz says:
1.-The whole proposition of visual teleg-
raphy rests upon the persistency of Vi
sion, which retains the image Of an OBJ
ject for q moment after the object
itself is removed. Edison undoubtedly
was the first to remove this phase of the
subject from its purely scientific aspect to
practical solution in the kinetograph,
wherein successive photographs of objects
in motion are made to reappear so rapidly
before the eye that but continuous image
is reproduced, which maneuvers similarly
to the original object. The successful
demonstration Of the photograph expert
ments anticipates a greater success of tho
more rapid succession of luminous i'm
pulses electrically transmitted.
Professor Edwin J. Houston, referring
to a series of New Electrical Wonders at
Hand, said recently: 1 discern practi-
cal apparatus for seeing through wire
that is, a device for looking into receiver
at one end Of a metallic wire and seeing
therein faithful reproduction of what
ever optical images are impressed upon
transmitter at the other end, even though
thousands of miles intervene
Il have outlined a complete working
system in conjunction with the modifca-
tiOns heretofore mentioned to be used in
combination with q telephone circuit.
Such q system as outlined simply involves
the taking down of the hand phone re-
ceiver at, for instance, Cleveland sta
ton, when instantly the rotation picture
point seleetor is placed in rotation both at
the Cleveland end and the New York re-
ceiving station. The light to illuminate
the operators features is automatically
established.
by this time the operator at the New
York station removes her hand phone in
answer to the ordinary telephone call bell.
Even before she removes the hand phone
she will be able to sec the features of the
Cleveland operator, providing the latter
has taken down her hand phone
1.-The removing of the New York hand
phone automatically sets in motion the
New York picture point selector as well
as the one at Cleveland, which is to de-
liver the image of the New York operator.
Both were started from the New York end
of the line, as the previous two were start
ed from Cleveland.
"The lamp to illuminate the features Of
the New York operator is also automatic
ally established. Directly above the tele-
phone transmitter are placed two open
ings. On the right is the one through
which the operators features are to be
transmitted. One on the left, provided
with tube to keep away extraneous light,
contains the receiving plate upon which
the features of the distant operator will
appear. The opening above these two is
provided with source of light which is
needed to illuminate the features of the
person using the instrument.
when the Cleveland operator replaces
her hand phone the Cleveland selector ms