The Portland daily press., 1895-07-20
WHAT A FROGS CRoAK DID.
Peculiar Incident That Led to the Inyen-
tion of the Telephone.

1t Is not common knowledge, except to
those familiar with electrical and tele-
phone history, that the first telephone
was constructed in Racine, Wis, and that
the inventor, DR.. S. D. Cushman, is now
a resident Of Chicago
His litigation with the Bell telephone
company, extending over period of ten
years and costing 800, ,OOo has been re
ported from legal standpoint but as
1T is one OF Mr.. Cushman's principles
that personal "reminiscences are in bad
taste he has seldom given formal inter-
view. His offices are in the Stock Ex-
change building Here the venerable in
ventor n years of age, who built the first
telegraph lines in this part of the 'sfar
west pursues his business with more
| alertness to affairs than the average
young man.
In a corner of the room is a large, worn
piece OF muslin on which is painted in
| thin color representation of a telegraph
line stretching away in the distance, con-
nected with a crude instrument, set on
| two logs near which is frog sitting by
| stream. This old relic represents the tele-
graph line of "good cedar posts, which
DIR. Cushman constructed west from
Racine for the Erie & Michigan telegraph
company in 1857, and the experimental
| lightning arrester which led to his dis
covery.
1t is reminder of the days when DR..
Cushman was associated with Prof Morse
in the pioneer days of telegraphy. On
his desk is the first telephone transmitter
constructed in 1851, twenty five years be-
fore the Bell patents were taken out. It
is small square box, with speaking
orifice and containing mechanism on the
same principle as that of the modern
transmitter
| In 1851 DIR. Cushman undertook the
construction of a lightning arrester, his
object being to take the lightning that
struck the wire and run it into the
ground, the instrument being so con-
structed that it would not interfere with
the light current used in telegraphing.
This instrument was placed out on the
prairie on two logs and in order to know
when it had operated triple magnet
with sheet of thin iron at the poles,
similar in construction to modern "re-
ceiver,' was placed in the corner of the
box. In case the lightning passed
through the instrument the electro-magnet
would pull this strip of iron down into
the range of permanent magnet, which
would retain it until the instrument was
| inspected.
A similar device was placed in the base
ment of the building at Racine and con-
nected with the other end of the line One
day while thunderstorm was coming
up and DR.. Cushman was watching the
instrument, the oroaking of frogs was
heard, thirteenRmiles away This is the
explanation Of how the old painting with
the crude instrument and the oroaking
frog is identified with the discovery of
the telephone.
DR.. Cushman is the inventor of the fire
alarm system in use in Chicago. His
patent office reports, he says, 'swould
weigh tom and contain great number
of his electrical patents. To the priority
of Dr. Cushman there is said to be NO
doubt and the contest of the validity of
the Bell patents begun in 1885 was at last
taken to the United States District court
of Boston in 1S93 where it is now pend
ing.
DR.. Cushman is a descendant of the
historical Cushmans who came to Vir-
ginia in 1640 He was friend of Horace
Greeley and most of his prominent con
temporaries in what might be called the
era of rapid mechanical development. In
early life he was a newspaper reporter.
Some twenty years of his life was spent
in central Ohio, and he says: "I never
doubted that God made that country. Q
DR.. Cushman has snow-white hair and
small blue eyes, OF late years he has not
been able to read, but has the principa
topics of the daily papers read to him. =
Chicago News.