Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-04-20
PHON0GRAPH IMPROVED.
Edison Has Substituted Spring Motol
for EIncfricifI

Edison Has Substituted a Spring Motor
for Electricity.
"There you are," said Edison, with
a glance of difident pride at one of his
new monographs. "You see it is run by
clockwork and spring. / can put that
on the market for $50 or $40. It is in
tended for reproducing records Of any
kind. Another form is made for record
ing, and a little extra expense fits it for
both purposes. Thus, you see, you can
hear the best music i'll the world and
the finest defamation for less than the
price Of your wash bill.
1T is wound up by this crank in ten
seconds. It runs for four and one-half
minutes. Two of the ordinary record
cylinders can be run through in that
time, and all the present records of song,
music and recitations are available. Do
you know what that means? You can
hear Beecher or Won Moltke or old
Kaiser Wilhelm OF Cardinal Manning
or Gen. Sherman on that little bit OF
machinery You can listen to Booth or
Jean de Reszke or Calve or Bernhardt."
The new photograph is about the size
of a small hand sewing machine, and
can be carried around in its case as
easily as a hand camera. The spring
motor is strong but light, and the run
ming parts are carefully finished The
ordinary wax cylinder is used, and the
most marked change is the entire dis
appearance of the scratchy noise that is
often heard in the old apparatus.
The music, Of whatever kind, is
smooth and soft, and even where shrill
instruments are employed in making the
record, the reproduction actually gains
by the purity of tone that it imparts.
The shading is clear, and the ovartones
come out with distinctness, giving color
to every note.
Mr.. Edison said that there are now
available several thousand record cyl
inders which include the best music and
elocution the world has ever known, and
one of which could be slipped off in an
instant. Another point in favor of the
new photograph is that the repetition
may run into the hundreds before the
wax valleys or corrugationS on the CYL
inders are damaged.
IF you will find what | predicted
years ago." continued Mr. Edison. you
will see | promised complete novels and
operas on the photograph. | am keeping
my word. / can now give you the opera
of Norma music and words, on FIVE
cylinders. But that is a luxury, you
may say. Well, it is not luxury to
save your eyes and give you hrst-class
elocution, is it? Very soon the old tooth
comb music box, with it's three or four
tunes, will be a relic of barbarism. In
addition, / intend to rescue the eyes
from slavery.
''Why should you have to read book,
or why, to save your eyes, should some
tired member of your family have to read
to you? Perhaps you have heard about
Mr.. Stead's penny classics in England.
| am going him one better. He is ruin
ing the eyes of the people who can least
afford to have their eyes spoiled. With
the photograph completed, anybody can
get one of my cheap classics, slip it on
one of these little monographs, and half
a dozen friends can listen at once. The
photograph is greater saver of human
tissue, organism and effort than the type
writer, and, above all things, it is great
educatOr''