New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-26
KLEIDOGRAPH.


William b. Wait. superintendent of the New-York
Institution for the Bind. at Nnth-ave and Thirty
fourth-st.. In this city. MIR Wait has recently
patented instrument by means OF when
person may write in this alphabet more easily than
hitherto: but before it is described brief ex-
PLANTATION OF the code itself should be afforded
The materials out OF which the characters IN ths
system are constructed are all derived from what
are called base forms. These as follows:
First base. second. -: third. -; fourth. ::::
From the first Mr. Wait makes the letters.
The upper dot stands for &C.. the lower for
e." and the two together for e." Out OF the
second base form he gets eight letters The upper
pair stands for IA" the lower pair for IN" the
upper rlgh-hand point and the lower left together
for 90 and the other two for IS. Four different
combinations OF three points from ;hls base give
m" a." r" and ID" Various groupings OF the
dots in the third base form give the rest OF the
alphabet. The fourth pair Of dots are drawn upon
only to make capitals (by addition to the symbol
for tho small letter. and for punctuation marks,
word signs and characters foT stu other uses
Musicli notation and expression marks ana ma,he-
matcal symbols may also be conveyed by THIS
code.
Obviously. blind people have occasion to write as
well as to read Pupils wish to prepare exercises IN
spelling composition and other branches of study
Men and women in business and the professions
need 10 preserve memoranda OF various KINDS i'e-
sides a considerable correspondence is carried on
through the mails Now. II one has formerly pos
sessed eyeslCht and has known how 10 use PEN
and II the note or record about TO be made Is Tor
the benefit Of people who can see OF course. the
writer may resort to ordinary script. or type
writer may be employed. Education In the use OF
the latter is customary in many Institutions Tor
the blind. But suppose the recipient Of message
or the reader Of an exercise or memof'hhuh i
slshtless? II then becomes necessary TO use tan
gitle" writing tina: Is. tex; that oaa be read by
touch
Hitherto IL has been customary In sucn Work 10
Law the parcr on "A table; having horizontal grooves
corresponding To the line OF writinS ana men Win
a b!unt-po.ntcd meta stylus TO make depress'ohS
beginning az the right hand and proceeding - me
left When the sheet turned over. the dots
womb stand on, in relief. ana would read from
left 10 right II the writer wishes to stop and read
n phrase that has just been written however, IT,
must remove certain guide plates. de,ach the sheet
from the tablet AMI turn IT over. and then readlust
It carefully before he can continue work besid's
only one point can be made AT time. ana there
fore for some Characters four or Ave motions OF
the hand arc require. Tn process Is at best
sloa
Superintendent: Wait has thus been led to invent
a simple mechanism which resembles an ordinary
typewriter. TO enable one TO prepare poh'-''N'
rapidly. He calls l. the kcliograph' or key
writer II Is provided with only twelve keys. The
unoer row OF four produce the upper dots. and the
middle row give the lower dots But TO produce y"
upper ana a lower dot lore directly above the
other, the operator can use the corresponding he'
in the lowermost row. These last are called COM
mound KEYS There Ia at the right hand space
tov. and tie instrument Is equipped with bel
70 Indicate when a line Is nearly completed anu
min TO adapt the length Il the line to the width OF
the paper when abou, 10 begin me operator ,.p
cyllnders shown in the illustration. and leaves the
top Of II projecting toward the rear ot 'n ~.
Shns S saS ohe INN beow but
herewith The upper e1ge s 3i ,ne enei border OF
groove in the wooden table at the pa hc a,s IN
blunt styles sTEnpra as at the beginning
OF this article. sand Ia an er.ct postum Ju ~ .,
hind the cylinder directly und sro ne fron, to rear
On dhe under side OF this overhangng portion
Ca bch the stylets rise Uniformity and smooth
ness are thus given TO the embossed points, "o"''
'"a'n nerson using the keldograph may see eacn
word as IL Is written without reino'ihs ',r NTH, Tho
ali a' styius and tabei Not only can all tIc points
composing any single letter or ehhsaexeT re Win
one stroke Of the hand Il is INTENDED a .nat hand IND
operator shall learn 10 write win ,@ oa' kevs
render the OF more than four nngs's W tound
No. convenient 70 depress the fourth Key In either
row with finger Of the rgnl nan1 ,h ut I leaves
dbe right hand free to make notes keep Keep D oof
open ana follow The orsnd igs' ,dyaniaee would
be lost If the .efl hand were not trainer 10 III
dependence. , -. ,a,ur.ilv becn engaged |
SUP. n,.rnrlscs designed TO promote the ~.
ellectual ana spiritual we h D Hr ,Se Sh the
W W. pi6lc Society that tnat orRahha'.vvh
undertook to have the whole Bolr Prim'ou ,hIs
n,oTk embraces eleven volumes each as pu'hy "a
Webster dictionary. although not con'a,n1 ns 80
MANY napes one mus, remcinpe' u"'' o"' ~" ae
ne letters being raised the leaves 40 no. u. az
Closely in a book for the blind as ID omel poo M;
~ tow ia coarser II Is not possible 10 put
anu n a" words on page. The actual cos Da
napcr labor and binding In one such copy % vor
& At the present time scheme Is undnr o eyn-
siuci III s,atn 10 raise the money necessary 10
buv one or more copies OF this pon-prlnt Binle i11
the benefit OF blind people living near '"o"e" ~
harrow and II.