The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-24
TELEPHONE THAT is ALIVE.
DEAF MUTE WANTS TO PATENT
HIMSELF AS A LIVING
TELEPHONE.

A Dry Battery Carried i'm Left Hip
Pocket - With Transmitter and
Receiver Hanging From n Hook
at His Side He Faces the World.
Begs Patents for His Machine As
He Walks on His Way.
j. c. Chester, of Glendive, Mont, has
supplied himself with a long-felt want.
He is a deaf mute, unable, either from
birth or from very early childhood, to
hear. Gradually the memory of spoken
words left him, and he became what is
commonly known as deaf and dumb per-
son. The name of deaf mute as every
body now knows, is a misnomer. The
organs of speech are unaffected, but the
mute" is unable to speak because he does
not know how to use his voice.
j. c.. Chester has learned to articulate
and can make the awful gutteral sounds
peculiar to the deaf and dumb speakers.
But he is going now to do more He ex-
poets to hear and speak as well as any
one. A little clumsily perhaps, but in
perfectly clear manner
Like most originators, Mr.. Chester has
taken advantage of electricity for his ad-
vancement, and has so arranged a tele-
phone that it subserves his use.
His scheme is to fit telephone to his
body so that where he travels it shall
travel also. When he lies down the tele-
phone lies down. When he walks the tel
ephone walks His body is the body of
the telephone, and there is no life in either
| without the other. He is a living tele-
phone, able to hear and speak through
| space
| In spite of great deal of fun that has
| been poked at him since the conception of
his invention, he has gone on undismayed,
until now it-or he-stands completedi 1t
| is an actual thing, and is now on the way
| to Washington with him. He is tramping
it to the capital to exhibit it--and himself.
And he hopes to make a fortune for him
| self, as well as to confer a great benefit
upon mankind.
This living telephone is a bulky fellow.
! He wears under his clothes, almost next
! to his body, a great many coils of insu-
lated wire. This is carried around the
waist many times like a Iady's ribbon,
and, being slender, it does not hurt him or
cause him any inconvenience. 1t looks
peculiar, but it does not hurt
In one hip pocket there is a bulky pack
age. 1t is not heavy, but its Importance
makes it obtrusiVe. 1t sticks out with
lump that cannot be disguished. The
man carries his hand on it, the better to
protect it. 1t is dry battery and is re-
lated to the wire in an important way.
Now comes the important part of the
| telephone. Thus far all has been con-
cealed. The first thing the observer no
! tees is a large receiver, similar to the one
used upon telephone. This is attached
to the left ear of the man. 1t is his meth
cd for hearing. 1t is power
ful sound receiver Aftaobed m fG a
wire that can be connected with the teeth,
in case the mute cannot hear with the re-
ceiver.
He has found by experiments that the
dulled nerves of the ears are quickened by
these powerful electric appliances, and
that he does hear. 1t is a vague, uncer-
tain hearing, but a great deal better than
none at all. 1t is more vibration than
hearing. He gets murmuring of
sounds, not as clear as given by the salt
petre solution, in which hands can be dip
ped, but clear enough for everyday use
and more convenient than the basin of
fluid now so commonly used by deaf
mutes to get sound vibration.
The funniest part of the apparatus is
found in the transmitter and receiver that
hangs at the mans side There is a
hook upon which the transmitter is sus-
pended and receiver for the sound Both
of them are for the use of the public.
A gentleman meeting this walking tele-
phone upon the road is offered the trans
mitter and receiver that hang upon the
hook. The gentleman places one to the
ear and talks through the other. The
deaf mute listens intently, the sound be-
ing much assisted by the receiver in his
ear.
When he replies he speaks through a tin
horn connecting with the wires, and
trusts to the carrying effect of the tele-
phone. In this way he can converse over
a space of several feet as easily as any
other man, the painful ear-splitting being
avoided.
But it is in public halls and assemblies
that this machine is expected to do its
best work. Here the telephone can be
connected at the stage and the mute in
the audience will get the full sound.
There are many patents involved in this
machine, for the inventor has borrowed
freely from all the devices known for his
new machine. He has ''lnfringed' upon
all the well-known patents and upon
great many smaller ones. But he hopes
he will be forgiven for the sake of the
great human race.
Never was man more impressed with the
worthiness Of his own mission. Pennl-
less on foot, without friends this man has
set out for Washington--and the patent
office. lie Is convinced that all who take
the trouble to examine his walking tele-
phone will admire it, and that means
money enough for all the patents re-
quired.
He has raised himself from poor,
worthless fellow to an inventor of at
least many ambitions and he may yet be
the Edison of sound for the deaf.
Grant Eldredge.