Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-04-22
OPEN ALLDAY EVENING
SUNDAYS to PM
623 18TH ST.N.W.
AID TO NAVIGATION,

How the Eophone Locates Sound and
Avoids Danger.
From the New York Herald.
When steamer Is blowing it's way at
sea or In harbor in broad daylight and
clear weather. the passengers do not con-
Germ themselves about the difficulties Of
navigation. In fact. many of them would
be inclined to doubt that there were Sc
rious problems to be solved by the cap
tain In making his way from wharf to
wharf or from port to port. 1t looks so
easy to run from one place to another and
to keep out Of the way of other vessels.
Even at night and in fog travellers do
not think that the situation involves any
great amount Of anxiety because they
are accustomed to making voyages without
mishap or excitement, and they give little
heed to the difficulties that beset the cap
tain, except, perhaps, to bless their land
lubberly souls that they don't have to
spend the night exposed to the fog and
wind.
1t is not difficult to avoid another ship
Ii one knows where she Is, and to locate
the exact direction whence a sound comes
solves the problem. Il is the result that
has been attained by an instrument briefly
mentioned in a recent Sunday Herald. The
eophone is a device that enables a man to
see with his ears. That may sound like a
es the fact.
The instrument consists of a brass box.
fiat at top and bottom, and concave on
each side. In the center of each concavity
a very protuberant human ear. In the re-
cess Of this ear Is a hole leading into a.
pipe about three-Quarters Of an inch In
diameter. The eophone IL set on top of a
around with a very trifiing effort A rub
Der tube Is secured to each Of the pipes
leading from the eophone. and these tubes
at their further end are attached-one on
the operator puts the latter on his head
his ears come opposite the ends of the rub
Der tube.
The eophone itself should be placed In
such a position as to command an un-
broken outlook ahead and on each side, as
far, at least, as broad on each quarter
In practical use the operator should be
In such place that he may Instantly tell
the deck officer the bearing Of any sound
ne might hear.
If. for Instance. a whistle should be
heard. the ordinary lookout frequently
would not be able to tell whence the
sound came. But when the sound
struck the eophone the operator would
hear 1t plainly with one ear and perhaps
not at all with the other. Instantly he would
swing the eophOne around until he got the
same volume Of sound In each ear Then
the 'front.' end Of the eophone would be
pointing straight toward the location of
the whistle. Any everyday seaman can de-
termine the bearing Of the noise producer
In three seconds There Is nothing re-
CURING special education In the operator.
ANY seaman with good hearing can work
IL with Certainty and rapiditY,
Inc arrangement Of the headpiece pre-
vents the operator from being confused by
nofses cloee 1T hand aboard hIs own shivs.
he mas an Instrument that greatly aug
ments his hearing. while It. also determines
whence sound comes. Several tines.
while experimenting with thu eohone. the
operator has reported hearing . Distant
sons on deck. =