The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1897-08-20
wonders of Telephony from n Layman's
Standpoint,

is accomplishing new triumphs daily.
The rapidity with which the distance
over which telephone communication
can be had, exceeds the most vivid i'm
agination. 1t is only a comparatively
short time since people were incredu-
lous when they were told of the likeli-
hood Of Chicago and New York being
able to converse with one another.
Now we are perfectly willing to accept
any statement that telephone engineers
chose to make with respect to their
ability to accomplish anything i'll this
department of science.
The mystery of it all is cause of
never ceasing wonder. Ono can arise
from the place where he is writing and
call, from his desk, friend in Chicago.
When one speaks the impulse Of his
voice goes out through gim5let hole
in the wall, it speeds away over the
housetops, through the smoke and
noise of roaring shops and factories,
out across fields and rivers and prairies
and lakes and mountains, through
towns and villages. 1t passes through
forests, where birds are singing, it pass
es the farmers wagon toiling along the
country road, it goes past school houses
where children are droning over their
books. 1t perhaps encounters thun-
der storm, but on it goes through every
sort Of sight and scene, over the roofs
and through the roar of large cities,
straight from our vocal chords to the
tympanum of the receiver at the other
end, which little bit of metal transposes
the vibrations into articulate speech,
and it in turn tells to his friend the
thoughts that he is utteTing. 1t not
only does this but it does it so faith
fully that one is able to recognize the
tones of the others voice and would
probably be able to discover the iden-
tity without the necessity of announc-
Ing it.
The performance of this little tym
panum in the receiver is one of the
most curious of the many curious
things about it. We had commonly
supposed that in order to produce ar
tieulate speech certain motions of the
mouth, which could not be initiated,
were necessary, but here is little flat
piece Of metal that actually talks, and
and talks plainly, too. The vibrations
Of the vocal chords, modified by the
mouth, teeth, tongue and lips, for we
use them all in talking, has..set up sim |
liar vibrations in the transmitter, and |
these vibrations, unseen and unfelt, |
have. somehow or other, by the aid of |
electricity, travelled a great distance. !
Inperceptible and weak as they are
they have in all their long journey lost |
not one whit of their quality, tone Or
accuracy. Every infinitisimal infec-
ton has been retained, and, all in their
proper order, they strike the dia-
phragm of the receiver and the receiver
talks.
~ !
II gets there, but how? Does it drive I
straight through the hundreds of miles |
of copper wire which stretch out be-
tween the two cities, or does it travel
on the surface of the wire? Ask
the telephone expert and he will tell
you he does not know. 1t is certain
that the wire has something to do with
1t in the present state of the art. But
1t may be done without wire. In an
way telepho one messages
have been sent by the aid of a ray of
light. II has carried the vibrations of
sound and reproduced them in the
same way as is done by the aid OF a
wire and the electric current.
Reflection on the subject leads us to
doubt whether there is really any such
thing as distance. Maybe our friend
could hear our ordinary conversation
At SO great distance without any in
strument il he had the right kind Of an
ear. 1t has been recently demonstrated
that telegraphing can be carried on
long distances without any
wires, provided the proper instruments
are at hand to catsh the vibrations
and make them perceptible to the hui
man ear. 1t has been discovered that
shere are invisible rays of light which
penetrate what we call opaque sub
stances, and that there are sounds
which the human ear is Incapable OF
All sound and light is
,aused by vibrations, and only those
within a certain compass produce any
fleet upon our organs Of sight and ,
rearing.
We are Just beginning TO understand
low little we know about these matters ,
l. L IL -