Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-04-24

dlpllAuuSs says the New 1OEk journal.
He is not a true deaf mute in the sense
that Laura Bridgman was. He has a
certain sense of hearing and can utter
a few cultural sounds. But he is GO
ing to do more. He expects to hear and
speak intelligibly. His scheme is to fit
a telephone to his body so that where
he travels 1t will travel also. When
he lies down the telephone lies down.
When he walks the telephone walks.
His body is the body of the telephone,
and there is no life in either without
the other. He is living telephone.
able to hear and speak through space.
In spite OF a great deal of fun that has
been poked at him since the conception
of his invention he has gone on undis-
mayed, until now it--or he-stands
completeds II is an actual thing, and
is nov on the way to Washington with
him. He is tramping it to the capital
to exhibit it-and himself And he
hopes TO make q fortune for himself as
well as to confer great benefit upon
deaf and dumb mankind. This living
telephone is bulky fellow. He wears
under his clothes, almost next to his
body, a great many coils of insulated
wire. These are carried around the
waist many times, like a Iady's ribbon.
and. being slender, they do not hurt
/! him or cause him any inconvenience.
In one hip pocket there is bulky
| package. 1t is not heavy. but it sticks
out with a hump that cannot be con-
+, cealed. 1t is dry battery and is re-
lated to the wire in an important way.
| The first thing the observer notes is a
| large receiver, similar to the one used
on telephone. This is attached TO the
| left ear. 1t Is powerful sound-receiy-
er. Attached to it is a wire that can
be connected with the teeth. in case the
mute cannot hear with the receiver.
He has found by many experiments
| that the dulled nerves of the ear are
| quickened by these powerful electrical
appliances and that he does hear. II
| IL a vague, uncertain hearing, but a
great deal better than none at all. II
is more vibration than hearing
He gets a murmur of sounds. not as
clear as given by the saltpeter solution
in which hands can be dipped, but
clear enough for every day use ant
more convenient than the basin d
fluid now SO commonly used by deai
mutes to get sound vibration. The fun
niest part of the apparatus is fount
in the transmitter and receiver tina
hangs at the side. There is a hool
upon which the transmitter Is suspend
ed and a receiver for the sound. Boil
Of them are for the use Of the public
Should you meet this walking tele
phone upon the road he would offe
hangs upon the hook. The receive
You would place to the ear and yoI
would talk through the transmitter
The deaf mute would listen intently
the sound being much assisted by tn
receiver in his ear. When he reptile
he speaks through tin horn connect
! ing with the wires and trusts to tn
carrying effect of the telephone. Ii
this way he can converse over a gpac
! of several feet as easily as any othe
! man. But it Is in public halls and as
sem blies that this machine Is expecte
to do its best work Here the tele
: phone can be connected at the stag
: and the mute in the audience will &c
: the full sound. There are many PAL
: ents involved in this machine, for tn
inventor has borrowed freely from al
the known devices. But he hopes h
: will be forgiven for the sake OF tn
! human race. Never was man more i'm
: pressed with the worthiness Of his ow
: mission. Penniless. on foot, wfthou
: friends, he has set out for Washingto
! and the patent Office. He Is convince
that all who take the trouble to ez
: anime his walking telephone will al
: mire it. and that means money enoug
: for all the patents required. He be
: raised himself from a poor, wortfIes
: fellow to be an inventor OF at lea.
; many ambitions. and, who knows, b
! may yet be the Edison Of sound for tn
leaf.
/ Curious addition to the Typewriter.