The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-06
TEMPERATURE BY SOUND.
Electrical Arrangement to Hear Heat
or Cold.

Occurs in q Telephone Attached, Which
Ceases When tho Accurate Tempera-
ture Is Recorded ON a Dial-Feary to
Try It.
It is now possible to hear heat and cold.
DR.. George G. Whtpple, biologist OF Cne
Brooklyn water works, has invented an
electrical instrument by means OF whlcn
the various ranges of temperature may be
| heard in an ordinary telephone receiver.
Explorer Peary owns one OF these lnstru-
ments and he has taken 1t with him to
the Arctic regions to listen to the intense
cold which prevails there. He had one of
| the instruments with him on his last Attic
expedition and he was able to lower the
end of it into crevasse in glacier and
hear how cold 1t was there.
The apparatus is very simple in con,
struction. In external appearance it is
like an ordinary electric battery box, such
as Is used in sick room. rom one side
of the box extsnds q very long insulated
wire carrying small coil Of bareswire on
the end Of it. From the other side Of the
box extend wires whichshold telephone
receiver. The LATTER is to be held to the
ear SO that the temperature into which
the bare coil is thrust may be heard.
1t is the presence of heat or cold acting
on the bare coil of wire which causes an
electric current to set up buzzing IN the
telephone. When the instrument is used
the telephone is held to the ear, while the
listener looks at dial on the battery
box. This dial which In appearance Is
tn ermometer. is marked with figures rep
resenting degrees Of temperature above
and below zero. Let one suppose, for In
stance, THAT he is to listen to the tempera-
ture of pail Of water. The coil Of bare
wire is thrust into the water, and the OBJ
server places the telephone to his ear.
There is hand or pointer piyoted In the
middle of the dial face. The observer
turns the pointer from figure to figure on
the dial. When the telephone is first
placed to the ear loud buzzing sound is
heard. This is because the pointer does
not happen to be at the figure represent
ing the temperature of the water In which
the bare coil is placed. AS the pointer
nears the figure that indicates the correct
temperature, the buzzing sound In the
telephone becomes fainter. When it comes
opposite 1t stops altogether. AS soon as
the buzzing stops, the observer knows
| that the temperature of the water has
been found.
| Or. Whipple tried the instrument the
other day in a room the temperature OF
which was about 20 degrees. The report
er placed the telephone to his ear and
heard loud buzzing. DR.. Whippie
IN owe d the pointer toward the figure 10.
The moment 70 was reached the buzzing
STONED. This was because the tempera.
| ture of the room surrounding the coil had
been found. DR.. Whipple then held the
\ bare coil of wire between both hands.
| The buzZing in the telephone began again
because the warmth OF his hands mad
raised the temperature. The reporter
moved the pointer;around until 1t reacneo
IS degrees. The buzzing stopped again,
showing that the temperature OF the
hands had been found.
| Then DR.. Whipple lighted match and
held the flame against the coil. The
buzzing began again, and the pointer hao
to be moved forward until the tempera-
ture ofthe lighted match was found. Inc
coil was thrust into basin OF water.
| The buzzing began and did not stop I'M
fill the pointer was moved down to % de-
grees. showing that to be the temperature
in tho basin. When the coil was neld
| against piece Of ice the pointer had to
be turned back to ID degrees above zero:
The instrument is now used In the
State House in Boston, MASS. IN oroer
| that the engineer in the basement OF lne
building should know the temperature OF
every part of it, one of these Strengthened
out coils has been placed behind the vain.
| seating in the Court House corridors al
the height of mans shoulders. II Inc
engineer wishes to know the Temperature
| he has merely to place the telephone u
the buzzine ceases He then can note
the temperature of the building in all Its
parts without going out OF the engine
room.
The instrument is now being used In
cold storage warehouses to ascertain tne
temperatureSof thesvarious rooms witnoui
opening them. In the old days OF colo
| sto-agc work 1t was necessary to keep the
refrigerating plant operating under Nigh
pressure all the time, because IL was mol
possible tell the temperature OF any one
room without opening 1T. and " was not
always advisable to 90 tnat.
Now each room in the ware.
| mousse MAS Ill IL Qu6 VI thO INV 1900 -
thermometers. Several times day the
official goes to series Of push buttons
upon the office wall and throws into
circuit one after another the thermometers
in the various rooms Of the warehouse.
| By placing the telephone to his ear and
manipulating the dial he is able accurate
ly to determine the temperature OF every
room in the building.
| The new therm ometer can be made to
ring an alarm and hence would be useful
in the powder magazine Of a warship.
Perhaps it's greatest value will be found
| in the workings Of the United States
Weather Bureau.
It is the purpose of Dr.. Whipple to
carry on a series of experiments with his
Thermometers attached to kites and bal
looms. 1t has been almost impossible
with the apparatus which heretofore has
been in use by the Weather Bureau to OBJ
tain a continuous record Of the tempera.
lures of the upper strata of the air. Yet
upon this depends the efficiency OF the
Weather Bureau predictions. In fact, 1t
is said that the meterrology of the future
will depend mostly upon what is learned
of the Condition of the elements high
above the earth. One of the instruments
| invented by DR.. Whipple could be sent