The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-10
TO Shout ACROSS WAVES
A French Design to Silence the
Ancient Sea Trumpet.
Its Inventor Hopes II VIII lie Ca
for Long Distances on the Ocean.
As Yet the Concern Is Only
khie Ia Emit the Vowel sounds.

.
Able Ia Emit the Vowel Sounds.
1t is difficult to say what science may
not achieve in the way of mechanical de-
( vices. One OF the latest OF these is a
Z continuance by French savant which
may be described as sea siren which
utters articulate speech. the object pre-
t sumably being that vessels may commu-
/ nicate with enc another at greater dis
tances than can be reached with the I'D
Of the speaking trumpet. The machine
in its present stage OF development can
only reproduce the vowel sounds a. e, /.
o, and u. and consequently a code would
have TO De adopted in practical use. But
it is hoped, by experimentation and great
er elaboration, that the consonants may
be rendered with the same facility as the
vowels, in which case the machine could
actually speak in tones that could hardly
be misunderstood. There is something
strikingly grotesque in the idea OF mon
strous artificial voice bellow ing its words
at such a pitch as to be heard several
miles distant. The machine even in its
affair. For each sound there is what may
be called a separate head resembling the
human caput. inasmuch as il is provided
with a mouth, inside of which the teeth
are plainly visible, as II the thing were
grinning hiaeously. The inside of the
bells resemble the human vocal organs
necessary for the production of vowel
sounds.
Experts in Washington, when informed
of the new invention seemed inclined to
regard IL as curious but inferior In prin-
eiple to the graphophone and other like
talking machines. Prof. Thomas Wilson
OF the Smithsonian Institution, is inclined
to believe that the latter cannot be i'm
proved upon as reproducers of the human
voice. The professor says:
The new device, a drawing OF which
you show me, is q curious application of
very old principle which, however, is
successfully counterfeited in the yox hu-
mana stop of the organ. A vowel sound
being simple and unobstrueted, may thus
doubtless be produced by an elaboration
OF the same principle, although, OF course.
even vowel articulation is a very novel
and radical departure in this sort of de-
vices
Examiner Simpson, OF the division of
the Patent Office under which such de-
vices as the one in question won come,
apparatus, which, he says. is practically
unique. The makers of steam whistIss,'
said Mr.. Simpson, claim, in some cases.
that their products can speak, but | be-
lieye ore would have to be told before
hand what they are about to say before
they could be understood. There is one
of these so-called talking whistles at
South Bend Ind. 1t was Invented and
constructed in a political campaign cf a
m he fT vo.lr- 1fra nv fhrt-i lrff
partisan. and was expected to send firth
party cries with force which no human
lungs, however enthusiastic their owner.
could ever hope to attain. But whether
the thing actually was or is able to utter
Ineligible words is a question. even to
the present day. The owner and inven or
claimed. and still claims, / believe, that
it speaks with perfect distinctness. so 1t
is possibly owing to obtuseness on the
part OF others that the point is disputed.
The variation of sound in the taxing
whistle" continued Mr.. Simpson, Ia pro-
duced by a movable disc OF metal which is
raised and lowered by clockwork ane, to-
gether with ether mechanism. constitutes.
the vocal principle. The production of 5is-
tinct parts of speech. however. by tSe
means employed in the device of the
French scientist has. / believe. never been
hitherto attempted Were the invention
any other than French one. this nffiee
would receive a thorough description and
drawing of it very shortly after it had
been patented. It is a matter of courte-
sy, observed by the patent offices OF all
civilized nations. to exchange descriptions
and drawings OF patents. unless there be
urgent need Of secrecy, as soon as posi-
bic. With the French Patent Office. how
ever this courtesy is disregarded. and it
is fully five years after patent has been
issued in France that We receive any no
tice OF it here"
1t has been lately attempted 10 use the
photograph for signaling purposes. :he
only difficulty being 10 increase the VOL
une of sound sufficiently to carry the re-
quisite distances. The latest development
OF the photograph, so far as can be ascer-
tanned, will be its employment On street
cars for the purpose Of announcing the
names of the different streets as soon as
these are Deared. OF course this means
nothing more than the ordinary phono-
graph with a clock-work attachment.
II seems scarcely probable that the
world will be as much surprised at any
talking machine which may be be produc
ed in the future as it was at the original
This marvellous device in all
its many names and developments, is the
more wonderful. the more fully its prin-
ciple is understood. This is simply the
reproduction OF sound waves by means
OF a vibrating point which also acts as a
OF the sound. when originally
produced. upon a revolving cylinder or
disc of such material as to accurately re-
ceive linear Impressions OF the varying
depths of the waves. The record once OBJ
tanned is practically permanent and the
sound is reproduced at will by setting the
revolving mechanism Of the cylinder OF
disc in motion again at the same velocity
as when the sound was produced, when the
recording point retracing the impressions
already made, reproduces the same sound
waves. The developments which Will
probably follow in the future in the mat
ter OF sound reproductions offers an il
imitabie field for fascinating conjecture.
Lanterns of the Convent.
(From the New York rost)
In ;he old days. u favorite fad for trav-