The times., 1901-04-13
ELECTRIC MARvELs ON VIEW.
Strange Inventions shown mt CoIum
bin IniNersitN Nerr AnrL


NEW YORK. April l2-Fully 1000 Wis
itors went to Columbia University tonight
to attend the conversation of the Ameri-
can Institute of Electrical Engineers.
Men and women crowded the engineering
building to see the thirty-two new fnven-
tions employing electricity which were
being exhibited and operated there.
Nicola Tesla was scheduled to perform
experiments with his electric osciiiator
and show new aspects of electric wave
vibrations.
Thomas a. Edison. President Seth Low,
of the university. and Baron Won Holeben,
the German Ambassador to Washington,
occupied front seats. Tesla's entrance
was greeted with tremendous applause by
the Columbia students Tesla explained
that lie was going to use an electric Os-
cillator to produce wave vibrations. which
were to be discharged in various parts
of the room by means of large trans
mitting cable.
Thirty thousand volts were employed.
Beautiful leaping sparks were thrown
from the positive and negative current
poles OF his apparatus and the Driilancy
of the electric light employed was made
to decrease and diminish by Tesla rub
bing mis- naud along an innOceut-iOokipg
table in a mysterious fashion.
IN the engineering building K. II. Hutch
in5On exhibited Lw1 new instruments
which are promised 20 work wonders.
They are known as the akonphone and
the deaf hear W. Ii. van Tassel, of
the New York Institute for the Deaf and
Dumb, brought eight of the dcaiest boys
in the institution for experimental pur-
poses. one lad was born deaf. dumb, and
blind. lie was led to the apparatus and
the ear-pieces hXed over his head.
The boy jumped when words were
spoken, showing the novelty of all sound
to him. When the word Hello was re-
peated many times he made an effort to
repeat the sound. with only partial sue
cess. A phouograph was attached to the
receiver and band music was played.
faint smile appeared on the boys face
and ne spelled out the word music" with
his fingers to his preceptor. He began to
keep time with his hands and his face
was soon wreathed with smiles. The lad
resisted when the cap was removed from
his head.
From the top floor of the engineering
Il life size portrait of President William
r. Harper. of the University of Chicago.
to Chicago, where ii was Immediately re-
produced and the photograph of President
Seth Low was flashed simultaneously
from Chicago to this city.
The original pictures were somewhat
enlarged for the purpose of transmission,
and when received were photographically
reduced TO their normal size. thus giving
an exact reproduction of the original. The
enlargement is for the purpose of obtain
ing a greater contact surface for the
transmitting stylus applied.
1t was explained that indentations were
made In the photograph on tin-foil outlin-
ing the principal features Of expression.
The foil is run over a recording inStru-
ment which receives impressions after the
manner of photograph rolls. tap key
is placed over each indenta ton in the i'm
preston scroll and currents passed
through il to different wires-one for each
A similar impression roll is kept at the
receiving station and the portrait is re-
produced by photography. BY this system
half tone pictures. sketches, handwriting
and the like can be transmitted over long |
distances. employing ordinary telegraph
circuits.