The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-01-19
WILL PREVENT WRECKS
ARTHUR l.. BOLEN CLAIMS TO HAVE
A NEW INVENTION.
He Says His Improvement on the
Present Telephone System VIII
Save Companies Money.

1t is claimed for Arthur L. Bolen, Of Mum
Gle, Ind, a young man who lived in this
city at one time, that he has perfected de-
vices entirely practicable which will do
away with the necessity Of the hello"
girl by making all telephone exchanges
wireless and automatic. The inventor be-
lieves that the use of his invention in a city
the size of Indianapolis would result in a
saving of $4,000 annually. and if he sue
ceeds in getting the devices established
at Muncie, he says, it will save the tele-
phone company in that city several hun
dred dollars a year.
Mr.. Bolen claims his system will entirely
do away with the danger of disastrous
railroad wrecks in the future; or, indeed,
wrecks of any kind. BY it, he says, a train
dispatcher can call any Of his trains at
any time. no matter where they are on the
road. BY means Of the arrangement of
c~ondensers on the poles the trains may
signal the dispatcher's office at any time.
while moving at full speed. He claims that
by the use of his invention messages may
be sent TO steamships at sea and received
from them. He even goes so far as to say
that it is not necessary with his invention
to have a man or a woman at the other end
of a line to receive a telephone message.
BY arrangements of agnetical ap-
planes a typewriter may be equipped with
diaphragm tubes and will receive and take
down words as they are spoken. There is
hardly a limit which may be placed upon
the usefulness of the invention. Mr.. Bolen
thinks, and as a commercial agent he ex-
poets much from ii.
WORKED FOR JENNEY COMPANY.
Bolen has dabbled with electricity all his
life. He began with the Jenney Electric
Company here when he was twelve years
of age, and after gaining a knowledge of
the rudiments of the business went to the
Chicago worlds fair, where he was en-
ployed by the General Electric Company.
Afterwards he went TO the Edison works
at Schenectady, n. Y, and Lynn, Mass.
He returned to Indianapolis and was again
employed by the Jenney Electric Company
until he went to Muncie some time ago
and went into business for himself.
In explaining his invention, he says that
1t is the same thing, so far as operation
goes, as the present system, except that 1t
has no operators except the chief operator.
With as many as 5000 phones running in
to the exchange there is a necessity for
only one operator. The transmitter is en-
tirely different from the kind now i'm use.
1t is provided with a nickel-plated steel
diaphragm, one side being coated with a
thin sheet of gold. The gold side is placed
against a felt tube containing a carbon
back. This tube is then filled with Il
specially prepared granular carbon. Then
the whole is encaSed in a solid aluminium
box. The induction coil is especially wound
to produce a high induction.
The signaling bell is the ordinary mont
tor battery bell. In addition TO the bell
there is IN automatic drop that operates
from the current that flows through the
air. This drop closes the circuit between
the bell and the battery. The automatic
drop can be adjusted to ring the bell ten
times in thirty seconds. Another auto
matte device is arranged to indicate wheth-
er the party called for is busy. The ordi-
nary receiver is used at the phone. The ar
rangement is not entirely wireless, enough
wires being provided to carry the current
to the ground and air. What wires are
used are highly insulated at all points. A
to operate the large coil at each phone.
This completes the arrangement with the
exception of a patent condenser.
The current takes action in a large re-
ceiver constructed to increase the voice.
so that when the subscriber whispers I'm
his tranSmitter ii sounds as though he
were shouting. The sound is transmitted
in a set of cOndeIIsing diaphragm operat-
ing like a sound motor. The diaphragms
are inserted in a glass tube. five in each
tube. On the back of each set of dia-
phragmS is an adjustable arm to make
contact with an operating circuit TO work
the magnetic cOnnector. There are ten
of these diaphragm tubes. each adjusted
To receive the different sounds made in
"prOnOuncing the numbers /. ?, 3, 4. >, 6, Z,
5, 9, o; and they are so adjusted that they
only make connection with the number
called for by the subscriber.