Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-21
INVENTS A TELEPHONE
TO BE CARRIED IN POCKET
PLIERS MESSAGES FROM WIRES
THREE MILES AWAY
Is of the Wireless Variety-lnventor
Experiments for Morths in Wire-
less TeIeeraphy and Is Startled by
Results of His Work
Special tn The Herald.

special tn The Herald.
COTTAGE CITY, Mass, May 2O.-
Charles E. Alden of New York, who
has been pursuing experiments here
since last fall in wireless telephoning,
has, he says, solved the problem of
wireless telephoning, and the result is
so simple that 1T is likely to create ..
sensation in the business world as well
as IN scientific circles.
Mr. Alden, while studying the prob
lem, constructed an instrument so small
that it can be put into a vest pocket,
which, attached to n wireless battery
such as is used by the Marconi system,
at once begins catching conversations
carried along ordinary telephone wires
the distance depending only upon the
energy behind the telephones that are
sending the messages.
1t was stormy night a few weeks
ago, when Mr. Alden had perfected his
little receiver and set 1t up in his studio
here on Marthas Vineyard island, that
ne sat smoking his after-dinner pipe
and wondering where he had better set
up his sending apparatus, that he WAS
startled by the sound of a voice in the
room, of which he was the only oc-
cupant Outside the storm howled along
the coast and beat the waves against
the rocks of the island.
''Hello Hello! Is that Mrs. Smith :?
Yes? Come over this evening If you
can"
"All right. Good-by!"
Mr.. Alden sat bolt upright. Then ne
got up and went to the door, There
was no one there. The little instrument
on the table began to buzz again. and
then came another voice. different
one this time, asking the price of eggs
and ordering a groceryman to send up
some potatoes first thing in the morn
ing.
Like a flash Mr.. Alden realized the
situation. His little instrument was
not waiting for his sending instrument
to be set up but was pilfering mes
sages from the New England Telephone
company's wire which ran along road
three miles away. Wild with delight,
Mr.. Alden rushed across lots and got
some of his friends to come in and
witness the success of his discovery.
When they arrived the little apparatus
was still busy disclosing neighborhood
gossip and all sorts of messages that
were buzzing over the wires of the
island.
To a reporter who called upon him
Mr.. Alden told the story Of his dis
coVery and how the voices of the night
came to him unsolicited, like the talk
of spirits.
"I was sitting in my room one night
when 1t dawned upon me that with
the wireless telegraph comparatively
simple the wireless telephone must be
equally simple. I jotted down on paper
my ideas as they came to me, and
the next morning went to work upon
my machine. / was merely expert
Inenting, not having the remotest idea
that | was anywhere near success.
Suddenly when did not dream l had
perfected the machine, l received the
messages from neighboring ordinary
telephones as 1 have told you. The
revelation took me off my feet"
The basis Of the system is like that
of the wireless telegraph. But a small
invention, the details of which he does
not make public, completes 1t, This Is
called the new detector." 1t is this
machine, attached to the wireless bat
teries, which is responsible for the
results.
No wire was attached to the receiv-
ing instrument, the latter simply be-
ing placed on a table in room. AT
present Mr., Alden is working on the
sending parts of the apparatus.
The possibilities are almost limitless.
With the new invention one may yet
be able to carry around In his pocket
a private telephone, with which he
can call up his house and talk with
his family wherever he may be. Per-
sons sitting In the grand stand at the
race track may telephone to their
friends in the city the results OF the
races undeteeted.
Messages sent by telephones keyed
to ordinary tension may be received
by anyone within miles who has
pocket telephone. And the perfection
or the attuning apparatus, by which