Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-02
MACHINE WITHOUT
WHEELS IS LATEST
INSTRUMENT PROMISES TO BE
SUCCESS IN TELEeRAPHY
WheeIess Typewriter Invented by
Wheeless Genius Astonishes VISIT
ors at Pacific Electric Build
ina-Works Perfectly

machine without wheels and an IN
yentor without wheels are the TWO at
fractions to be seen in little olllce
room. 81 Pacific Electric building, ano
the establishment of visitors When tney
view the mechanism and WORKINGS OF
mysteriously moving Typewriter Is Only
euualed by the interest in ana adnlra
ton for the genius OF the quiee' low
voiced man whose mind conceived ana
whose fingers wrought what appears
to be one of the most valuable auoi-
tions to modern mechanical science.
The mechanism, or, more correctly'
the double mechanism, is concealed uh-
der two typewriters, ordinary looklils
machines indeed, which Woulo pe
passed by even the most curious
minded person without a glance OF IN
terest were 1t not for the thln thredu
of wire Joining them together.
The new invention is known as the
Burlingame telegraphing typewriter
The inventor is Elmer Burlingame,
youthful and grave, his face giving eVl-
dence of rare intelligence and depth OF
thought
The possibilities of the machine are
admittedly great. but greater sun are
the predictions of its inventor and those
associated with him and who have not
hesttated to back their benefs WIN
gold.
The telegraphing typewriter consists
of two typewriters, on either OF WHICH
a person can receive or send typeWrlt-
ten letters, dispatches, notes, recelpts
and delicately tinted epistles TO al
most any reasonable distance, and 1t Is
the prediction of the inventor and those
associated with him that within a COM
paratively short space of time news
and kilograms will be transmitted from
one end of the earth to the other, per-
fectly typewriter and with mistakes
and undecipherable words and SEN
tences characteristic of present-day
telegraphy eliminated.
Invented in Indiana
Burlingame first completed his inven-
ton at his home in Anderson, Ind,
where he constructed out of a cheaper
grade of writing machine, a few bolts,
pieces of tin and wire an instrument
which transmitted energy to similar
machine, causing the type bars and
carriage to mysteriously move as
though by spirit hand simultaneously
with the workings of the keyboard on
the sending instrument.
Later he discarded the wire connec-
tions, stuck a pole in the ground, and
adding a few additional batteries
caused the receiving machine to work
by electrical energy transmitted with
out the aid of wires, or what is known
as wireless telegraphy but as differ
ent from the wireless telegraphy as IL
is known as black is from white.
1t was this feat that brought the
attention of San Francisco capitalists
to the new invention. and Burlingame
received q hurry call to come to the
Paeific coast. There he arrived in De-
cember last.
I'VE don't want experiments" said
the men with the money, 1--WE want a
machine that can be placed on the mar
ket and that will sell.
And Burlingame was given full lee
way and the first demonstration of the
results of his labor was seen In Los
Angeles yesterday.
From Los Angeles Burlingame will
go to New Orleans, there to make a sec
Ond demonstration of what is possible
to be done by the machine, for cap
italists in that city have also inter-
ested themselves in the invention.
Places He Will Visit
From New Orleans he will go to
Washington, where the machine will
be examined by committees selected by
the signal service and the artillery
board, with a view to its adoption by
the government and the belief is that
it will shortly displace the telautograph
especially in communicating between
batteries, a work in which 1t is said not
to have proved entirely satisfactory.
Perhaps one of the most Interesting
features of the mechanism of the new
invention is the automatic return of the
typewriter carriage, something that
has been sought to be accomplished by
inventors for years, the manufacturers
of the typewriters used in the Bur-
lingdme system having themselves eX-
pended more than $4,000 in an effort
to find al, attachment that would dc
this work. The return is accomplished
by the workings of a small magnet
placed under the typewriter and almost
hidden among the many zinc bars at
tached to the keyboard. Not a single
wheel is to be seen in the new parts
added to the typewriter. this in itseli
forming another feature of the inven-
ton.
A factory where the machines will be
built is already in course of construc-
ton at San Francisco, and already or
ders for $50 have been received from
persons who will act as agents and de-
monstrators throughout the country.
The machines will be placed on g
rental basis, as is the telephone, but
the cost of manufacture is said to be Sc
small that it will not only be used fol
the transmission of commercial busi-
ness. but will in few years be seen IL
thousands of dwellings.