Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-07-20
COURT REPORTING.
NEW ADAPTATION OF THE
PHONOGRAPH.
srryoagAPHER BARRows USES PHor-
oeRAPH IN HIS WORK, GREATLY
,vcprAsrNf: ufa cApArrrv

DaRAPH In hiS WohA, 0hEATLY
IScREAsING HIS CAPACITY.
In addition to taking verbatim repor
otthe daily proceedings in court, Charles
n Bsrrows, stenographer with Justic,
K;ng, made a transcription OF nearly
hnndred thousand words during q recent
,s,n OF court in Auburn.
Not many years ago such . statement
,~ould have been met with howl OF pro-
,,st from leading stcnographers, for ths
,srm was short one. AT this time only
those who have not kept fully up-to- date
j, topographic methods will refuse to ac-
,ept this statement. 1t 10 only within a
,,x years that such q thing would have
been possible.
II was the photograph which made this
"a, Of Mr.. Barrows possible. Without
TIA, wonderful understanding and repro
docing instrument he never could have
done it.
In to the time that the photograph
came into use, among expert stenogra-
nhers the most approved method OF quick
transcription was for the stenographer to
dictate, from his queer looking notes, to Q
,.uid typewriter operator. In this way
m.ch more matter could be gotten out in
short space OF time than by the stenogra-
pher acting as his own typest. A few
s,snographers had improved on this by
debating to two typewriter operators at
the same time. The method OF doing this
xss for the stenographer to sit between
the two operators, open his note book in
the centre, dictate = sentence from the
first page OF the book to one operator, and
while she was writing that out, read the
first sentence from the middle page to the
ether By the time this was done the first
~as ready for the second sentence. In
this way great deal more matter could
Be turned out than previously.
Mr.. Bsrrows was one OF the first stem
ographers in the country TO grasp the
value OF the talking machine in his work,
AID some years ago purchased . complete
outfit. 1t Was crude coInsusrsd to the
present outfit which he uses, but an i'm
prcsement on old methods. In discussing
his uss OF the machine with q newspaper
reporter be said.
'Men buy labor saving devices for their
factories in order that they may get bigger
and better results; they put devices into
their houses for the same purpose; but
how many OF them ever try to give their
own brains a chance to accomplish more
by using labor-saving dcvicef Using
the photograph saves the brain, makes it |
do more than otherwise; 1t does that for
any man who adopts it."
USING THE rHoSooRAPHs.
Using the monographs 10 not a difficult
thing. as Mr.. Barrows demonstrated to a
reporter.
''You can" said he" ''use the ordinary
machine, such as many people have in
their homes for entertainment purposes,
but the results are not all that could be
desired
He then explained that the ordinary re-
cord would run for only about two min
utes and would hold but . comparatively
short transcription. For this reason it
was best to use what is known as the
business photograph. The records used
on this will hold LOO words, or about
enough to ill four average typewriter
sheets. These instruments are fitted with
both recorder and reproducer and, IL
desired, the records for entertainment |
may be used upon them. These in
struments are built to run either by a |
spring motor or Q small electric one, |
current for which may be supplied from
any light circuit.
when Mr.. Barrows came up to Auburn |
Tor the term of court At which he did the
work referred to, he brought with him |
one OF these business monographs and a
large supply OF blank records; also he had
several formidsble-looking piles of stem
ogfsphie notes. Each one OF these piles
represented an important case which
must be written out in time for the law
court. That meant, in the old days, many
weary hours at night, after the adjourn
mehI OF court, pounding out copy on the
type writer, and the consequent tired
feeling next morning.
Aiter supper on the first night he ar
rived in town, Mr.. Barrows had a smoke
ana then retired to his room at the hotel,
wound up the spring of the phonograph,
io' II vas spring motor operated one,
paced blank record upon it, seated him
'ei with his mouth at the horn, picked
Up pile OF the notes, started the spring
'na began talking into the horn just as
'sp'aiy as he could read the cabalistic
'isns OF the stenographic alphabet. This
vas about three times as fast as the fast
operator could put 1t into
printed copy. There was no stopping or
speat'ng words because the operator did
i'' understand. The record got every
.o'o' Just as it was spoken. The only
''ops necessary was to change records, and
'nce In thirty minutes to wind the motor
pfing' an operation Of about half min
lite.
Az TWO hours he had transcribed as much
: ne could ordinarily have done in six
e'sht hours; had done 1t more easily
= uu accurately than had he been debating
'irect to a typist.