The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-07-26

1bCSoIuJEoIIlLt the MOVING Picture
Show Business, But VIII BE Fitted
and Utilized for Various business
Immense Volume to
Sound Can BE Produced SO az to
Have Even Lighthouses Proclaim
Their Identity Over Miles OF Ocean
Space-Des<ription.
BY THOMAS T.. PENCE.
Washington, d. c., July 2o.-Mar-
Vicious as are the moving picture
shows which have been the last few
years entertaining untold millions of
people in this and other lands, 1t
Is to be made more wonderful still
by the progressive genius working
ever constantly upon the possibilities
of utilizing electricity. Hitherto, the
pictures have been presented in action
with Photographic fidelity; but all has
been silence, except the buzz of the
apparatus working the show.
But now comes a Swedish inventor
who has devised a combination instru-
ment which -~eproduces sound as well
as action. U. S. Consul-GeneraI Ed
ward d. Winslow, at holm, thus
describes the invention:
Description of the Wonderful Instru-
ment.
In h photographone the larger
metallic trumpets which caused the
hollow metallic sound are entirely dis
penSed with. No receiver is needed
tor the speaker; only a small cellu-
foid tube like that used at the teIe-
phone, is placed in the front for the
convenience Of the speaker; but this
hind the wall is placed an electric
lamp. From this the light passes
through two %cuvettes Through which
water is runT[ag) which absorb the
heat, and then through the wall and
a system of lenses seen in front Of
the tube. Having passed through these
the ray Of light strikes and is reflect
ed in a mirror fastened on the mem
brane behind the tube, is thrown
upon a rotating sensitive plate, and
finally draws the sound-curve upon
this negative. This original negative
is developed. and the sound-curve
transferred to plates Of ebony. From
these the sound is again reproduced
as in the g~ramophone. In this way
the human voice and all other sounds
are perfectly reproduced with any
disturbing secondary sounds"
SO perfect is the reproduction of
sounds with the photographone that
the inventor can distinguish between
and actually read On the curve the
different letters of the alphabet, and
the Photographic plate is so sensitive
tina the smallest variations in the
voice can be studied. The same words
uttered in the same language, but by
another individual, appear different
in the phOtographOne script.
or Great Utility In Other Ways.
The great Importance of his meth
cd of obtaining linguistical and must
cal records is evident. This invention
is of high value not only for the stu
dent of inguisticS and p~honology but
for the general e~thonologist who needs
to obtain kinematographic reproduc-
tiCns of dances or other ceremonies
It has always been difficult to obtain
the actions and movements at the
same time the speech or song Is given.
With the photographone it IS possible
at one time to photograph the action
as well as the usic and song and
to reproduce both at the same time
From a Business Standpoint.
h photographone records can be
reproduced ad infnttum. and if the
original music or song should not be
strong enough to fill a large concert
hall at the reproduction, the sound
can be increased as desired. on ac-
count Of the immense volume Of sound
that can be reproduced by the pho
tographone it will, according to the
inventors idea, be of great value for
replacing the fog sirens in lighthouses
Instead of the inarticulate howl which
the fog sirens send out in the night,
and which easily can be c~onfounGe1
with the fog horns Of either vessels.
this new ph0tographonic fog horn
will call out the name Of the light
| house for miles oNe- the ocfan For
work in the field the inventor replaces
the electric with solar light
A practical use for the photogra-
phone on a most extensive scale viii
ho ranrndl1cino lectures and addresses