The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-12-03
Jew NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Invention Edison Thought Would
Beat the Photograph.
Meeaphone, the Wizard Believed
Would Be More Profitable to Him
Financially Than Talking Ma
chine, But Was Deceived.
BY z. ]. EDWARDS.

Recently told the story of the late
Charles A. Dana's doubt Of Edison's
good faith in claiming that he had In
vented a talking machine after the
ate Amos J. Cummings and myself had
reported to Mr.. Dana that Edison had
demonstrated the machine to us. even
going so far as to meke 1t reproduce
Mr.. Cummings own voice, infection
and all, with distinction.
After he had shown us the talking
machine, explained its mechanism and
made it perform for us. Mr. Edison
went on to say that he got the IDEA
for the machine while he was at work
perfecting his microphone transmitter,
extensively employed in the earlier
telephones.
"One invention almost Invariably
suggests another" he went on. All
sorts of notions came to me while
was working out this talking machine.
One of them you will see in that Dig
funnel up there" He po'hted to a
shelf upon which rested, or hung,
curious-looking object resembling g.
gantic funnel of about tall man
height. And I'm inclined to think,
he went on, that there's going to be
more profit in that thing than in this
talking machine here. | have ABOUT
made UP my mind that | won't WORK
on anything unless it seems to me 70
have some commercial practicab1lity
l can make hundreds of toys, but any
fellow with little ingenuity and pa
thence can do that. Maybe this talk
ing machine is going to be not mucf
more than toy, after all, but thai
thing over there-well, I'll show vol
how 1t works"
He called two Of his assistants u
his side and directed them to TAX
their station on the crown OF Nil
about half mile away.
While they were doing 80. Mr.. hdl
son had the big funnel shaped thin
taken out In front of his shop. Tner
when the men had posted themseiVe
on the hill and stood facing us, an Al
sistant, getting under the big END
the funnel, held It up while Ediso
called through the other END. frol
time to time the men upon the nj
made gestures to indicate that tne
had heard and understood what Eo
son was saying. Finally. Edison becl
oned to them to report In, and wne
they had done so they repeated pract
cally word for word what we ma
heard their employer say to tne'
through the funnel.
Mr.. Cummings and 1 were almost
much astonished over this demohstr
ton as we had previously been ov'
, the talking machine. What do ye
call the thing?" l asked MI Edlso
well. 1t makes big sound, ana
think I'll call 1t the megaphone,
nl,ed Mr.. Edison. LAS | have alrea'
+, told you. | sometimes think there W
( be a great deal moro in 1t for 4
h financially than in the talking m
= chine. II will be great tnins
!. shius: with its aid one ship at q
lance can hall another ship easily, a
a captain can shout his orders clear
and distinctly through 1t to the utt'
4 most ends OF his vessel 1t can
used on land, also, for converslng
| great distances. In short, this mel
nhone of mine enlarges the zone
| action Of the human voice, ana
| this reason am inclined to think
times that it will be a more pronta'
invention than the talking macni
You have seen what it oan do, ana
| does 1t Just as easy as rolling on
log" .
presume that this was the u
public demonstration of the Edis
invention that has passed into univ
sal use under the name megapnone.
contribution of human progress Z
has brought its father cents Wn
the photograph has added TO
wealth by the hundred thousands
dollars.
(CouyriRht. 1910, by e. J. Edwards.