The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-02-20
THE OBSERVATORY.
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I think few of us realize the amaz-
ing progress of mechanical invention
during the past hundred years.
was watching one of our furniture
men put a new brush into carpet
sweeper a few days ago, and recalled
that about 1883 visited the Massa-
chusetts Mechanics Charitable AS
sociation's yearly exhibition in big
Boston hall; and among other inter
esting things saw a man with pocket
full OF rice, a handful of which he
would scatter over a broad piece OF
capet on the floor, and then run his
continuance he called a sweeper
over it, almost every kernal OF rice
being taken up; so simple, and such
a relief from much sweeping with a
broom; and it seems to me there has
not been much added to the princI-
pie of that first carpet-sweeper.
Then the telephone; | remember
Prof. Tyndall, the great English
scientist, being on a lecture tour OF
our country in the early 70s, and that
he had much to say about sound, and
| remember some OF his simple eX-
periments, one of which was to show
how sound would pass through a
long stick of wood, like oak, through
the pores. One morning | read in
my paper that Prof ]. Graham Bell
had run telegraph wire into his
Boston laboratory at one end and into
the Essex Institute hall in Salem at
the other end, about 20 miles distant,
and had astoniShed the Salem audi
ence with the transmission of vocal
messages from Boston through that
20 miles of wire. If there had been
anything about Bells invention in the
papers before that morning | had not
happened to see it, and | read this
hoax the smart daily was playing on
the public, and making a skit at the
scientists. But shortly | began to
hear more about the new toy; and,
soon after, passing through Boston,
saw a man on the fremont street
Mall of the Common, with wire
stretched up to the roof of a tall
building opposite; stopped to look
on; he said this was one of the new
inventions called a telephone, and
that when FIVE persons had given
him each Sc he would demonstrate
its reality; | was skeptical, but con-
tributed my five cents; then he put
a little tin mouth-piece, connected
with the wire, to his lips, and asked
us what he should tell that man on the
high building to do; one said Tell
him to take off his hat and swing it
around his head three times" The
man aloft could hear no sound across
the street because of the noise of the
passing street cars and other traffic.
We saw him put something to his
ear, when our man gave the message
which we all heard; the man. on the
roof did exactly as told; then a num-
Der of other messages were sent him;
to swing his arms, to dance, etc.
turned away saying to myself
We'll, we'll, that is real!'
L And then | recalled fact about
the hrst American cable; it had been
laid by two war vessels; one loaned |
BY the British government; the other
BY our government; ours was the
steam frigate Niagara, sister ship
10 the Merrimac, which afterwards !
lad its historic fight with the first
Monitor in Hampton Roads. The
great day came when we were told
he two frigates had met in mid
1cean and spliced their cable, when
queen Victoria sent message of con-
graduation to President Buchanan of
lur country, and he replied, and the
wo messages were published in all
he daily papers, and many wise ed
torlals written over the new era.
3ut the next day the cable working
rev fainter and flickered out II
vas afterwards discovered that in the
manufacture little piece of foreign
METAL had gotten into the coating oil
he cable and caused the trouble. But
he public waited a day or two and
hen one wise Boston paper had a
sng and well argued editorial that
ne whole performance had been
igantic international hoax. 1t was
veil reasoned, the substance OF which
vas that 1t stood to reason that cleo
nc messages could not be transmitted
nch a distance under water; it was
u SO selt-evident it was a wonder anv
ne mad been purSuaded to believe
UGH thing possible. Think of il to-
ay! With our cables encircling the
iorld in all directions. And a few
ears afterwards that very cable was
shed up from the ocean depths. the
eject found and cut out, then spliced
nd rendered service for years.
1t is less than 90 years since the
rst steam railroad was opened for
rafhc IN our country; that first rail
Dad passed directly through INV
farm, and have often
card my mother describe the engines
nd carriages; the engines had no
ihistles; but buggy-top was attach
to the top front end of the car or
arriage next the engine, in which a
'atehman sat and blew a whistle
nrllly with his mouth for signals
nd the patrons of the road present,
him with silver whistle The
ian who ran, or drove" the frst
ngine, was living in the SOS, having {
cen Tor many years the superintens
ent, who told me many curious facts
bout matters connected with the rail |
Dad; the rails were 6sh-shaped he /
e thicker, or wider up and down in
le middle, and thinner at the ends
Mt into the iron chairs" on which