Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-03-10


gardless of whether the Sanders family
got any sleep or not.
often in the middle Of the night"
said Thomas Sanders, father Of the
boy, Bell would wake me up. His
black eyes would be blazing with ex-
citement. Leaving me to go down to
the cellar he would rush wildly to the
barn and begin to send me signals
along his experimental wires. IF no
ticed any improvement in his machine
he would be delighted. He would leap
and whirl around in one Of his war
dances and then go contentedly to bed.
But If the experiment was a failure, he
would go back to his work bench and
try some different plan"
There was another pupil in Boston,
Mabel Hubbard the fifteen-year-old
daughter Of a wealthy lawyer. She had
lost her hearing through scarlet fever
when she was years old; making her
hear and talk became one Of the vital
interests Of his life. He fell in love with
her and four years later she became
his wife. And there is no denying that
she had much to do with Bells sue
cess. 1t was one Of his dreams to in
vent a machine which should restore
her hearing, and though he failed in
that he did very much to bring her
back into the world of sound.
The telephone had it's first public ex-
hibition at the Centennial Exposition in
Philadelphia in 1876, and apparently
few people thought much Of 1t. 1t was
not even given a place in the hall Of
scientific appliances, but was crowded
off among the educational exhibits.
Scientists spoke of it laughingly as
BELLS toy" and it remained for two
foreigners to show keen appreciation
Of its possibilities Those two were Dom
Pedro H., ruler Of Brazil, and Sir Will
liam Thompson, afterward Lord Kel-
vim, British scientist.
AS for Bell himself, he had not
planned to attend the Centennial at all.
He was poor and he had reorganiZed
his classes in vocal speech. Toward
the md Of June he went to the station
to see Miss Hubbard off for Philadel-
phia. There had been some talk Of his
going, but he had put it quietly aside.
She believed he was going; when they
him and was refused. AS he put her
aboard the train and it moved out
leaving him on the platform, she burst
out crying. Bell dashed after her and
sprang aboard the train, without bag
gage, ticket or any other trifles.
The next Sunday afternoon Bell was
promised an inspection Of his invention
by the judges Of exhibits. 1t was hot
day and the judges had seen a great
deal. Some Of them were for going
home; one jeered, and there was gen.
eral boredom. Then there appeared
the blond-bearded Emperor Of Brazil.
He had heard some Of Bells lectures In
Boston; the deaf mute work appealed
to him. His greeting made stir. A
wire had been strung the length Of the
room Bell took the transmitter; Dom
Pedro placed the receiver to his ear.
He started up amazed:
My God-it talks!"
Afterward Lord Kelvin-plain Will
liam Thompson then. He was the en-
gineer of the first Atlantic cable.
He nodded his head solemnly as he
got up from the receiver.
1T does speak," he said emphatical-
ly. 1T is the most wonderful thing 1
have seen in America"
The judges took turns talking and
listening until that night. Next morn
ing the telephone was brought to the
judges pavilion. 1t was mobbed by
scientists the remainder Of the sum-
mer.
One hears little of Alexander Gra-
ham Bell today He has big house on
Connecticut avenue in Washington,
and a summer place upon the island Of
st. Breton where he is constantly
busted with experiments. He has sue
ceeded pretty we'll in hiding himself
from the world; once in while you
see a reference to some new invention
that is in halfway stage. A wireless
tower busted him for while; in his
house in Washington is an lice stove"
for cooling it in summer time; he has
more than a little with
One of the curious things about the
invention Of the telephone Is that Bell
knew almost nothing about electricity
when he started. He knew great deal
about acoustics, though, and the for
nation of the human organs Of speech
and hearing Bell was called to Wash
ington once when he was in the slough
of despond and took the opportunity
to call on Prof. Joseph Henry, who
knew as much about electricity and
the telegraph as any man then alive.
Henry told him he had the germ Of a
great invention.
But" said Bell, Il have not got the
electrical knowledge that is necessary"
Get it," said Henry.
Bell did get some of it-enough.
Had known more about electrici-
ty and less about sound" he said, Il
would never have invented the tele-
phone. City Times.