Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-19

the second series Of experiments Near
er, My God to Thee sung in two parts
in Somerville. by one gentleman and
two ladies. was distinctly heard-that
is. the music was distinct, but the ar
ticulation was very faint and at times
not at all audible. While they were
singing Prof. Bell suddenly rushed into
the Providence telephone: What did
you say? Repeat it. please 1t was
like leaving the door open In gas
pipe, and must be at once attended to.
The sound poured out from Somervilie
in confusion. But the watson key
was shut or summarily and the
Providence call answered. Brignon
was going to sing again. SO he sang,
and of course it would have been
poetic to imagine the Boston hearts
throbbing in sympathy with a Provi-
dence singer. But Boston hearts were
not in their mouths; they were In
their ears. and they were not pro-
foundry moved; But it was an or
binary success"
THE genesis of the telephone busi-
ness dates from June 2. 1875. when
DR.. Bell made the discovery which led
to the production OF the first speaking
telephone.
DR.. Bell succeeded in producing
speaking telephone because he mad
thought out the right principle. others
before him had had glimmerings Of the
possibilities Of the transmission OF
speech. Back in 1854 Charles Bourseul.
a Frenchman, had outlined method
by which he believed that speech could
be transmitted.
One Philip Refs, a German. in 1861,
working along the lines OF. Bourseul.
produced telephone that would trans
nit pitch, but could not transmit
speech.
During their experimenting on Bells
harmonic telegraph in 1875. which LED
to the invention of the speaking tele-
phone, DR.. Bell outlined his idea to his
lows:
III I could make a current OF cleo
tricity vary in intensity precisely as the
air varies in density during the pro-
duction Of sound. / should be able to
transmit speech Geographically"
by intensifying and diminishing the cur
rent just as he had foretold, he was
able to transmit speech. The failure Of
the Refs telephone was not due to de-
fects or crudities in the instrument, but
because it was fundamentally wrong in
principle. Refs depended upon an in
termittent current caused by the OPEN
ing and closing of the circuit The
current either flowed full strength or
stopped entirely. It could not repro
duce the delicate modulations of the
human voice.
To quote from the opinion Of the Su-
preme Court of the United States in
confirming the validity of Bells pat
emit: ITO follow Refs is to fail. but
to follow Bell is to succeed"
When, on October 9. 1876. DR.. Bell
talked from Boston to his associate,
Thomas Watson, in Cambridge, over
two miles of telegraph line, he was
highly elated at the success Of the
first outdoor trial Of the child Of his
genius.
A historic occurrence illustrating
the wonderful progress in the electri-
cal transmission of speech due to in
ventions and improvements took place
thirty-nine years afterward, when
on January Is, 1915, DR.. Bell in New
York talked to that same watson in
San Francisco over the transconti-
mental line of the Bell system, 3.400
miles long, which on that day was
officially dedicated to public service.
During the transcontinental talk he
used for a time a telephone which
was an exact model of the first tele-
phone, showing that the limited talk
ing range of the early telephones was
not due to defects in the instruments
themselves, but to the inadequacy of
the associated apparatus and equip
ment.
On March Z. 1876. DR.. Bell was
granted his original patent for the