Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-04
AMPL|F|ER TEST
ACROSS CONTINENT
PROVES BIG SUCCESS

Washington. Nov. 3-The call Of q
busle, the chime of bells and the
voice of a man We're swept across the
continent from San Francisco today
to he hurled out. over a wide stretch
of ground about Arlington National
cemetery with every note. every.
janeing vibration of the bells and
every spoken syllable as distinct AS
though sounded hundred feet from
the listeners ears. Yet the sounds
originated in San Francisco. the
speaker stood on the roof of the
great civic auditorium there and the
music came from monograph records
PLAYED on the building on which he
stood for an audience 5000 miles
away.
It was the formal dress rehearsal
of the mechanism by which President
Harding's voice. as he speaks the ma
TONS homage on armstice day over
the casket of Americas Unknown
Dead from France will he carried to
an audience waiting before the am
plifiers in New York and to another
gathering in San Francisco to share
in Americas great day OF tribute.
Telephone wires by the thousands OF
miles, linoman b. the hundred, tele-
graph operators by the score We're
needed for the test as they will be
rpcded on armiStice day to bring the
oxperiment TO the success so certain
~ foreshadowed by today's perfect
results. High officers of the army
and the officials Of the American
Telephone and Telegraph company,
which is making this contribution to
the memory of the dead soldiers. had
no doubts Of that success after the
first sentence spoken at San Francis
60 was clearly audible to them at a
half mile distance from the ampli-
fiofs on the amphitheatre at Airing
ton.
Similarly there was long reading
OF speeches from the stage Of the
ampitheatre here to be carried out
over the wires to San Francisco. the
voice OF the reader went on and on
and the few who witnessed the test
first listened to this from every
pont about the great marble struc-
ture to a distance Of more than half
mile. Every syllable penetrated
clearly to every nook and hollow
making it certain that hundreds or
thousands could hear the presidents
address. the PRAYERS and the singing
and music on armistice day standing
anywhere in the grounds about the
structure.
Then the voice announced that the
next words TO be heard would he
spoken in Sn Francisco. The FAINT
With of the meCh2aiSm rose to
higher hum and a new, deeper toned
voice announced that chimes played
on a pn0nograph record in San Fran
cisco would come next. As clearly
as If 1t We're not a dozen feet away,
the click of the photograph mechan-
ism came as the needle dropped on
the face Of the whirling record 5000
miles away: the familiar Introductory
scrape began. then the bells doomed
out. walking echoes in the cemetery.
peilang over the thousands Of graves.
The deep voice took up the task
again. with the announcement:
Spoken from the roof Of the Civic
Auditorium in San Francisco"
It read ont the words of President
Harding's inaugural address: then
announced the bugIe call record and
the clear note Of a trumpet IN STIR
ring army calls swept over the field
more distinctly heard the notes OF
the bucler at Fort Myor. across the
road, whore the garrison was at rn-
treat parade.
To accomplish this latest marvel
OF communication. the telephone /
company employed nearly 10000
miles OF circuit, double that length
Of wire: it had linemen stationed
every IS miles all the way 70 San
Francisco, 3OS picked men TO keep 1t
all going: it had more than 30 tele-.
graph operators on Morse circuits.
paralloling the talking lines TO see
Mat all moved smoothly, that orders
were promptly oheyed.
And in today's test the telephone
experts proved that. given enough
equipment. they could carry all of
the Armistice day proceedings the
Presidents words in his own voice.
the strains of the marine band, the
roar of the gun salutes that will
mark this Unknown Soldiers burial .
and the notes of taps sounded
above the grave. to every person in
the United States.
Only lack of equipment. for this
is an experimental development with
no commercial aspect as yet officials
said, prevents extension of the SER
vice to other cities than New York |