Pueblo chieftain., 1921-12-11
new ERA Seen
IN TELEPHONY
Scheme Devised That Will
Help Harding Talk
to Millions

New York. Dec. 1o.-President Hard
Ing. who set record for long dis
tance oratory on Armistice day by ad-
dressing simultaneously three great
ttrongs of more than 100000 persons.
gathered at Arlington National ceme
terry, San Francisco and New York,
may easily find himself talking to an
audience running high into the mil
lions and scattered thru every state
in the union, before he leaves the
White House.
Indeed, says r. W. King. one II the
American Telephone & Telegraph COM
pany engineers whose work on the loud
speaking device made possible the
ushsring in of new epoch in space
Annihilation at the ceremonies over
the bier of Americas unknown SOL
dier. it is we'll within the range of
possibility that President Harding may
see the day when a president can SIT
at ease in the White House andt talk
at once to every city. town and ham
let in the United States that is tapped
by telephone wires.
An audience Of 50.000.000 perhaps. or
100. 900, 900!
that-these telephone company en-
gineers. For ability to look, unabashed.
into the faces of a column OF ciphers.
marching in threes across great open
white spaces. Is one OF the prerequisites
even to thinking about that marvellous
contrivance, the electrical amplifier, of
which the loud speaking device Is only
one in long list of practical appl-
cations.
For instance-the electrical current
that carried President Hardings fu-
neral grafton to the crowds at ArlinE-
ton. San Francisco and New York. was
multiplied 5000, 900 00o, ole, DOL 900 900 900.
81 nj . ~.Ilz Dttt taA
into great sonorous sound waves. over
the heads of three audiences.
1t took 5000 600. 900. 900 900 amplifica
tions to convey the Grafton and the
other ceremonies to San Francisco SO
that they could have been heard thru
kan-ordinary tAlephone reosiycx. Then
they had to he amplfied a million
million times by the loud speaking do
vice.
A nero ten million biliion.-1o. 900 900
coo, 900. o.ooo-of amplifications were nee
essary to bring the ceremonies out
clear and strong in New York. Ten
thousand were used to bring the cere-
monies here. and a million million TO
raise them to audibility for the New
York audience.
The other million million amplifica-
tons were used to carry tho prcsidcnt's
voice TO the Arlington crowd.
Ry providing few more scores OF
thousands of miles Of wire. some thou
sands OF loud speaking devices and
a few foolscap sheets filled with tiny
ciphers indicating more ampIifications.
the entire country might hear future
public ceremonies. Mr.. King said.
II would be relatively simple. he de-
ciarcd. to set up equipment in the capi-
tails OF the IS states thru which 10000
persons In each city-a total of 1900 900
could hear n ceremony In Washing
ton or elsewhere as distinctly as II
they were seated within n few yards OF
the speaker.
Canned" music. too. faces a potcn-
tcntial rival in the loud speaker. It
would be as simple to connect the
stage OF the Metropolitan Opera House
up with tho nation at large as to con-
meet n president. once the equipment
WAS set up.
Telephone engineers say the Armis
ticc Day experiment. proved that music
could be reproduced over the wire cir
cult at least as purely rs IL Is repro
duccd on the best phonograph records
and that 1t will be matter of but
few years when the last vestige of me-
tallic ring will he eliminated.
Mr.. King believes It win be but
short time too. until all tho principal
public halls and large university audi
toriuins are equipped at least with
local loud speakers. These he pointed
out. would easily he switched in on
long distance circuits carrying public
addresses and similar events from
other cities.
While the loud speaking device is a
development of the last two years. the
ampiifer which made II possible. has
been in widespread use. piliny up
ciphers unseen on every long distance
telephone lire In tho country, since
the transcont'nental circuits were
opened in 1915. A long distance call
from New York TO San Francisco in
wolves 4oo. 900. .ooo. .o0oooa nmplitications
Tho number OF ampiif'cstions ncccs-
sary between any two points depends
not only upon the distance but upon
tho nature of the circuit.
But tho principle Of tho ampll1cr 1.
not limited to telephone Use.
1t is fundamental or radio and
wire teleRraphy: of radio telephoning;
of all long distance electrical signal
ing.
It was the amplifler that picked up
during the war water vibrations caused
them into sounds by which COM
msndcrs of allied wsrships wero able |
TO locate tho hidden foe.
II made possible tho fog line in !
New York harbor-that maSnntizcd
cable leading up the channel. which
properly equipped vessels follow in 4
the thckest fog.
Recently It brought the FIRST music
many Of them ever heard TO New |
York audience Of persons OF defective
hearing. ;
Physicisns use It to study the beat
ing NJ the human heart;
These are some of its scores of uses.
"Nnd the ampiificr Ia still In its in
fancy" says Mr.. King.
Dallas. Tex, Dec. to.-The loud |
speaking device which enabled large |
audiences at great distances to hear
President Harding's srmisticr day |
speech was the same instrument put |
to many uses and tests at the Texas |
state fair Mt Dallas early In October. |