The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-08-07
ABOUT DIR. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL

AbOO LIN. ALENFAINDEN OTNfAT1fANl DILL
The press of the world is paying tribute to the
memory Cd Dr. Alexander Graham Bell inventor of
the telephone and in doing so effort is being made to
correct some erroneous information to the place of his
birth and just how the invention came into being The
boys and girls of today will be able tell their children
and their grandchildren that it granted them to live
in the day of the great who has done much tor
human kind and history ought to keep the record
straight Dr.. Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland,
and not in Canada as newspapers have stated the
date of his birth being March 3, 947. His education
was obtained in Edinburgh and London and he held
honorary degrees in many universities in Europe, the
United States and Canada. He came to Canada to
live in the year 1870 but soon thereafter appointed
professor of vocal physiology at Boston University. In
a conversation or eight years ago with a
friend in Washington DR.. Bell stated that at the time
he discovered the telephone he studying telegraphy
and learning be telegraph operator. After heard
human voice over an electric wire had no use for
the telegraph" he sad and my study ceased right
, there
when | went from Boston to Brantford, Ontario,
in the summer of 1874" said Dr. Bell Il had under
way two distinct lines Of investigation. On the one
hand was my system of multiple telegraphy had
reached the application of the undulatory current the
conception that if you could armature the
air is moved during the passage CT sound you could
transmit speech.
"On the other hand, had with me apparatus
made out of dead man fear for studying the move
ments of the air during the uerance of sound The
membrane of the ear was like piece of tissue paper,
Il r II III H. that,u
moved by that little membrane were really very heavy
and massive compared with it. 1t suddenly struck me
that if such small membrane that would move bones
so massive in comparison, why would net large MEM
brane move airy piece Of iron?' And at that moment
the telephone was born complete theoretical propo
sition, and in Brantford The next year, in Boston,
Dr. Bells first telephone made.
1t was in August, 1875 that the Dominion telegraph
Company leaned their wires to Bell for the experiment
at Brantford, which re- lie in the first long distance
transmission of speech b. The transmitting IN
strument was in Paris, Onao the receiving instrument
in Branfcrd eight miles away, and the battery on the
circuit in Toronto. 90 miles distant.
The transmission went only way, DR.. Bell has
explained but on this occasion speech transmitted
at distance of several miles, The person at the other
other wire But by the end CT August, 07o. quite
number Of experiments that attracted attention
made on the wires of the Dominion Telegraph Company.
There was one experiment between Brantord and Mount
Pleasant distance of five miles, and then gave
hibion from my fathers house a country place four
or FIVE miles from Brantord, known uea Heights.
1t was about quarter mile from the house to the nearest
telegraph wire We cleaned the town out of stove pipe
WIRE and placed it on the fence from my fathers house
and then attached it to the telegraph wire leading into
Brantford Then had some friends in Brantford who
spoke sang and recited into the membrane telephone
while large number of guests at my fathers house at
Tutela Heights listened to the transmission.
so these experiments at Bradford the first ex
perments that were really successful in transmitting speech
from one place 10 another at distance but they
all one-sided. not reciprocal.
The first reciprocal communication occurred after my
return to Boston in October, 876."
1t was during the year 676, the Centennial year at
Philadelphia, that DR.. Bell placed on display his new
invention Nobody took any interest in the small booth
where the instruments were displayed, people not
stopping to investigate that Dr. Bell might be able to
interest capital in the promotion Of his discovery. Finally
some prominent hnancers induced to come to the
booth where some of their number consented to put part
of the strange looking instrument to their Away
at the far end of the building Dr. Bells assistant spoke
into what was the telephone. 1t talksI was the ex-