Evening star., 1922-05-21
THRONGS TO HEAR
LINCOLN Ceremony
Phone Apparatus to Carry
Voices of Speakers to Ex-
tremes of Grounds.

Potomac Park may be packed with
people from Lincoln Memorial to
Washington's Monument on May 80.
still can hear the words of President
Harding and Chief Justice Taft dur
ing the exercises in dedication of the
huge marble edifice.
Loud-speaking telephone apparatus.
such as was used at Arlington on
Armistice day, will enable many
nousands-possibly a quarter of d
mliiion-to hear every word Of the
aedication. Engineers are now en-
gagged in the installation of the in
trlcate apparatus. loaned by the
chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
company as its contribution to the
exercises.
Dedication of this monumental trib-
ute to Lincoln will be the outstand-
ing event of the nations observance
or Memorial day this year. and vis-
itors from all parts of the country
VIII be in the capital to witness it,
Chief Justice Taft will present the
memorial on behalf of the comm ission
that had charge of its design and
erection, while President Harding
VIII accept it in the name of the
American people.
Voices to be Natural,
The thousands of. .Washingtonians and
visitors who hear the words of the
ceremonies will see no mechanical ap-
paratus and will be unable to detect any
unnatural tone in the voices Of the
speakers. Though far out Of range of
the average spoken voice coming from
the memorial, they will hear as plainly
as II standing but few feet from the
speaker. The voices will carry in every
direction, and q person standing at the
foot OF the Washington Monument will
De able to hear as plainly as any one
close to the memorial.
Concealed about the memorial build
ing Will De the loud speaking projectors
from which will issue the words of
President Harding and former President
Taft. In every direction the speeches
will go out from these big horns. and
though amplified millions Of times by
the intricate apparatus, every infection
and tone OF the spoken voice will be re-
| tanned. One can stand in front of the
speaker. turn around and walk half a
mile while the speech is in progress, but
he will not be able to detect where he
passes from the zone Of natural voice
into the area served by the loud speaker.
There Is no raucous, shouting tone,
such as comes from megaphone..
Mechanism Works Fast.
Though the words Of the speakers
will be carried by wires to expensive
and extremely delicate apparatus.
where they will be boosted and
thence sent to the projectors that will
send them forth, they will sound out
at the same instant, practically. that
they are uttered. In front of the
speakers will be a little box, con-
tanning a highly sensitive transmitter
similar to that on an ordinary tele-
phone. Wires leading from the trans
mitter will transmit the words to the
amplyfying apparatus inside the
building.
Here the electrical waves, passing
through the ampliflers. will be boost
ed many millions of times. finally
reaching the telephone receivers
enormously strengthened, but with all
the original qualities impaired to the
transmitter.
The receivers are connected to the
projecting horns and, like the ordi-
nary telephone receiver, change the
electrical waves back into actual
sound. There will be a number of
projectors all on the same electrical
circuit, so that the words will y-be
broadcasted to all the crowd sur
rounding the memorial.
Though a great amount Of work is
necessary in preparation for the
achievement. none of this will be ap-
parent to the crowd. The projectors
will be placed and concealed so as
to harmoniZe with the memorial and
only those previously informed will
realize that they are present.