Year: 1878

| PHoNoGRAPH. AERcPHoNE
AND TELEPHONE AND


oTH HERS.


Edison, the inventor, was in Washing.
| ton the other day to show his phonograph
and his carbon telephone to the Acad.
emy of Sciences. He is a young man,
only thirty -one years of age, and comes,
OF course, from Ohio. Everybody is
from Ohio nowadays. He appears 10
have been born inventor, having made
his first invention when be was but
twelve years of age. In 1893 he was
train boy on a Michigan railroad. In
the fall of that year he began to work as
telegraph operator, and two months
later he brought to the manager OF the
office in which he was employed a plan
for duplex telegraph arrangement
which he had studied out for himsel t
His first recorded invention, for which,
however, he did not take out patent,
was published by him in the Telegraph
Journal in 1868, and was also for du-
plex. His first application for q patent
here was In connection with the gold and
stock telegraphs, and he has about fifty
patents on record connected with that
system, and his was In an important re-
spect the first successful invention.


He is now a noted man at the Patent
Office, where his inventions recorded
number about 150. He has invented
many forms of duplex and quadruplex
telegraphs worked tor while at the
automatic system of Baque, which sends
messages by perforated paper and has
worked also at the multiplex system
which sends not simultaneously sas the
duplex, but in the minute intervals be-
tween other messages. He is the inven-
tor of the electric pen, with which sew
eral copies of a letter or document are
written simultaneously. This was
brought forth in response TO the demand
of friend of his, merchant, who said.-


~ wish you'd make something which
would save copying, and by which |
| could write two copies at time"


The telephone. aerophone and phono-
graph have absorbed him for some time.
lie has made important improvements IN
the first named instrument. The phono-
graph for practical use he is now COM
pleting, aud in three or four months the
practical machine, which is to consist OF
flat disk instead of the cylinder now
| used, will be put on the market. He
| anticipates that it will be in demand
among merchants who have a large cor
respondence man may read his mail
and as he reads speaks his replies to
each letter at once into the sphonograph
which will work at set speed by a
clock arrangement. When all is done
the instrument will be turned over to a
clerk, who setting the clockwork to &C
more slowly, will copy from its dication
1t is also suggested that skilled readers
will be employed to read novels and
others works into phonograph, and the
Impressions, being duplicated cheaply
and made permanent, may then be
sold for the use of the blind or for per
sons who wish to spar their eyes, and
or whom the pho nograph will read
aloud at the fireside. 1t is said that q
clock company in Connecticut has al
ready bought of Mr.. Edison the right tc
use form of photograph which is to be
cheaplY applied to clocks, which Will
then call out the hours and half hour.
Instead of striking. There can be Ec
doubt that the phonograph will be booI
| to the blind.


| The aerOphone is AN instrument in.
tended TO increase very grertly the vol
ume of the hum III voice, 1t is more in
genioas than the phonograph. In a
steam whistle or an organ pipe is placed
a delicate valve controlling the supply
of the steam or air. This valve is con
nected with a diaphragm similar to
that used in the phonograph and tele-
phone, and the vibrations of the diaph-
ragm cause movements in the valve,
which opens and closes in exact accoI
dance with the vibrations Of the hui
man voice communicated to the dia-
phragm throws the steam or air into
similar vibrations, and thus repro-
duces the words spoken. In fact it
gives the speaker additional wind, and
1t would be very useful to members
Of the House Of representatives, whose
hall is one of the most trying in the
| world to the voice and throat. 1t is
curious that the tin foil produced in a
phonograph may be applied and used
in an aerophone, and will cause the
steam whistle to give ont thh Words
which the phonograph has recorded The
possible abuses of this machine are so
evident that Edison has already had Of
fers from eager advertisers who want To
i
wares to whole county at time, and
if the inventor should let it fall into
reckless hands we may see special ses-
sioRs Of State Legislatures called this
summer 10 put down what might easily
become an intolerable nuisance. Its
legitimate uses are for fog signals and
steamships, and possibly railroad
trains.


1t Is said that the phonograph was
suggested to Edison by remark ofGen.
Butler, who, examining a telephone,
| said to the INVENTOR


"Now you must make something to
record these sounds"


At the Smithsonian Institute the
other day Edison saw phonautograPh,
machine used for delineatIng graph
ically the form of the sound waves, and
examining curiously moment he re-
marked to friend


"Wise men, these were, not to see
4 n