Hide Article Text (OCR)
ing from it. He shook hands, and pointt-ing to the instrument said: w This 5s my ^peaking phonograph. Bid you ever jsee it and hear it talk ?”The reply was a negative. Thereupon he piicked pp the gutta percha mouthpiece- saying: “ This mouthpiece issimply an artificial diaphragm. Turn it over,” suiting the action to the word, “ and you see this thin disk of metal ait the bottom. Whenever yom speak in the mouthpiece the vibrations of your voice, jar this disk, which, as you see, has iti its center a fine steel pointi Now for th'e other part of the machine. Here is a brass cylinder grooved something like tjhe: spiral part of a screw, only much ; finer. I wrap a sheet of tinfoill around the cylinder, and Bhove the mouthpiece up to it so that the tiny steel point touches the tiinfoil above one of the grooves. J then turn the cyliri^ der with a crank, and talk into* the mouthjpiece. The vibrations arouse the ? disk, and the steel point pricks the tin-: foil, leaving perforations resembling the old Morse telegraphic alphabet. They are replly istereoscopic, views of the voice, Tecoiding all thalt is said, with time and intonations. It it a matrix of the words and voice, and can be used until worn! out. Now ’lei us rest the cylinder, so that the steel ipdint may run over the holes or alphabet! made when talked in the mouthpiece. The thin, metal disk rises, and, as ithe steel point trips fiom perforation to perforation, opening the valves of the diaphragm, the words, intonation and accent are reproduced exactly as spoken. For instance, before you came up, I was talking to the instrument, and here is the matrix or stereoscopic view, if ^ou please, of what I said/’ putting his finger on the tinfoil 'which still remained on the cylindeij. u Now I reset the instrument,” sliding the cylinder to thejright. u Here the steeli point starts at the skm^ spot as when I talked through the mouthpiece, but its action is now controlled by the perforated, alphabet It repeats what I said. I use this sort of ah ear trumpet to bring out the sound, so you can hear it-more distinctly. Listen?”He placed the small end of the funnel oyer the toouth piece, shoved the mouthpiece against the cylinder, and turned the crank. The following words chased sacli oth^r out of the funnel:Mnry had a little lamb,It* fleece was white as snow,And everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go—to go—*tlt; go— Oohiooh ooh—ah!Cockadoodle doo—ah!Tuck—a—tuck—a—tuck—Tuck—oh! tuck—ahiThe cylinder was again set back and the crank turned very slowi The effect was ludicrous* for the * professor had originally pronounced the words with great gravity and dignity, and the drawling way in which the instrument repeated them would have made a horse laugh. The cylinder was then turned very fast, land the words flew out of the funnel so hist they struck the ear in a confused mass. But a most extraordi-ipry effect was produced when the pro-
Newspaper Details
Angelica Advertiser
Angelica, New York, US
Wed, Mar 28, 1877
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Kyle G.
USA 08 Mar 2024
Other Publications Near Angelica, New York
Angelica Allegani County Republican
Whig and Advocate
Angelica Allegany Republican
Angelica Advertiser
Angelica Reporter
