A RIVAL OF THE TELEPHONE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7550, 25 September 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

A RIVAL OF THE TELEPHONE.

Profeßsur Alexandro Graham Bell and his cousin, Dr. Cliichcßter Bell, have recently made a very remarkable discovery, which thoy think is quite as important as tho transmission of the tonoe of tho voice through the telephone. Th. y Lave discovered that a filling jot of water, or afl une of gaß burning in a room, reproduces every word spoken and ovory sound uttered within a g\ven distance. When two people join in conversation in a room in the evening, the gas which burns above their heads repeats every_ word they aay, and sounds uttered in the vicinity of flowing water produce vibrations. To a reporter of a local paper, Professor Bell showed t glass disc, upon whloh appeared a Bpirnl streak composed of tiny little shade lines placed together or farther apart to mako up tho variation of intensity. The surface was one of depression and elevation. This, Professor Bell said, represented aouod waves. When the plate was revolved upon a pivot, and the depressions and elevations conveyed to the ear by a miorophono, there was a repetition of tho conversation thore recorded as distinct as when ij; was delivered. The undulate surface representing sound waves wos produced by photography. Professor Bell saya that if anyone will go to a water pipe and turn on tho faucet, so that the water will fall in a stream to the ground, water can be made to roport the conversation taking place in its presence, and a stream register ovory sound within hearing of it. Profeaßor Bell conaidera this discovery quite as important as th&t of tho telephone, and bis cousin, Ohiohester Veil, has gone to Europe for tho purposo of bringing it before sciontiCo mon in England and on the Continent. Paten'B liaTo already been obtained in all the principal countries of both coutiuonts. The great object of tho inventors wft3 to record by photography or otherwise the vibrations in tho jet of water whioh correspond to sound waves : the result of words ppoken iv Ihe vicinity ; to keep the voice on record, sealed upas it were, for any length of time, and then, when called* upon, to let tho record apeak. Thi», Mr Bell says, has boen accomplished. The water or liquid, of whatever kind it may be, is colored with bichromate of potnsh. If it weio perfectly dear it would not answor, because tho light used in photographing would pass through without roaiatnnce and n> record would bo made on the thblet. Tho water spreads itself out on the glaas plate and runs off. It is water so spread out that is to be photographed^ as it passes. Words spoken cause the jet of water to vibrate, and the vibrations in the jat cauao corresponding vibrations in tho film of water aB it broakß and spreads on tho glass plite and runs off. A ray of light is passed through that film and through the glass plate to a aeuaitive tablet bohind, the sensitive tablet recei- . vins the impression of evory vibration whilo the speaking continues. The jot keeps burning, the filtn keeps moving, and the light passing through the film to the tablet makes a record of the speech far more acouto than any verbatim report. Tho»e scientists do uot consider their invention perfect, but they are at work improving it.