The Autophonostenograph.

Otago Witness, Issue 1585, 8 April 1882, Page 29

The Autophonostenograph.

For some time past (says the Melbourne Age) one of the Supreme Court Judges has been devoting much of his leisure to perfecting an instrument called the autopnonostenograph, which is designed for automatic verbatim reporting by the aid of electricity. It is stated that success has crowned his persevering efforts, and that the invention will be made public as soon as the necessary pre* liminary steps have been' taken to geoure to the inventor both the honour and profit of his discovery by patenting it throughout the known world. When their Honors the Judges were called upon a few days ago to finally decide as to the nature of the accommodation to be provided in the various courts of the new Law Courts now fast approaching completion, the inventor confided his secret to his brother of ijhe Bench. It has been decided to adopt it in its entirety for all the new Courts of Justice. The autophonostenograph in outward appear-, ance somewhat resembles a sm.aJH haimonium, though the key& ajs comparatively few in number, there, beingpne only for each person, wlyvwyhave occasion to speak, and the pressing, of these connects the speakers with the instruments, and causes their various utterances to be received by the instrument — only, however, to be sent forth again in plain type-printing on long strips of paper tape. Thus, in a Court of Justice there would be a key each for the Judge or Judges, for the witness-box, for the jury-box, for the CQm^el &c, each key communicating wfth pj\e, oj more receiving instruments, d.is.po^ed in front of the bench, witfles&xbox, jury-box, &c. If the Judge \n speaking, the person in charge of tlrje instrument presses down the *' Judge" key, and whatever the Judge says is duly recorded on the Judge paper tape. If anyone else interrupts the speaker, what he says can also be recorded by the operator putting his key down also, as each key has its own record, and the p<iper tapes different colours, so that no ro.ijita.fce can be made as to whose utije^n^ a.re recorded thereon. By qne qI the most ingenious oontrivanpe's }n; tne. instrument the operator in charge aan prhit oh the underside of the resse.cptYe tftP Q an . v rema rks he may wish to make, whust a,' carefully adjusted chronographic 'apparatus prints along the edge ' of each strip the' actual time at which each, wor<^ is uttered ; by thi? mean,e the scrips, pa^ ajftjer,

wards be arranged in {parallel lines and transcribed or even made up into " copy " with the aid only of paste and scissors. In the ordinary instruments the whole of the apparatus is contained within the case, but the instrument is so designed that the recording portion can, if necessary, be disposed at a distance, say at the newspaper office, for example, and bo electrically connected only with the receiving portion. This, however, would necessitate a number of special wires, which, under ordinary^ circumstances, would be too expensive. This invention is a combination of Ader's modification of Professor Hughes' microphone transmitters of the now well-known phonograph, whilst the general arrangement is borrowed to a great extent from Professor Hughes' " type-printing "machine. There has, however, been a most important link supplied in that portion of the machine which translates the phonographic indentations into distinct movements, capable of actuating the various literal combinations which represent the different sounds of our language; but as the patent for this Colony has not yet been applied for, we are compelled to reserve the explanation of this portion of the machine to another time. It should be mentioned that the spelling of the recording portion of the machine is phonetic. I