A LIGHTHOUSE THAT SPEAKS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11126, 27 July 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

A LIGHTHOUSE THAT SPEAKS.

SHOUTS TO THE MARINER IN DANGER.

On the French coast there will soon be a lighthouse equipped with monster mouths and a compressed air device, which will enable it to 6hout, m tones of thunder, to ships on the horizon. The invention i s by Dr. Marage, an ear Specialist, and is not a phonograph or anyiing like it, but an exact imitation of the human throat and mouth, with an air pump for lungs. Teeth, lips, jaw-bones, and all are imitated exactly.. Dr. Marage's small models, not appreciably larger than the normal human mouth, can be made to utter a iairit whisper or give vent to an earsplitting yell such as no man ever made.

With a mouth, «ix feet from corner to corner it is estimated' tlmt the artificial voice could be understood from three to six miles away, according to weather conditions. Mouths of tins size afe to be placed beneath the lens of the new French lighthouse. ... . A single mouth can only repeat a single syllable as often as -air is blown into it. In order to speak' a sentence several -mouths are necessary. For instance, if the British Government adopted the device, and fitted it up. on the Bell Rock, as steamers of tlie future come over the horii zon and into the Forth one of the mouths of the mechanism will turn seawards and i roar "Bell."

Then mouth number two, comings into range, will thunder the word "Rock," 'foi. lowed at once by mouth number three, whioh will finish the message by discharging the word "Light." The mouths are to. Tbe worked by the same mechanism which turns the lenses, and will always be m Working order, when' Uie lights are flashing.

r ITS USES FOR ADVERTISING. ! The possibilities of the device, as an advertisement have been seen by French business men, but have been discouraged by tli© Government for very good reasons. If the "Bon Marche" erects a talking macliine of moderate size on fop of its building and announces a marked down sale, all conversation m every part of Paris would liave to be carried' on by deaf and dumb language. It was merely incidental that Dr. Marage's invention should become useful for lighthouse and advertising purposes. He is an ear specialist, apd devised the little mouth for the purpose of diagnosing and [ treating deafness. I The appearance of the mouths with I their teeth and lips is strikingly human, and the effect is startling when one of! Dr. Marage's moulds says, sweetly, m a feminine voice, through smiling, parted lips, "Oui" ("yes"), and instantly there comes m deep, decisive tones from " a neighboring mould wlvh thicker lips and heavier chin— "Non." Other usefe than those already indicated have been found for the invention. Two mouths about half the size of automobile lamps are beuig made for one of tlie Marquis De Dion's big automobiles, with whicli lie is to tour England this summer. One mouth will yell "Look," | and the other "Out," with a fraction of a second between tlie words. A MOTOR CAR WARNING. The machine is already equipped witli a double cylinde- air pump, whicli may jbe connected withi the motor, and is j used for inflating tyres. The addition of ;a compressed-air lank is all that is needi cd. Instead of the tout of a horn or tlie wail of a siren, those wbo get m the | motor's wa-- will be treated to an earsplitting bellow of: — "Look out ! Look out 1 Look out !" Beside Dr. Marage's bed is an assortment of mouths wliich he changes from time to time. They are connected with a compressed air tank and an alarm clock. At whatever time, the alarm is set the moutlis begin to speak softly some sentence such as : "Get us! It's late!" . H the doctor does not get up the air supply is automatically increased' as the mechanism gets to running faster and faster, and the tones become louder and inc/e urgent.