Telephone Anticipated by Wild Indians.
The July " Geographical Journal " has son)" interesting notes by Col. George Earl Church on Dc Bach's visit to the C&tuquinaru Indians in the valley of the Amazon. Dr Bach found that each habitation of malocca ocenpied by the tribe was supp'ied with a cambaryuu or telegraph, which enabled them to com* municate with each other. The machine consists of a hollow piece of hard palm wood filled with sand, robber, pieces of wood and hide, and fixed in a socket of Band, hide, resin, and rubber. This is struck with a club of wood with rubber and hide.
There is one of these instruments bidden in each malooca, and the malocoas ara about; a mile distanj^ one from the other, and all on a direct line north and sooth. It appears that the instruments are en rapport with each other ; and, when struck with a club, the neighbouring ones to the north and south, if not above a mile distant, respond to or echo the blow. To this an Indian answers by striking the instrument^-, in the malocca with which it is desired to communicate, which blow in turn is echoed by the instrument originally struck. Each malocca has its own series of signals. So enclosed is each instrument in the malocoa that, when standing outside and near the building, it is difficult to here a blow, but. nevertheless, it is heard distinctly in the next < malocca, a mile distant, in the manner indicated. The Tuchtu give me an example of signalling. With a prolonged interval, he struck the instrument: twice with the club, which, as I understood, was to indN cnte attention, or that a conference was desired. This was responded to by the same instrument, as s result . of a sinele blow given by some one on the next apparatus*, nearly a mile distant. Then commenced a long conversation which I could not comprehend. So, long before we bad our tele-
phones connecting house with house, these remote Indians of South America had got what served something of the same purpose !
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH18981006.2.15
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Manawatu Herald, 6 October 1898, Page 2
Word count
Tapeke kupu
348Telephone Anticipated by Wild Indians. Manawatu Herald, 6 October 1898, Page 2
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in