THE TELEPHONE ECLIPSED.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5275, 20 February 1878, Page 3

THE TELEPHONE ECLIPSED.

'ln Nature (quoting from the Scientific American, of 22nd December, 1577) of 3rd January last, is given an account af a new machine called the “talking phonograph,” which (if it does not prove to be a scientific American joke) is destined to eclipse the telephone, and other great wonders of the day, in its effects. The editor of the Scientific American says that the inventor recently called at his office, placed a little machine on bis desk, turned a crank, and after further conversation, bid him a cordial good night. All the remarks were perfectly audible to a dozen or more people who were present. This instrument is fitted with a mouthpiece, and on sounds being uttered into it, a metal diaphragm is caused to vibrate, and a metal point attached to it to make contacts with a strip of tinfoil laid round a revolving cylinder, supported on a screwthreaded shaft. On the cylinder is cut a spiral groove of like pitch to that on the shaft, and thus an exact record of the sounds uttered is made by indentations of the vibrating metal point on the tinfoil where not backed by the solid cylinder. So far the phonograph is merely a writer, but by another ingenious contrivance Mr. Edison, the inventor, makes the machine reproduce the original sound engraved on the tinfoil, being a reversal of the process by which it receives the sounds. This machine combines in itself two separate devices—the phonograph, or recording apparatus, and the talking contrivance. By separation of these the first machine could record, and be transmitted by mail elsewhere, of course with exact information of the velocity of rotation of the cylinder. The recipient then, by setting his apparatus to revolve at exactly the same speed, would hear the frozen tones of the phonograph thaw into the sounds which it originally received, so that the frozen violin of the story, which when placed near the warm fire gave forth the sounds that were intended by the player when he moved his bow across the strings in their frozen condition, is almost likely to be realised after all. Other machines have been invented which have succeeded in producing something like articulation in a single monotonous organ note. But this machine does far more; for it is said that it is impossible to listen to its mechanical speech without experiencing the idea that one’s senses are deceiving one. The article concludes thus :—“ We have already pointed out the startling possibility of the voices of the dead being reheard through this device, and there is no doubt but that its capabilities are fully equal to other results just as astonishing. When it becomes possible, as it doubtless will, to magnify the sound, the voices of such singers as Parcpa and Titiens will not die with them, but will remain as long as the metal in which they may be embodied will last. The witness in court will find his own testimony repeated by machine, confronting him on cross-examina-tion ; the testator will repeat his last will and testament into the machine, so that it will he reproduced in a way that will leave no questions as to his devising' capacity or sanity. It is already possible by ingenious optical contrivances to throw stereoscopic photographs of people on screens in full view of an audience. Add the talking photograph to counterfeit their voice, and it would be difficult to carry the illusion of real presence much further.” For our own part we ponder with awe and dread over the frightful possibilities opened up by the idea of a recording and talking—not an gel—but machine. “Hansard” reporters will be no longer required, only set the machine to go slowly, and printers will sot up type from the real tones of the speaker. Ye gods ! to think of a verbatim report of the Assembly debates. Only think of a man carrying such a machine in his pocket. It can lead to nothing else but silence—a universal silence—a silence that will be felt. Let Darwin tell us in how many ages after the perfection of this embryo machine the art of talking will have been forgotten.