THE FIRST INVENTOR OF THE TELEPHONE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1743, 23 July 1884, Page 2

THE FIRST INVENTOR OF THE TELEPHONE.

An important decision has been made by the American Patent Office examiner on the title to the first invention of the speaking telephone. The claimants for the honor were Bell, Edison, Gray, and Dolbear, but many other inventors set up claims to a share in the invention, The whole invention or subject-matter in dispute was divided under a number of heads. The first ot these relates to the art of transmitting sonorous vibrations of all kinds and quality by varying the strength of an electric current, and Bell is declared the first to have invented this, In the second article, which relates to the means of transmitting speech by varying resistance in the transmitter. Gray was declared the first to conceive and disclose the invention in his caveat of 'J?ebruary 14, 1876, but failed to take action and complete it until others had done so, hence the priority is awarded to Bell. Edison is declared the first to employ an "electro hydro-telephone, the fluid holding vertically an adjustable tube, within which the ends of the platinum points are immersed," he having exhibited this feature in a water telephone at the end of December, 1879. Bell is awarded priority for the magneto-induction, transmitting, and receiving telephone; the date of his patent being February 14, 1876. An important decision relates to "a telephonic receiver consisting of the combination in an electric circuit of a magnet and a diaphragm supported and arranged in close proximity thereto, whereby sounds thrown upon the line may be reproduced accurately as to pitch and quality, May, 1875, is the date of McDonough's invention of this device, and priority is awarded to him. The well-known Bell receiver is therefore a mere variation of McDonough's earlier invention; but the "combination with an electro-magnet of an iron or steel diaphragm secured to a resonant case" i 3 declared to be Bell's. Edison is awarded priority in the case of a spring carrying one electrode and pressing it against the other electrode and diaphragm. While upon this sudject, we may refer to Professor Silvanus P. Thomson's recent researches into the earlier works of Philip Reis, recently published in the form of biography. Prof. Thompson shows that Reis,is the original inventor of the speaking telephone, that ho intended it to speak, and that it did speak more or less perfectly.—* Engineering.''

ME JULIUS VOGEL AS AN i EDITOR.. I A contributor to the Waikato Times writes as follows; * I do not think it is when he was editor of the Ota^/Daily Times, Sir (then Mr.) Julius Vogel one day increased the issue of that paper to 20,000 copies. When Dunedin first bad a town board a number af the members were ignorant men who liked to hear themselves talk, and still better, to see their speeches in print.. As there was not much news to put in the papers in those days, and ! as.they invariably "treated" the. re- • porters, their ambition was freely gratified by long reports of th meetings of the Town Board/&4l the speeches that members made 40$ tried to make, After a while the columns ot the newspapers became kg valuable to be filled with twaddle, jjfc so the reports were curtailed to a concise account of. the business transacted. This did not suit the verbrose members, who passed a resolution to the effect that if the newspapers did not contain a full report of all that was

said and done at the meetings of the Town Board, the reporters would be refused admission. At the next meeting the first persons to arrive were four reporters on the staff of the Olago Daily Times. The. first member, who arrived remarked that it was " tarnation cold," and went up to tmlffireplace, tucked up his coat tailsfand - stood with his back to the fire. The - reporters promptly made a note of the words and actions. The same thing

was done with regard to ; every other 1 member as he arrived. Every word A that was spoken and every movement that was made in the room that night ] was noted by the reporters; the consequence being that the report of the | meeting of the Town Board occupied a page and three-quarters okJjhe Otago Daily Times the next uiornfijp By 9 o'clock the office was rushed'for' copies of the paper, and the crowd became so great that a posse of police had to be sent to protect the office, By 5 p.m. the circulation had increased to 20,000, and it stopped at that figure only because the printers were completely worn out by their labors and could work no longer.