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281
Heroes of the Telegraph
·
John Munro
218
In
this
way
the
received
message
transmitted
itself
further,
without
the
aid
of
a
telegraphist.
Edison
was
running
the
cylinder
which
carried
the
embossed
paper
at
a
high
speed
one
day,
partly,
as
we
are
told,
for
amusement,
and
partly
to
test
the
rate
at
which
a
clerk
could
read
a
message.
As
the
speed
was
raised,
the
paper
gave
out
a
humming
rhythmic
sound
in
passing
under
the
stylus.
The
separate
signals
of
the
message
could
no
longer
be
distinguished
by
the
ear,
and
the
instrument
seemed
to
be
speaking
in
a
language
of
its
own,
resembling
'human
talk
heard
indistinctly.'
Immediately
it
flashed
on
the
inventor
that
if
he
could
emboss
the
waves
of
speech
upon
the
paper
the
words
would
be
returned
to
him.
To
conceive
was
to
execute,
and
it
was
but
the
work
of
an
hour
to
provide
a
vibrating
diaphragm
or
tympanum
fitted
with
an
indenting
stylus,
and
adapt
it
to
the
apparatus.
Paraffined
paper
was
selected
to
receive
the
indentations,
and
substituted
for
the
Morse
paper
on
the
cylinder
of
the
machine.
On
speaking
to
the
tympanum,
as
the
cylinder
was
revolved,
a
record
of
the
vibrations
was
indented
on
the
paper,
and
by
re-passing
this
under
the
indenting
point
an
imperfect
reproduction
of
the
sounds
was
heard.
Edison
'saw
at
once
that
the
problem
of
registering
human
speech,
so
that
it
could
be
repeated
by
mechanical
means
as
often
as
might
he
desired,
was
solved.'
[T.
A.
Edison,
NORTH
AMERICAN
REVIEW,
June,
1888;
New
York
ELECTRICAL
REVIEW,
1888,]
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