The phonoscope (Nov 1896-Dec 1899)

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Vol. I. No. 8 THE PHONOSCOPE 9 (Beneral IRews through the horn loses much of its sweetness. One who has listened to the horn reproductions and has never heard a reproduction through a hearing tube has no correct idea of the perfection with which all the finer shades of music are now rendered. The production of a graphophone that sells for ten dollars makes reasonable now the expectation of those interested in talking machines, that before long graphophones, as musical instruments, will be as common in homes as are pianos. The new graphophone, the Eagle, in its performance is fully equal to the higher-priced machines. It is neat in appearance, easily portable, and many will think it far more convenient than the machines with larger and heavier motors. It is run with a small clockwork motor that will drive the mandrel long enough to reproduce two cylinders with a single winding. trie lighs, which proved quite successful. They have also established an agency for South Africa and secured the services of Messrs. Vargas and Montval. The success of the recent kinetoscope picture of two Royal Blue trains on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, near Relay, resulted in quite a large number of applications being made to the passenger department by other concerns to be given an opportunity to take pictures for their machines. Manager of Passenger Traffic Martin decided that the train service will be so arranged that the photographers will have an opportunity to secure another set of kinetoscope pictures. There will be three, and probably five, photographers in line, and it is confidently expected that the new pictures will excel the old ones in interest. The pictures will be taken on the Relay Viaduct. A phonograph concern is endeavoring to get a record of a meeting of the Toledo school board. is stated that it would be interesting and exciting and far superior to the vitascope prize fight. It was learned lately that Mr. Harries, until recently the efficient president of the Metropolitan Railway of Washington, D. C, has followed Mr. Godwin, a former Washington newspaper man, and Mr. DeGraw into the employ of the American Graphophone Company. He will remain in Washington for some time and perhaps permanently, and will devote himself to the introduction of the graphophone into the departments here. Prof. Charles Sumner Tainter, who with Prof. Alexander Graham Bell and Prof. Chichester Bell, invented the graphophone, has entered the service of the American Graphophone Company to conduct experiments looking to improvements in soundrecording and sound-reproducing apparatus. Prof. Tainter since the original invention has contributed much towards the improvement and perfection of the talking machine. The talking machine as it is represented in the graphophone, was invented and improved in Washington and as a business enterprise the graphophone has been developed largely by Washington capital and energy. About a thousand persons gathered on Atlantic Avenue, near the Albion Hotel in Atlantic City, N. J., to witness a drill of the local Fire Department, which was to be photographed for a reproduction on the biograph. While the apparatus was moving under furious headway down the street to cross a given point within a minute's time three chemical engines drew up abreast, and, there not being room enough for all to pass in front of the photographing machine at the same time, the engine of the Good Will Company was driven into the apparatus, smashing it into pieces. The driver deliberately did this to avoid running into the engine to the right of him. The crowd assembled at the point where the accident occurred was so deeply engrossed in the operation of the machine that it was unconscious of the danger until the collision occurred. Then men and women scattered in a twinkling and allowed the horses and the engine to pass through the wide lane which opened as if by magic. Vice-President Marvin, of the American Mutoscope Company, which controls the biograph machine, said that no one was injured in the accident. Mr. Marvin also said that although the machine was demolished the completed film was preserved and the desired picture up to the moment of the collision is perfect. The Columbia Phonograph Company is opening in Chicago and Paris offices that will rival in attractive appearance the headquarters of the Company at 27th St. and Broadway, New York, and the offices already established in Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis and other cities. The Paris office, which is to be the headquarters of the European trade, has been placed in charge of Mr. Frank Dorian who has left the place of General Manager of the Company in New York, for the purpose. The Columbia Phonograph Company advise the use of the rubber hearing tubes in listening to musical records on the graphophone where only two or three are to listen. Where a large company is to be entertained, of course a horn is necessary, but it is believed the music that is thrown out Mr. William Herbert Smith, who has for several years been Vice-President and Treasurer of the Columbia Phonograph Company, has succeeded to the office of General Manager of the Company in place of Mr. Frank Dorian who has been transferred to Paris. Mr. Smith's headquarters as General Manager will be in New York. He has arranged to move his family and establish his residence at Areola, New Jersey, where he will be a neighbor of Mr. E. D. Easton, President of the Company. Pictures for the kinetoscope of an answer to an alarm of fire were taken yesterday at Fire Headquarters in East Sixty-seventh Street, New York City. Chief Bonner and Chief Gicquel, of the First Battalion drove out of the house first. Next came President Sheffield, and then Hook and Ladder No. 16 and Engine Company No. 39 with a tender. S. Lubin, of Philadelphia, has a neat, light and substantial apparatus for projecting pictures on a screen, called the Cineograph. This machine bids fair to have a large sale. Roger Harding has opened a phonograph parlor in New York City. It is his intention to place on the market high-class original records of celebrated artists. We are sorry to inform our readers that we cannot fill orders for the Lyrophone as the manufacturers failed to fulfil their contract and have discontinued manufacturing them. There will, however, be another machine placed on the market similar to the lyrophone, full particulars of which will be given in a later issue. A matter or considerable importance in the talking machine world, has been settled by a decree just issued by the United States Court for the Southern District of New York. This Court has issued a perpetual injunction against Walcutt and Leeds, on the suit of the American Graphophone Co., to restrain them from infringing what are known as the blank patents owned by the American Graphophone Co. This is the first time that the rights under these patents have been tested in court. A Philadelphia firm are selling films of counterparts of the Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight which are a striking resemblance to the genuine article. The Empire State Phonograph Co. have been experimenting on a new light for picture projecting machines to take the place of calcium and elec pbonoorapb {Top for tbe CbUbren With the Aid of the "flusical Tin" It will Produce Tunes while Spinning The newest thing in toys is a phonograph top, a combination of spinning top and musical instrument, with intonation similar to the phonograph. This little novelty is entertaining for old as well as young. It is as easily spun as any ordinary top, and with a little practice tunes may be produced. The various parts to this toy are the metal top itself, the string for winding the stem above the keyboard, the "U" shaped handle for holding the stem until the string is released, and the celluloid cone, the point of which is pressed lightly upon the keyboard, producing the sounds desired. This little toy is made in various rainbow tints, and is a thing of beauty while spinning. It will spin for seven minutes or longer. The chief novelty is, of course, the celluloid cone tip with which the tunes may be played upon the keyboard. This keyboard is perfectly flat above and below, with a rim about the outer edge, and the stem extending a short distance below it. The keyboard is very sensitive to the lightest touch of the musical tip. A curious use of the microscope was lately made in Prussia. It appears that on one of the railways a barrel, which should have contained silver coin, was found on arrival at its destination to have been emptied of its precious contents. Prof Ehrenberg was consulted on the subject, and he sent for samples of sand from all the stations along the different lines of railways through which the specie had passed, and by means of his microscope identified the station from which the interpolated sand must have been taken. In due time the culprit was found to be one of the employes at that station. By which it appears that science as well as religion makes crime dangerous.