The Edison phonograph monthly (Dec 1914-Dec 1915)

10 EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY, NOVEMBER, 1915 intermediary of your invention, the Diamond Disc Phonograph, permanent records are being made of the voices of great statesmen, wonderful human songbirds and the renditions of famous musicians, all of which will be transmitted down the ages to future generations of men and women whose great-grandsires have not, as yet, been born. While you have been accomplishing many and great things in the comprehensive field of your activities, the personnel of the wonderful organization under Mr. Theodore N. Vail, head of the Bell System, and his illustrious Chief Engineer, Mr. Carty, have spent years of effort and millions of capital to reach the goal they have so recently accomplished. In the month of January, 1915, they astonished the entire world by the establishment of through and excellent telephone service between the Atlantic and the Pacific shores of our great Country, and only a few days ago even transcended this great achievement by the transmission of articulate speech by wireless telephone, from the Atlantic Coast across the Continent and Pacific Ocean, to far away Honolulu. We are indeed living in the day of miracles when, from here, we can converse with you, seated as you are in the booth of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, thirty-four hundred miles away. Marvelous as are the agencies we are employing to-night to do you homage and to aid us in conveying to you our expressions of respect and affectionate regard, they are but mediocre when compared with the universal esteem and higher honor which is now and will ever be associated with the name of Thomas A. Edison. This record, by the way, was made in "record time." It was rushed through the various delicate processes of the factory in just three days from the time it was dictated by Mr. Hutchison, and yet so carefully had each process been handled that it was a good record from the technical standpoint. At the conclusion of the record's playing Mr. Edison was heard to remark, "Fine — Fine!" Mr. Edison then made the following reply: It may seem strange to those who know of my work on the telephone carbon transmitter that this is the first time I have ever carried on a conversation over the telephone. Trying to talk thirtyfour hundred miles on my first attempt at a telephone conversation seems to be a pretty big undertaking, but the engineers of the Bell system have made it easier to talk thirty-four hundred miles than it used to be to talk thirty-four miles. In my research work I have spent a great many years listening to the phonograph, but it gives me a singular sensation to sit here in California and hear the new Diamond Disc Phonograph over the telephone all the way from Orange, New Jersey. I heard the record of Hutch's talk very plainly. I should now like to hear a musical record. If you have one handy I wish you would play Anna Case's bird song. This was done, and word was received back by telegraph during its playing: "Mr. Edison is hearing it perfectly." Then Mr. Edison put the same selection on his Diamond Disc at San Francisco, in order that guests at the Laboratory might hear as he had heard. The tones were sweet and clear and perfectly audible, without any strain to hear them; the high notes and trills being exactly as clear as if heard over a short distance 'phone, although not quite so loud. After listening to the record played in San Francisco half a dozen of Mr. Edison's life-long friends were called to the 'phone and held conversations with him. Among these were N. C. Kingsbury, Vice-President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Co., George F. Morrison, General Manager of the Edison Lamp Works; John W. Lieb, Vice-President of the New York Edison Co., and George E. Burd, Industrial Manager of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. John J. Carty, chief engineer of the American Telephone and Telegraph Co., had arranged to "listen in" to the messages at Chicago, where he had assembled a number of scientific men, who also listened on extension wires. Mr. Carty spoke with Mr. Edison at San Francisco and every one on the wire, at Orange, Chicago and San Francisco, heard the conversation simultaneously. In this conversation Mr. Carty said: "I think your Diamond Disc Phonograph, Mr. Edison, the most wonderful musical instrument I have ever heard." Toward the conclusion of the experiment it was desired that Charles and Theodore Edison speak with their father over the transcontinental line. But Mr. Edison had gone from the 'phone and Mrs. Edison held conversation instead. Her words were distinctly heard and even the tone of her voice was recognized. Following the experiment, a flashlight photograph of the assembly in the Laboratory was taken; also one of a group outside the Laboratory door. The guests were then invited to a moving picture show in the Executive Building, where the achievement of the Transcontinental Telephone Line was graphically portrayed in moving pictures. Among others present at the Laboratory in Orange were Charles Edison, the inventor's son, associated with his father in the business; John V. Miller, brother of Mrs. Edison; Mr. and Mrs. James Nicoll, of New York, the latter a sister of Mrs. Edison; Miss Elizabeth Miller and Miss Rachel Miller, of New York, nieces of Mrs. Edison, Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Potter, Dr. G. F. Kunz, Mr. and Mrs. George Merck, Dr. and Mrs. John H. Bradshaw, Mrs. William G. Bee, Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Herben. Other guests included George F. Morrison, Dr. Frank A. Sprague, Spencer Miller, Elmer A. Sperry, Sidney B. Paine, I. C. Walker, Charles S. Bradley, John Ott, F. R. Upton, P. B. Shaw, Sr., Schuyler S. Wheeler, W. H. Comde, M. E. Lang, Charles Wirt, M. F. Moore, T. Comerford Martin, Edward H. Johnson, Charles L. Clarke, Capt. George E. Burd, U. S. N., Edward Marshall, Benjamin S. Whitehead, Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Hutchison, R. A. Bachman, Harrv F. Miller, Mrs. W. S. Tebbetts, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Neumuller. C. H. Wilson, Vice-President; William Maxwell, Second Vice-President; E. J. Bergeren, Secretary and Treasurer; William H. Meadowcroft, Secretary to Mr. Edison, and a group of the older employees. Oct. 23. — ''Tone-Test Recital at San Francisco at Scottish Rite Hall, very successful — Attendance Q44. Most appreciative audience yet. Acoustics and presentation perfect"— V. E. B. Fuller.