The phonoscope (Nov 1896-Dec 1899)

Vol. J II. So. 2 THE PHONOSCOPE 11 Hmerican IRovelttes. Zbc "^foreign 3Bu\?er" Foreigners who are in the Market for 'Graphs, 'Phones, 'Scopes and novelties. Descriptive Circulars and Quotations, if sent to the following, may bring some customers DEALERS IN ELECTRICAL MATERIAL, Etc. Belgium Ch. Belot, r. rue Poincon 24, Brussels. L. Beringer, r. de Brabant 161, Brussels. P. Boet, ch. de Wavre 17, Brussels. Gust. Boty, r. Ste. Gudule 10, Brussels. Colin & Cie., quai des Usines 158, Brussels. G. F. Duerr, r. Henri Maus 31, Erussels. Koerting Freres, r. Gretry 18, Brussels. H. Niels, r. Stevin 206, Brussels. A. Petit, r. de l'Arbre-Bf nit 2S, Brussels. F. Quanonne, r. Royale 210, Brussels. Ad. Lavaud, r. Pletinckx 33, Brussels. Uruguay Carlos Grover, Zabala 63, Montevideo. Ciscone F. Gutta, 25 de Mayo 387, Montevideo. Cosmes D. Cabral, Juncal 225, Montevideo. DEALERS IN MICROSCOPES, SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS, OPTICAL GOODS AND THERMOMETERS. Belgium Cerf & van Cleef, Madeleine 59, Brussels. V. Dratz, r. de l'Hopital 21, Brussels. Rob. Drosten, r. du Marais 49, Brussels. J. Friart, r. au Beurre 8, Brussels. A. M. Rosso, r. des Fripiers 50, Brussels. Gust. Brand, Pont de Meir 2, Antwerp. DeKennel Freres, qu. Ste-Adelgonde 16, Antwerp. B. E. Levy, pi. Meir 101, Antwerp. H. Roland-Van derauwera, c. r. Neiive 14, Antwerp. M. Wahl, remp. Ste-Catherine 37, Antwerp. A. Bonquiaux, Flandre 34, Ghent. L. J. Cortoriendt, r. Neuve St-Pierre no, Ghent. Ve. Van den Camp Baur, r. de Brabant 18, Ghent. J. Boucher, Grand' Rue 28, Charleroi. G. Courtois, Dampremy 28, Charleroi. Fauville & Tassoul, Montagne 21, Charleroi. C. Richelet, r. Dampremy 4, Charleroi. J. Rustein, q. Brabant 32, Charleroi. J. Contrain, Harmonie 6S, Verviers. C. Fngel & Cie, Brou 27, Verviers. R. Forsten, Crapaurue 55, Verviers. A. Weber, PI. Martyr 51, Verviers. DEALERS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, (ORGANS, PIANOS, Etc.) Belgium J. Bous, Goffart 52, Brussels. Em. Duray, chaussee de Wavre 21, Brussels. J. Estey & Cie., Montagne de la Cour 45, Brussels. H. Feilitzsch & Qie., r. de Laeken 95, Brussels. Rud. Ibach Schn, r. du Congres 2, Brusssls. Ad. Mahillon, r. Neuve 91, Brussels. Georges Oertel, r. de la Regence 17, Brussels. P. Riesenburger, r. du Congrts 2, Brussels. P. Dyck, Couvent 60, Antwerp. J. Gerousse, 1. r. Chevaliers 60, Antwerp. Ch. Koenigsberg, Huybrechls 32, Antwerp. Th. Mortier, r. de Breda 56, Brussels. Ve. Dereusme-Vanlair, r. Gretry 3, Liege. J. J. Frambach, pi. Universite 26, Liege. Ch. Gevaert, Dominicains 7, Liege. G. Heinemann, q. de l'Universite 6, Liege. Renson Freres, Guillemins 16, Liege. G. Schultz, boul. d'Avroy 36, Liege. L,. Van Damme, r. de l'Universite 31, Liege. Mme. G. Beyer, digue de Brabant 30, Ghent. Boone Fils, r. Magelein 19, Ghent. J. Vergaert, ch. Bruges 9, Ghent. B. Van Hyfte, Basse des Champs 32, Ghent. Z. Demoulin, bd. Andent 1, Charleroi. Maison Dagnelies, Montagne 16, Charleroi. J. Decubert, Chavanues 55, Ch?rleroi. Uruguay Ambrosio Maini, calle 25 de Mayo 282, Montevideo. Martin V. Aldecoa, Sarandi 224, Montevideo. Luis Esteves, Sarandi 36r, Montevideo. Carlos Ott, Sarandi 211, Montevideo. DEALERS IN TYPEWRITING MACHINES. Sinave-Mignot, Neuve 155, Brussels. Gust. Story & Cie., Neuve 133, Brussels. Allman, r. Royale 17°, Brussels. J. Darimont & Cie., r. des Longs Chariots 38, Brussels. J. Dieudonne, r. des Croissades 13, Brussels. Franz Goosens, Jr., boul. du Nord 1 12, Brussels. L. A. Schoenenborn, av. Fonsny 22, Brussels. Sherman H. Tuck, r. des Arqubusiers 3, Antwerp. Our battler Not long since a new boy was employed in the Edison laboratory, in Orange, N. J., who forced Thomas A. Edison to give an account of himself. It happened in this way : The boy was first told all about the man for whom he was to work . Then he was told of the traditions of the establishment. He was told that the main building contained a piece of every known substance on earth, and that if he could name any substance not in the building he would be awarded a prize of $2.50. He was also told that his special duty would be to guard the room in which Mr. Edison worked, it being important that the inventor be not disturbed by curiosity seekers or schemers who often try to reach him. Then the boy was placed on guard, full to the brim of the importance of his position. But one serious omission had been made by his instructor. He had not told him what Mr. Edison looked like. So when, soon after he took up his post, the boy was approached by a portl)', shabbily dressed man, who attempted to push past him, he grabbed that man in such a way that the man stopped and gasped in astonishment. "What is the matter with you boy?" demanded the man indignantly. "You can't go in there," retorted the boy, with just as much spirit. "Why not?" said the man. ' 'Because no one can go in there without written permission, orwhen Mr. Edison sends out for him." "Oh, I see," said the man, and then he turned on his slippered heel and walked off, while the boy looked after the dirty yellow duster which the man wore, and said several things to himself not at all complimentary of "blokes wot would try to bluff past him." But the boy was surprised about five minutes afterward to see the man in a yellow duster coming back accompanied by the "instructor," who looked very, very serious, and who said : "Boy, don't you know who this gentleman is?" "No," said the boy. "But he didn't have any pass and Mr. Edison wasn't with him." "Why, this is Mr. Edison !" gasped the instructor. The boy collapsed. "Can I go in?" asked the inventor with a twinkle in his eye. But the boy hung his head, while the instructor started in to berate him for his mistake. Then Mr. Edison turned around and stopped that instructor on the spot, while he at the same time commended the boy for his vigilence. It was the fault of the teacher, not of the boy, he said. Nevertheless, the effect of the incident on the boy was such that he never could enter the same room where the inventor worked without a visible tremor. Mr. Edison, who is fond of a joke, sought to reassure him by winking at him tremendously every time he came in, but that did not seem to mend matters. One day he was very sick, and an investigation showed that he had been chewing tobacco. It nearly killed him, and he resigned his position in consequence. "That boy," said the inventor afterward, ' 'reminded me of the first chew of tobacco I ever took. I was about as big as he is, and with two other little fellows had saved up a lot of scrap iron and tin and zinc which we meant to sell when the holidays came around. There was a large boy in the neighborhood (I think he must have become a bunco steerer afterward) who knew of our hoard. One day when we had been in swimming he came to us and said : " 'Say, you fellows, if you will give me that tin and iron and stuff you have, I'll teach you how to chew. ' "The proposition struck us as being very fair, particularily as he agreed to furnish the tobacco. Well, we were quite willing, so he brought some old Canadian cut down to a sand bank by the river. He divided the stuff into three parts and gave us each one. Then he said : " 'Now you must do exactly as I say, and you must do it right away or you'll never learn to chew.' " 'Now, then,' he shouted, 'hold it up.' "We held it up. " 'Put it in^your mouth,' he yelled. "We put it in. " 'Chew !' he hissed dramatically. "We worked away at a great rate. " 'Swallow it," he screeched. "We gulped it down, and then that young rascal fairly rolled down the bank with laughter, while we soon rolled down the other side sicker, I suppose, than any of us had been in our lives before or since. One of the boys nearly died, and they had a very serious time with him. That was my first experience with tobacco." Although the somewhat aged story of the suburban gentleman who dropped a nickel in the Phonograph and upon hearing the preliminary crash of the cymbals in the band selection, rushed out to hold his horses may be an exaggeration, it is quite true that many amusing incidents still cling about the talking-machine. One of the most common of these is to hear a listener at the machine address some one standing by in a powerful shout. It is a trick of nature that the person with the listening tubes should instinctively speak in a tone louder than the sound in his ears. In this way one who is listening to a Wagnerian selection on the machine feels called upon to speak loud enough to be heard above the din of the band, forgetting that the person whom he addresses is hearing nothing but an occasional little squeak. Several years' experience with talking-machines has made this mistake less common than formerly, but there are plenty of people yet who can afford an observer considerable enjoyment. Another phenomenon attributeable to the same cause is the singing of the songs aloud while listening to the machine. It is a common habit for one to hum a familiar tune while hearing it played by the orchestra. The tapping of the foot and a low whistling indicates that we are following the march measures of the music, but when the music is heard by all, these little demonstrations are not noticed. But to see a man with a pair of rubber tubes in his ears enthusiastically singing "I Guess that Will Hold You for Awhile," "My Gal's a Peach," or some similar classic strikes the passing onlooker as bordering on the absurd. Yet this is a common occurrence, according to the testimony of the Phonograph man. If the victims of this habit but half realized the merriment, they sometimes cause they would keep the silence of the Spinx or would relinvuish the Phonograph habit.