18763 A Great Invention 



finding myself the guest of another of the older 

 naturalists. Dr. Philo R. Hoy of Racine, a fine- 

 spirited worker who also gave me his fish collection. 



In the early summer of 1877 1 made my first 

 visit to Washington, where I became acquainted 

 with Professor Baird, Dr. Theodore Gill, Dr. Elliott 

 Coues, Dr. William H. Dall, Robert Ridgway, and 

 the rest of the scientific coterie at the Smithsonian 

 Institution, of all of whom I shall say more by and 

 by. In the course of my stay the new invention of im-entwn 

 Professor Alexander Graham Bell, the telephone or ^V^T 

 "far speaker," was brought over to the Smith- 

 sonian to be tested. Connecting the basement with 

 the fourth story, we were greatly amazed and de- 

 lighted to find that we could hear over the wires. 

 In case of doubt, one would put his head out of 

 the window and call: "I'm talking through the 

 telephone; can you hear me now.^" 



In Sacramento thirty-five years later I told this 

 story by the Poulsen Wireless through the air to 

 an operator at Stockton, forty-eight miles away, 

 and he reported it accurately back to me. After- 

 ward, by the same system (which operates on the 

 principle of the tuning fork) messages were carried 

 enormous distances through the air, from Wash- 

 ington to Honolulu and Panama, and recently 

 farther, I believe. 



In 191 6, in connection with an effort to illustrate Speaking 

 telephonic communication across the continent, I J^JJ"'^ 

 was asked to give a short lecture on world peace continent 

 from my home at Stanford to the members of the 



I 1593 



