Masterpieces of Science 



able to use the railroad track for conversational 

 purposes in place of a telegraph wire, and he 

 further states that when only one telephone was 

 connected with the track the sounds of Morse 

 operating were distinctly audible in the tele- 

 phone, although the nearest telegraph wires 

 were at least fifty feet distant. 



Professor Peirce has observed the most singular 

 sounds produced from a telephone in connection 

 with a telegraph wire during the aurora borealis, 

 and I have just heard of a curious phenomenon 

 lately observed by Dr. Channing. In the city 

 of Providence, Rhode Island, there is an over- 

 house wire about one mile in extent with a tele- 

 phone at either end. On one occasion the sound 

 of music and singing was faintly audible in one 

 of the telephones. It seemed as if some one were 

 practising vocal music with a pianoforte accom- 

 paniment. The natural supposition was that 

 experiments were being made with the telephone 

 at the other end of the circuit, but upon inquiry 

 this proved not to have been the case. Atten- 

 tion having thus been directed to the phenome- 

 non, a watch was kept upon the instruments, and 

 upon a subsequent occasion the same fact was 

 observed at both ends of the line by Dr. Chan- 

 ning and his friends. It was proved that the 

 sounds continued for about two hours, and 

 usually commenced about the same time. A 

 searching examination of the line disclosed 

 nothing abnormal in its condition, and I am 

 unable to give you any explanation of this curi- 

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