﻿PREHISTORIC 
  TELEPHONE 
  DAYS 
  

  

  235 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  a 
  silent 
  and 
  interested 
  observer 
  of 
  

   all 
  that 
  went 
  on. 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  Sir 
  Charles 
  manipulate 
  the 
  ma- 
  

   chine, 
  and 
  heard 
  it 
  speak 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  

   the 
  articulation 
  was 
  disappointingly 
  crude, 
  

   it 
  made 
  a 
  great 
  impression 
  upon 
  my 
  mind. 
  

   Sir 
  Charles 
  very 
  kindly 
  loaned 
  my 
  father 
  

   the 
  Baron 
  von 
  Kempelen's 
  book, 
  and 
  I 
  

   devoured 
  it 
  when 
  we 
  reached 
  home. 
  It 
  

   was 
  in 
  French, 
  but 
  I 
  knew 
  enough 
  of 
  

   French 
  to 
  be 
  able, 
  with 
  my 
  father's 
  as- 
  

   sistance, 
  to 
  read 
  and 
  enjoy 
  the 
  book. 
  

  

  MAKING 
  A 
  TALKING-MACHINE) 
  

  

  Stimulated 
  by 
  my 
  father, 
  my 
  brother 
  

   Melville 
  and 
  I 
  attempted 
  to 
  construct 
  an 
  

   automaton 
  speaking-machine 
  of 
  our 
  own. 
  

   We 
  divided 
  up 
  the 
  work 
  between 
  us, 
  his 
  

   special 
  part 
  consisting 
  of 
  the 
  larynx 
  and 
  

   vocal 
  chords, 
  to 
  be 
  operated 
  by 
  the 
  wind 
  

   chest 
  of 
  a 
  parlor 
  organ, 
  while 
  I 
  under- 
  

   took 
  the 
  mouth 
  and 
  tongue. 
  

  

  My 
  brother 
  and 
  I 
  were 
  very 
  much 
  

   alike 
  in 
  our 
  tastes 
  and 
  pursuits 
  and 
  even 
  

   in 
  our 
  personal 
  appearance. 
  We 
  were 
  

   both 
  fond 
  of 
  making 
  little 
  mechanical 
  

   devices 
  of 
  various 
  kinds, 
  but 
  we 
  differed 
  

   in 
  our 
  ability 
  to 
  construct 
  them. 
  

  

  Melville 
  was 
  quite 
  skillful 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   tools 
  and 
  very 
  neat-handed 
  in 
  every- 
  

   thing 
  he 
  did. 
  I, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  was 
  

   always 
  clumsy 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  my 
  hands 
  and 
  

   inefficient 
  where 
  tools 
  were 
  concerned. 
  I 
  

   hit 
  upon 
  a 
  plan, 
  however, 
  that 
  obviated 
  

   the 
  disadvantages 
  of 
  this 
  defect 
  in 
  a 
  

   great 
  degree: 
  I 
  made 
  my 
  models 
  of 
  

   gutta-percha 
  wherever 
  possible. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  an 
  admirable 
  substance 
  to 
  bring 
  

   to 
  a 
  boy's 
  attention. 
  Gutta-percha 
  be- 
  

   comes 
  quite 
  soft 
  in 
  warm 
  water, 
  and 
  if 
  

   you 
  are 
  careful 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  hands 
  wet, 
  to 
  

   avoid 
  sticking, 
  you 
  can 
  mold 
  it 
  into 
  any 
  

   form 
  desired. 
  Upon 
  cooling, 
  it 
  becomes 
  

   quite 
  hard 
  and 
  firm. 
  Then, 
  again, 
  you 
  

   can 
  give 
  it 
  quite 
  a 
  fine 
  finish 
  by 
  smooth- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  surface 
  with 
  a 
  hot 
  knife. 
  

  

  A 
  pencil 
  of 
  gutta-percha 
  can 
  be 
  handled 
  

   like 
  a 
  stick 
  of 
  sealing 
  wax, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  

   melted 
  or 
  set 
  on 
  fire 
  over 
  the 
  flame 
  of 
  a 
  

   candle. 
  The 
  melted 
  drops 
  are 
  quite 
  sticky 
  

   and 
  adhere 
  to 
  any 
  dry 
  object 
  with 
  the 
  firm- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  glue. 
  I 
  used 
  the 
  material 
  in 
  place 
  

   of 
  glue. 
  For 
  example, 
  in 
  fastening 
  pieces 
  

   of 
  wood 
  together, 
  I 
  simply 
  rubbed 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   joining 
  surfaces 
  with 
  the 
  melted 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  

   stick 
  of 
  gutta-percha 
  and 
  pressed 
  them 
  

   together. 
  At 
  once 
  they 
  adhered 
  with 
  

  

  sufficient 
  firmness 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  necessity 
  

   of 
  using 
  tacks, 
  nails, 
  or 
  screws. 
  The 
  

   joint 
  was 
  quite 
  firm 
  the 
  moment 
  the 
  

   gutta-percha 
  cooled. 
  

  

  AN 
  ATTEMPT 
  TO 
  COPY 
  NATURE 
  

  

  My 
  father 
  took 
  an 
  extraordinary 
  in- 
  

   terest 
  in 
  the 
  proposed 
  talking-machine 
  

   and 
  encouraged 
  us 
  in 
  every 
  way. 
  I 
  now 
  

   realize, 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  then, 
  that 
  he 
  looked 
  

   upon 
  the 
  machine 
  as 
  a 
  valuable 
  educa- 
  

   tional 
  toy, 
  which 
  would 
  compel 
  us 
  to 
  be- 
  

   come 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  the 
  

   vocal 
  organs, 
  quite 
  independently 
  of 
  any 
  

   practical 
  results 
  attained. 
  This 
  accounts 
  

   for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  encourage 
  us 
  

   to 
  follow 
  in 
  the 
  footsteps 
  of 
  Kempelen 
  

   and 
  Wheatstone, 
  but 
  rather 
  sought 
  to 
  

   have 
  us 
  copy 
  Nature 
  herself. 
  

  

  In 
  accordance 
  with 
  his 
  advice, 
  we 
  at- 
  

   tempted 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  exact 
  copy 
  of 
  the 
  

   vocal 
  organs, 
  and 
  work 
  the 
  artificial 
  lips, 
  

   tongue, 
  and 
  soft 
  palate 
  by 
  rneans 
  of 
  levers 
  

   controlled 
  by 
  a 
  key-board. 
  

  

  I 
  started 
  out 
  with 
  my 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  

   by 
  making 
  a 
  cast 
  from 
  a 
  human 
  skull, 
  and 
  

   then 
  from 
  this 
  mold 
  produced 
  a 
  replica 
  

   of 
  the 
  mouth 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  in 
  gutta- 
  

   percha. 
  This 
  gave 
  us 
  a 
  firm 
  foundation 
  

   on 
  which 
  to 
  build, 
  consisting 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  

   teeth, 
  the 
  upper 
  gum, 
  the 
  hard 
  palate, 
  and 
  

   the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  pharynx, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  hole 
  

   at 
  the 
  top 
  representing 
  the 
  rear 
  entrance 
  

   into 
  the 
  nasal 
  cavities. 
  

  

  This 
  hole 
  was 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  valve, 
  con- 
  

   sisting 
  of 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  wood 
  hinged 
  to 
  the 
  

   palate 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  skin 
  of 
  soft 
  

   rubber 
  stuffed 
  with 
  cotton 
  batting. 
  The 
  

   lever 
  to 
  operate 
  it 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  

   nasal 
  passages 
  beyond 
  the 
  nose. 
  

  

  The 
  lips 
  were 
  formed 
  of 
  a 
  framework 
  

   of 
  iron 
  wire 
  covered 
  with 
  rubber 
  stuffed 
  

   with 
  cotton 
  batting, 
  and 
  rubber 
  cheeks 
  

   were 
  provided 
  which 
  completely 
  closed 
  in 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  cavity. 
  

  

  A 
  TONGUE 
  OE 
  WOOD 
  DESIGNED 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  proposed 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  tongue 
  of 
  

   wooden 
  sections, 
  standing 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  

   like 
  the 
  dampers 
  of 
  a 
  piano, 
  each 
  section 
  

   to 
  be 
  pushed 
  up 
  into 
  the 
  mouth 
  by 
  its 
  

   appropriate 
  lever, 
  the 
  whole 
  tongue 
  to 
  be 
  

   covered 
  over 
  by 
  a 
  thin 
  skin 
  of 
  rubber 
  

   stuffed 
  with 
  cotton 
  batting. 
  This 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  apparatus 
  was 
  never 
  actually 
  com- 
  

   pleted, 
  but 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  tongue 
  were 
  

   made 
  and 
  experimented 
  with. 
  

  

  