The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 61, July 1957 - April, 1958 Page: 469
591 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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George P. Hachenberg, an American Leonardo da Vinci 469
same way as a nerve force. He developed an instrument for receiv-
ing with chambers and membranes somewhat like the ear, and
he followed the shape of the old fashioned stethoscope in the trans-
mitter. He lectured at Franklin Institute in Philadelphia where
he demonstrated his invention.24 When Alexander Graham Bell
patented his telephone in 1876, Hachenberg's claim of priority
was a subject of investigation until the 1890o's. Bell's claim was
based upon the transmission of speech by electricity while Hachen-
berg's claim was based upon transmission of sound by electricity,
a narrow distinction. He credited Bell, Elisha Gray, and Thomas
Edison with bringing about the first practical results of the tele-
phone but sought the honor for the original idea. He was able
to point to printed articles as early as 1862, but his name appar-
ently has been missed in the history of telephony.25
Returning to Coxsackie and Hudson, New York, Hachenberg
had other inventions to report. He patented a vegetable cutter,
an improved letter envelope and a new hygrometer as evidence of
his continuing interest in meteorology.26 Two papers appeared pre-
senting a plan for "Gas Made at the Coal Mines and Conveyed to
Cities by Pipes." He sought to incorporate the Musical Telegraphy
Company, but the fate of this project is uncertain. In 1872 his
papers on fire prevention and his suggestion of spray pipes for
fire prevention appeared. He was also writing on the prevention
of railroad accidents. At this time he began the move to the South,
stopping in Philadelphia and Washington for brief times, then
finally arriving in Austin in 1873.27
Apparently when Dr. Hachenberg made his move to Austin, he
came to stay. He purchased land two miles south of the city on
the Fredericksburg Road, an area now known as Theodore Lowe
Heights in part. At some date about this time he purchased a
ranch on the Pedernales River.28 He made his presence known
by delivering his lecture on "Musical Telegraphy" at the City Hall
with apparent great public approval.29 Mrs. G. B. S. Hachenberg
24Electrical Review, October 18, 1883, p. 7.
25Austin Record, March 15, 1886.
26Hachenberg, A Chronological List of the Main Features of the Inventions.
27Ibid.
28Miss Lucy B. Anderson to J. M. Coleman, personal interviews, May, 1956.
29Texas Medical News, October, 1900oo, pp. 731-732.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 61, July 1957 - April, 1958, periodical, 1958; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101164/m1/573/: accessed May 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.