The Alto Herald (Alto, Tex.), Vol. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 19, 1928 Page: 2 of 5
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THE AI'TO HERAI.T). AT-TO. TRXAS.
Ttfee tJtfr.leleVojCi the
Mechanical Manh,
m
1
1
TALKING
WITH MR. TELEVOX
w W-
courtesy wrstingmo^e co
*3
MR.TELEYOX, THE DRJULMASTEt*
MR,..TELEVOK'S LARYNX
Cy ELMO SCOTT WATSON
11EKE Is an old story
about a man who went
lo a circus, and when
he saw a giraffe for
the iirst time in his
life, exclaimed: "There
ain't no such animal.
A few years ago, if
you had told the aver-
age American that
there could be devel-
oped a mechanical "man" of steel
and iron who could be told to per-
form certain tasks and would do
them, his reply would probably lie
similar to the exclamation of the old
fellow who saw his first giraffe, And
yet the ingenuity of an American in-
ventor has developed such a man, but
what is more remarkable still is the
fait that be has given his automaton
n "voice," and it can now "tall: back I"
If you are inclined to say "There ain't
no such man!"—meet "Mr. Televox"
juid his ln\entor, Jt. J. Wensley of the
wwtinghouse Electric nnd Manufac-
turing company!
' When Mr. Wensley first brought his
mechanical "man" into being, all that
."he" could do was to obey certain
'commands to accomplish certain speci-
fied results, "lie" could lie culled up-
on the telephone and would open nnd
■close switches and record the condi-
tion of instruments or mechanisms with
'which "lie" was connected, l'ut now
Mr. Wensley lias given him a "larynx,"
and the process can be reversed, so
that If a report becomes necessary
"Mr. Televox's'' mechanical arm lifts
the receiver of a telephone and his
"voice" Kays "This is Televox calling
Main OlOO." After the telephone con-
nection is made, the "conversation"
(albeit a prearranged one) is contin-
ued until certain information Is con-
veyed.
As to how "Mr. Televox" has "found
Tils voice," It can best be explained In
the words of Mr. Wensley himself,
•who says:
To Rive the mcrhnntsm menns for
•emitting nrtloulnte Bpeooh of Rood
"quality, iin' is made of development*
In the "talking movie" industry. A
Inieee of moving picture film about 15
'*.r go fcef long in spliced to make an
endless loop. In the present model
two sentencs are spoken. These are
photographed near the two edges of the
standard film, the rest of It being left
blank The sound appears In the form
„f elosclv spaced lines of various
Shades and widths nnd frequency In-
dividual lamps with special straight
filament are arranged with lenses to
concentrate the light on a vory nar-
, Early Coffee liousos
The first coffee house In London
was established In jm. Sir llenry
jtlunt is someJJ®e^JBB^d the father
of the Kirfp^'f^houN's. They
were political institutions during the
relgtl of the Stuarts. In 1075 Charles
issued a proclamation for the suppres-
sion of them, but It was recalled ten
clavs later. They became the meeting
k places of statesmen, wits, merchants*,
T and fashionable Idlers. They did much
Above: Mr. Wensley speaks with
"Mr. Televox!" Like a perfect gentle-
man, the Wectinghouse automaton re-
sponds in a smooth, well-articulated
voice. The ability to talk is newly ac-
quired, for "Mr. Televox" is less than
a year old. Unlike human beings, he
has an external "larynx," which is the
large box at the right. The "vocal
chord" is composed of voice oscilla-
tions recorded on a movie film in the
box.
Lower left: (International News-
reel Photo) "Mr. Televox" further
demonstrated his manifold uses when
he put a section of the First battalion,
Sixteenth infantry, stationed at Gov-
ernors island, New York city, through
a portion of the manual of arms re-
cently.
Lower right: Here is the "larnyx"
of "Mr. Televox," the Westinghouse
mechanical man. Mr. Wensley, inven-
tor of the automaton, seems puzzled
as he looks over the "vocal chord,"
which is nothing but a movie film of
voice oscillations. Perhaps he won-
ders whether the language is absolute-
ly fit and proper for reproduction be-
fore ladles., Or maybe he merely is
wondering how he can get this Huge
"vocal organ" into the windpipe of
"Mr. Televox." Unlike human beings,
Mr. Televox never suffers from colds.
row portion of the film at any on#
time.
A small motor drives the' film when-
ever the voice Is required. A selecting
mechanism in the televox lights either
one of the two lamps depending upon
the sentence desired. The Image of the
filament is projected through a nar-
row slot onto the speech record througn
which it passes to n photo-cell, A photo-
cell passes current directly in propor-
tion to the amount of light falling on
it. As the lines on the film pass In
front of the light, the corresponding
change of currents which take place
In the photo-cell are amplified through
a special shielded three stage ampli-
fier to a volume sufficient to operate
a small loud speaker. This speaker is
placed in front of the telephone trans-
mitter and Is heard by the person at
the other end of the telephone line ex
actly as though it human being were
speaking the words Into the trans-
mitter.
When a call Is put through to a sub-
station equipped with a Televox fniv-
Ing this voice attachment, the pert-oil
at the remote end will boar a voice
saying, "Televox speaking at Randolph
0400." This will repeat a second time
and If the proper signal Is not given
by means of whistles or other musical
devices, the Televox will then hang up
the receiver upon the assumption that
the call is a wrong number call. In
the meantime the person at the tjistant
end has heard the number of th tele-
phone to which ho has been connected
and should It be a wrong numbejr, will
be able to hang up and signal the op-
erator again to got the correct num-
ber However, should the dispatcher
have made this call with the expec-
tation of operating something In the
cubstation, he listens for the voice and
as soon as ho lias verified the correct-
ness of the number of the sut-citation
as indicated by the telephone number,
he blows a blast on the proper whistle
nnd the voice ceases and the machine
is then in condition for further opera-
tion by means of the whistle notes.
Should a circuit breaker open auto-
matically, the Televox is put into ac-
tion and lifts the receiver of the tele-
phone and Immediately begins saying
at Intervals, "This Is the Televox call-
ing for Main 5000." This will be con-
tinued at Intervals until the central
operator is able to complete the con-
nection to the dispatcher's tel. phone.
As soon as he bears this voice, he will
stop it by a blast of the proper whistle
and then proceed to question the ma-
chine by further whistles aa to what
nas happened. The answers to these
questions will be in the buzzer, code
which the dispatcher understands.
As soon as the whistle stops the
/oice, the motor Is also stopped and
the lamps extinguished so that the
111m is In use only * very short time.
While the usefulness of "Mr. Tele-
vox" is at preseat restricted to oper-
ation in the field of telephony, this
newest development has great rig-
nifleurice. For, us Jlr. Wensley says,
'{> "The addition of this automatic voice
considerably broadens titer feasible
Held of application f«r the Televox.
it is not limited to the- speaking of
the two sentences but may be made
to answer finite a number of questions
correctly when necessity for such an-
swers has been determined- In advance.
For instance, where it is not desired
to ose code signals Indicating the
amount of water In the reservoir, this
mechanism can be made to sinie- the
height of water in feet, or It; ctito be
made to say that machine is cool: at a
machine is hot. or a machine is- dan-
gerously hot. It can be mnde to' re-
peat any fort of routine report) tfmt
can tie selected by electrical circuit®."
Considering what has already been
accomplished In the development of
this automaton, It would be m rash
person indeed who would venture to
predict now what the future limita-
tions In oilier fields of usefulness for
"Mr. Televox" and Ids "children* will
be. For, more and more, we are learn-
ing how foolish Is any declaration of
"It can't be done!" when American in-
ventive genius set? about to prore that
it can, no matter what "it" may be.
to quicken and enlarge the mental
life of the town. In 1708 there were
nearly S,000 of them In London alone.
The coffee house resembled the mod-
ern club, but was less expensive, less
exclusive, and not so luxurious1. Some
of the popular coffee houses were,
"The Cheshire, Cheese," a favorite of
Samuel Johnson; "St. James," the cen-
ter of political news nnd discussion;
"Button's," where Addison dined and
spent five or six hours a day. Every
coffee house had its circle of wits and
great men.
Obeyed Order* Strictly
The new maid was not all that could
be desired. "Don't forget," lief mis-
tress warned her before her first din-
ner party, "coffee is served after
everything."
"Yes, mn'am. I understand." replied
the girl. And during dinner she served
coffee after the soup, after the fish,
after the meat and after the vege-
tables, as well as after the dessert.—
Western Christian Advocate,
Each mind has Its own method.
LEADS ORCHESTRA
IN ANOTHER TOWN
Inventor Uses Radio to Direct
Players.
VETERAN IN SERVICE
PLANS ANOTHER TRIP
Berlin.—Conducting an orchestra
hundreds of miles away Mas become
possible with a special type of piano
for which the Inventor, I>r. Hrlch
Fischer, has taken out patents in all
countries.
Skeptics were in the majority when
the papers announced that Doctor
Fischer would proceed to (Joe!tinmen
with several soloists and from there
conduct the orchestra of the High
School of Music pluyln? In Berlin.
To every one's surprise, however,
the experiment turned out a complete
success, the orchestra In Berlin play-
Ins and the soloists In ("Joettlnnen
singing with the same precision and
accuracy as though all were as-
sembled in u common hall with eyes
glued to the conductor's baton.
The technique of this scheme, prom-
ising to become an incalculable time
and money-saving expedient, Is a
simple one. Poetor Fischer seated
himself at a piano which, though
soundless for the human ear, accu-
rately records and transmits to a
highly sensitive microphone Inside
not only single tones, cords and
tempi, hut also dimlnuendoes and
crescendos, all of which wen* prompt-
ly wirelessed to the orchestra In Ber-
lin.
Here each player was equipped with
a headphone, the various groups of in-
struments, as strings, wood winds,
brass, etc., each being installed in
separate rooms.
The tones of this scattered orches-
tra were collected In a common re-
ceiver from where they were Hashed
by wire back to (Joettingen and there
released through the medium of sev-
eral very elaborate ami powerful loud
speakers.
Expert engineers estimated that tlie
time that elapsed between the conduc-
tor's cues at Moettingen and the re-
turn of tiie full orchestral reproduc-
tion from Berlin was less than the in- j
terval between a conductor's signals
and his orchestra's response in the
same hall.
Gun Shoots Plaster
in Restoring Ceiling
London.—Restoration of richly orna-
mented ceiling at Monmouth cas-tie
has produced a novel and effective
method of plastering. It was found
that when a mixture was run on tlie
ceiling the process necessitated the
use of a large amount of water, which
saturated the old work.
thereupon, the building research
department of the British office of
works discovered a method of treat-
ing the ceilings by literally "shooting"
on a reinforcing plaster through an
automatic gun.
Experiments have demonstrated that
It Is possible to build up a layer of
plaster on a sheet of blotting paper
without the under side of the paper
showing any sign of moisture.
Your Old Straw Lid
Always Good in Mexico
Mexico City.—Straw hats and over-
coats, either or both, together or sep-
arately, are worn the year around in
Mexico City, according to individual
taste.
There is no fixed date for commenc-
ing to wear straws, no dead line when
they must lie abandoned. More straws
are worn in the summer than In the
winter, but there are plenty of men
here wearing straws on Christmas
day, and every day of the year. There
are others who never change from a
felt.
A light overcoat Is needed almost
every night of the year, even if the
day has been warm. Most persons
wear the same weight clothing all the
year.
"Baclc-to-the-Farm"
Movement in Mexico
Mexico City.—The Mexican govern-
ment has appointed commission to
evolve plans for fostering a "back to-
the-farm" movement.
The object is to Induce town and
city dwellers to settle npon agricul-
tural lands. Study also will \h> given
to flic question < f colonization by for-
eigners. and |K rhaps Inducements
will offered formers of « ther coun-
tries lo come to Mexico.
The Investigating commission, cre-
ated *t the iristanre of President
falle*. Is composed of experts of the
deportments of treasury and agricul-
ture nnd the government's agricul-
tural credit bank.
♦ > f"*** ❖ ❖ ♦> <* 4 * ❖ * ♦ •> ♦ ❖ 4 4 ❖ 4 ❖ > ❖ •>
| Army Wives to Cook *
on Electric Ranges £
Washington.—MnJ Gen. It. £
|i\ Cheatham, quartermaster *
general of the army, has Just J
bought 1,1100 electric ranges to
replace worn-out gas. wood and
coal ranges In olTUers' quar-
ters at army posts throughout
the country.
Madison Barracks and Fort
Totten, New York, and Fort
Hancock. New Jersey, are
among the posts where army
housewives are to have resplen-
dent new electrical cooking
equipment. The electric ranges
are of the most modern, up-to-
date type and are provided with
an automatic beat regulator.
(J. S. Geologist Explored
Alaska 25 Years Ago.
Washington.—One of the veteran
explorers and geologists of the geolog-
ical survey, Frank C. Schrader—the
man who pushed up through the heart
of unknown Alaska a quarter of u
century ago and was at Nome when
the big gold strike was getting under
way—is preparing to go out Into the
field for further research this year, al
the age of sixty-eight. Montana tain
ing districts will likely claim his at-
tention this summer. The We.-t Is fa-
miliar ground to him. for his duties
have called lilni to Idaho, Nevada.
Utah and California.
Mr. Schrader has been In the gov-
ernment service since 1801, having
been born In Sterling, 111., October <1.
lSOO, lie Is one of the oldest em-
ployees in the Interior department.
North of the Arctic circle has been
the theater of Ills operations In the
heyday of Ids explorations, lie and
Ills party outfitted at Bergman, Alas-
ka, In 1001 and crossed the Arctic di-
vide, the Endlcott mountains, over
which Cupt. Oeorge 11. Wilkins and
his pilot. Hen Kielson, Hew many times
to and from I'olnt Barrow.
Trip to Nome.
Down the Anuktuvuk river, that
flows toward the North pole, and then
down the Culville river to the Arctic
ocean they went, having packed their
canoes over the mountains. They
worked their way along the barren
coast of the Polar ocean and traveled
with Eskimos to Point Harrow.
A whalehoat was secured at Point
Barrow, and then south and west Mr.
Schrader and his party went to Cape
Llsburne and then through the fa-
mous Northwest passage by collier to
Nome.
In that memorable trip, which
opened up Interior Alaska to science
and the better use of mankind, Mr.
Schrader and his party encountered
many types of landscape. On the Iin-
dicott plateau they found valleys 3,000
feet deep, and adjoining this plateau
they traversed gently rolling country
along the Anuktuvuk plateau. Then
came the coastal plain, 100 miles to
the Arctic ocean, featuring soft rocks
and silt, with beds of coal running
through them and creeping willows on
the shore of the Arctic ocean.
In 1.800, on a trip down the Yukon
river below the mouth of the Xanana
river. In a great bank of Hit, Mr.
Schrader found the remains of a great
mastodon with 11-foot tusks. As he
was then traveling In a rowhoat the
tusk was too weighty to be trans-
ported, so he sawed off a piece, and
this Is now reposing on the mantle-
piece of his home. The point where
the mastodon was found was not far
from the site of the present town of
Fairbanks, hut there was no town
there In those days.
Gold Strike at Nome.
Id the fail of 1800 Mr. Schrader
came down the Yukon river and
stopped at St. Michaels, and heard
that there had been a gold strike at
Nome. In that community accommo-
dations were at a premium nnd the
six or eight in the Schrader party
hired one room in a hotel and slept on
the floor. The gold diggings were
along the bench and at Anvil Creek
and the prospectors were living In
tents on the beach.
Some of the miners kept their gold
In old washtubs, covered with canvas,
buried in the ground beneath their
tent?. Nuggets worth .$7 to .$8 were
given away by the miners to the gov
eminent men.
Some of the Inhabitants of Nome lie
lleved the gold was washed up the
sea from Its depths, as the beach
would be found sparkling with nus
gets and small pieces of gold, but Mr
Schrader was able to inform them
that the churning of the waves uncov-
ered the gold on the beach Itself.
Canadian Girl Earns
Living as Trapper
Edmonton, Alberta. — Outsmarting
the wily fox means bread and butter
lo Miss Jean Cameron, twenty-one
year-old Alberta girl.
Miss Cameron knows foxes. She
knows-' skulking coyotes, lynx cuts,
clever little weasels. The habits of
Br'er rabbit are an open book to her
She has been a trapper since she
was ten years old. When she came
to Canada, to her father's homestead
In northern Alberta, she was four
years old.
tier traps are set out in a wide
semicircle within a ten-mile radius of
her father's homestead. Rain or
s'blne, winter or summer, she follows
her line.
Pawnbrokers Have Palace
for Business in Venice
Venice.—The "three-ball" merchants
if Venice live In tine style. No side
streets and back alleys for the pawn-
brokers of the city of canals; Instead
they have u palace, one ol' the best
in Venice, all for themselves.
The Palace Corner Delia Reglnn is
a fine. ImpoHng edifice built in 1724
Here the pawnbrokers of Venice have
iheir headquarters. They lend monej
on anything from a tlepiu to a nier
chant ship.
Norwegian Memorial
Minneapolis.—A church which will
be a memorial to Norwegian pioneers
of America an# a central place of
worship In their language is planned
for this city.
The Aviator
Absolute dependability
is aviation's first law
and that is why I use
dependable Champion
Spark Plugs.
Champion is the better spark plug
because it hafc an exclusive silli-
rnanite insulator spe-
cially treated to with.
stand the much higher
temperatures of the
modern high-compres*
sion engine. A|so a new
patented solid copper
gnsket-9eal that remains
absolutely gas-tight un-
der high compression.
Special analysis elec-
trodes which assure a
fixed spark-gap under
all driving conditions.
Champion
SpariCPlugs
Toledo, Ohio 823
Dependable for Every Engine
Musician Agents Wanted
T<> h ■ 11 Heltrwr Hand Instruments, Write
B1CLMER INC., 71 Heliner Bid#., Elkhart,Ind.
Wanted—High grndo men nn«l women to sell
Bupi'ilor*1 In*- I.Milieu' Knyon Umlergurments,
direct from Mill to Wearer. Write todny.
Rosebud Lingerie Mill, Schuylkill Haven, Pa.
Counterfeit
John McCormnck, the famous singer,
was. introduced as the lion of the hour
while a guest at a house party on
Long Island. Rising in answer to the
toast in his honor, Mr. McCormnck
ealil: i"
"My host has Introduced me as 'the
famous singer of Irish songs, but this
Is not correct; 1 am really 'the famous
Irish singer of songs.' Just between
ourselves, let me confide that I would
not dare to sing the so-called Irish
Bongs of Broadway In Ireland."
Often the Case
"The boss called me up to explain.''
"Let him ramble and you won't have
to do any explaining."—Louisville
Courier-Journal.
... ■ . • A
Chance makes our parents, but
choice makes our friends.—Delille.
*
Wei 1 -k n own tu rn—topsy-t u rvy.
In a Pinch. Use
allen's foomase
For Tired Foot II Can'I Bo Beat
At night when your fcefc
are tired, soru and swollen
Lfrom much walking or
"dancing, sprinkle two
ALLENSFOOT-EASE powders
in the foot-bath, gently
rub the sore and In-
flamed parts and
relief la liko magic.
• Shake Allen's Foot-Ease
Into your shoes In
the morning and
walk all day In com-
fort. It takes the
friction from the shoe. For FREE Sample
•ddrco.% ALLEN'S FOOT-EASE. Le Roy. N. T.
When you have decided to get rid of worms.
uho "Dead Shot," Dr. Peery's Vermifuge.
Ono dose will expel them. All druggist*.
60c,
Dr Peery's
£ Dead Shot For WORMS 4
vermiruge •
At druggists or 373 Pearl Htreot. Now Vork CltyJ 1
Grove's
CkiSt Tonic
Purifies the Blood and
makes the cheeks rosy.eoc
I SOLD EVERYWHERE
Mi
Get thislj
remedy!!
Guaranteed to cure 1
Itching, Weeding, 1
lilindorProtruding '
l'iles or monqy re-
funded. Ge' the ~~~~~
handy tube with pile pipe. 7Gc; ol- the tin box, 60e.
A,"kr PAZO OIN TMEN T
r
L
.
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Weimar, F. L. The Alto Herald (Alto, Tex.), Vol. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 19, 1928, newspaper, July 19, 1928; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth214476/m1/2/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Stella Hill Memorial Library.