the history of the telephone-第15章

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All　that　these　young　men　had　received　from　Bell　and　Watson　was　that　part　of　the　telephone　that　we　call　the　receiver。　This　was　practically　the　sum　total　of　Bell's　invention；　and　remains　to…day　as　he　made　it。　It　was　then；　and　is　yet；　the　most　sensitive　instrument　that　has　ever　been　put　to　general　use　in　any　country。　It　opened　up　a　new　world　of　sound。　It　would　echo　the　tramp　of　a　fly　that　walked　across　a　table；　or　repeat　in　New　Orleans　the　prattle　of　a　child　in　New　York。　This　was　what　the　young　men　received；　and　this　was　all。　There　were　no　switchboards　of　any　account；　no　cables　of　any　value；　no　wires　that　were　in　any　sense　adequate；　no　theory　of　tests　or　signals；　no　exchanges；　NO　TELEPHONE　SYSTEM　OF　ANY　SORT　WHATEVER。

As　for　Bell's　first　telephone　lines；　they　were　as　simple　as　clothes…lines。　Each　short　little　wire　stood　by　itself；　with　one　instrument　at　each　end。　There　were　no　operators；　switchboards；　or　exchanges。　But　there　had　now　come　a　time　when　more　than　two　persons　wanted　to　be　in　the　same　conversational　group。　This　was　a　larger　use　of　the　telephone；　and　while　Bell　himself　had　foreseen　it；　he　had　not　worked　out　a　plan　whereby　it　could　be　carried　out。　Here　was　the　new　problem；　and　a　most　stupendous　onehow　to　link　together　three　telephones；　or　three　hundred；　or　three　thousand；　or　three　million；　so　that　any　two　of　them　could　be　joined　at　a　moment's　notice。

And　that　was　not　all。　These　young　men　had　not　only　to　battle　against　mystery　and　〃the　powers　of　the　air〃；　they　had　not　only　to　protect　their　tiny　electric　messenger；　and　to　create　a　system　of　wire　highways　along　which　he　could　run　up　and　down　safely；　they　had　to　do　more。　They　had　to　make　this　system　so　simple　and　fool…proof　that　every　oneevery　one　except　the　deaf　and　dumbcould　use　it　without　any　previous　experience。　They　had　to　educate　Bell's　Genie　of　the　Wire　so　that　he　would　not　only　obey　his　masters；　but　anybodyanybody　who　could　speak　to　him　in　any　language。

No　doubt；　if　the　young　men　had　stopped　to　consider　their　life…work　as　a　whole；　some　of　them　might　have　turned　back。　But　they　had　no　time　to　philosophize。　They　were　like　the　boy　who　learns　how　to　swim　by　being　pushed　into　deep　water。　Once　the　telephone　business　was　started；　it　had　to　be　kept　going；　and　as　it　grew；　there　came　one　after　another　a　series　of　congestions。　Two　courses　were　open；　either　the　business　had　to　be　kept　down　to　suit　the　apparatus；　or　the　apparatus　had　to　be　developed　to　keep　pace　with　the　business。　The　telephone　men；　most　of　them；　at　least；　chose　development；　and　the　brilliant　inventions　that　afterwards　made　some　of　them　famous　were　compelled　by　sheer　necessity　and　desperation。

The　first　notable　improvement　upon　Bell's　invention　was　the　making　of　the　transmitter；　in　1877；　by　Emile　Berliner。　This；　too；　was　a　romance。　Berliner；　as　a　poor　German　youth　of　nineteen；　had　landed　in　Castle　Garden　in　1870　to　seek　his　fortune。　He　got　a　job　as　〃a　sort　of　bottle…washer　at　six　dollars　a　week；〃　he　says；　in　a　chemical　shop　in　New　York。　At　nights　he　studied　science　in　the　free　classes　of　Cooper　Union。　Then　a　druggist　named　Engel　gave　him　a　copy　of　Muller's　book　on　physics；　which　was　precisely　the　stimulus　needed　by　his　creative　brain。　In　1876　he　was　fascinated　by　the　telephone；　and　set　out　to　construct　one　on　a　different　plan。　Several　months　later　he　had　succeeded　and　was　overjoyed　to　receive　his　first　patent　for　a　telephone　transmitter。　He　had　by　this　time　climbed　up　from　his　bottle…washing　to　be　a　clerk　in　a　drygoods　store　in　Washington；　but　he　was　still　poor　and　as　unpractical　as　most　in…　ventors。　Joseph　Henry；　the　Sage　of　the　American　scientific　world；　was　his　friend；　though　too　old　to　give　him　any　help。　Consequently；　when　Edison；　two　weeks　later；　also　invented　a　transmitter；　the　prior　claim　of　Berliner　was　for　a　time　wholly　ignored。　Later　the　Bell　Company　bought　Berliner's　patent　and　took　up　his　side　of　the　case。　There　was　a　seemingly　endless　succession　of　delaysfourteen　years　of　the　most　vexatious　delaysuntil　finally　the　Supreme　Court　of　the　United　States　ruled　that　Berliner；　and　not　Edison；　was　the　original　inventor　of　the　transmitter。

From　first　to　last；　the　transmitter　has　been　the　product　of　several　minds。　Its　basic　idea　is　the　varying　of　the　electric　current　by　varying　the　pressure　between　two　points。　Bell　unquestionably　suggested　it　in　his　famous　patent；　when　he　wrote　of　〃increasing　and　diminishing　the　resistance。〃　Berliner　was　the　first　actually　to　construct　one。　Edison　greatly　improved　it　by　using　soft　carbon　instead　of　a　steel　point。　A　Kentucky　professor；　David　E。　Hughes；　started　a　new　line　of　development　by　adapting　a　Bell　telephone　into　a　〃microphone；〃　a　fantastic　little　instrument　that　would　detect　the　noise　made　by　a　fly　in　walking　across　a　table。　Francis　Blake；　of　Boston；　changed　a　microphone　into　a　practical　transmitter。　The　Rev。　Henry　Hunnings；　an　English　clergyman；　hit　upon　the　happy　idea　of　using　carbon　in　the　form　of　small　granules。　And　one　of　the　Bell　experts；　named　White；　improved　the　Hunnings　transmitter　into　its　present　shape。　Both　transmitter　and　receiver　seem　now　to　be　as　complete　an　artificial　tongue　and　ear　as　human　ingenuity　can　make　them。　They　have　persistently　grown　more　elaborate；　until　today　a　telephone　set；　as　it　stands　on　a　desk；　contains　as　many　as　one　hundred　and　thirty　separate　pieces；　as　well　as　a　saltspoonful　of　glistening　granules　of　carbon。

Next　after　the　transmitter　came　the　problem　of　the　MYSTERIOUS　NOISES。　This　was；　perhaps；　the　most　weird　and　mystifying　of　all　the　telephone　problems。　The　fact　was　that　the　telephone　had　brought　within　hearing　distance　a　new　wonder…　world　of　sound。　All　wires　at　that　time　were　single；　and　ran　into　the　earth　at　each　end；　making　what　was　called　a　〃grounded　circuit。〃　And　this　connection　with　the　earth；　which　is　really　a　big　magnet；　caused　all　manner　of　strange　and　uncouth　noises　on　the　telephone　wires。

Noises！　Such　a　jangle　of　meaningless　noises　had　never　been　heard　by　human　ears。　There　were　spluttering　and　bubbling；　jerking　and　rasping；　whistling　and　screaming。　There　were　the　rustling　of　leaves；　the　croaking　of　frogs；　the　hissing　of　steam；　and　the　flapping　of　birds'　wings。　There　were　clicks　from　telegraph　wires；　scraps　of　talk　from　other　telephones；　and　curious　little　squeals　that　were　unlike　any　known　sound。　The　lines　running　east　and　west　were　noisier　than　the　lines　running　north　and　south。　The　night　was　noisier　than　the　day；　and　at　the　ghostly　hour　of　midnight；　for　what　strange　reason　no　one　knows；　the　babel　was　at　its　height。　Watson；　who　had　a　fanciful　mind；　suggested　that　perhaps　these　sounds　were　signals　from　the　inhabitants　of　Mars　or　some　other　sociable　planet。　But　the　matter…　of…fact　young　telephonists　agreed　to　lay　the　blame　on　〃induction〃a　hazy　word　which　usually　meant　the　natural　meddlesomeness　of　electricity。

Whatever　else　the　mysterious　noises　were；　they　were　a　nuisance。　The　poor　little　telephone　business　was　plagued　almost　out　of　its　senses。　It　was　like　a　dog　with　a　tin　can　tied　to　its　tail。　No　matter　where　it　went；　it　was　pursued　by　this　unearthly　clatter。　〃We　were　ashamed　to　present　our　bills；〃　said　A。　A。　Adee；　one　of　the　first　agents；　〃for　no　matter　how　plainly　a　man　talked　into　his　telephone；　his　language　was　apt　to　sound　like　Choctaw　at　the　other　end　of　the　line。〃

All　manner　of　devices　were　solemnly　tried　to　hush　the　wires；　and　each　one　usually　proved　to　be　as　futile　as　an　incantation。　What　was　to　be　done？　Step　by　step　the　telephone　men　were　driven　back。　They　were　beaten。　There　was　no　way　to　silence　these　noises。　Reluctantly；　they　agreed　that　the　only　way　was　to　pull　up　the　ends　of　each　wire　from　the　tainted　earth；　and　join　them　by　a　second　wire。　This　was　the　〃metallic　circuit〃　idea。　It　meant　an　appalling　increase　in　the　use　of　wire。　It　would　compel　the　rebuild…　ing　of　the　switchboards　and　the　invention　of　new　signal　systems。　But　it　was　inevitable；　and　in　1883；　while　the　dispute　about　it　was　in　full　blast；　one　of　the　young　men　quietly　slipped　it　into　use　on　a　new　line　between　Boston　and　Providence。　The　effect　was　magical。　〃At　last；〃　said　the　delighted　manager；　〃we　have　a　perfectly　quiet　line。〃

This　young　man；　a　small；　slim　youth　who　was　twenty…two　years　old　and　looked　younger；　was　no　other　th