the history of the telephone-第13节

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　many　of　the　ablest　inventors　and　engineers；　who　did　most　to　develop　the　cables　and　switchboards　of　to…day。

In　Boston；　Watson　had　resigned　in　1882；　and　in　his　place；　a　year　or　two　later　stood　a　timely　new　arrival　named　E。　T。　Gilliland。　This　really　notable　man　was　a　friend　in　need　to　the　telephone。　He　had　been　a　manufacturer　of　electrical　apparatus　in　Indianapolis；　until　Vail's　policy　of　consolidation　drew　him　into　the　central　group　of　pioneers　and　pathfinders。　For　five　years　Gilliland　led　the　way　as　a　developer　of　better　and　cheaper　equipment。　He　made　the　best　of　a　most　difficult　situation。　He　was　so　handy；　so　resourceful；　that　he　invariably　found　a　way　to　unravel　the　mechanical　tangles　that　perplexed　the　first　telephone　agents；　and　this；　too；　without　compelling　them　to　spend　large　sums　of　capital。　He　took　the　ideas　and　apparatus　that　were　then　in　existence；　and　used　them　to　carry　the　telephone　business　through　the　most　critical　period　of　its　life；　when　there　was　little　time　or　money　to　risk　on　experiments。　He　took　the　peg　switchboard　of　the　telegraph；　for　in…　stance；　and　developed　it　to　its　highest　point；　to　a　point　that　was　not　even　imagined　possible　by　any　one　else。　It　was　the　most　practical　and　complete　switchboard　of　its　day；　and　held　the　field　against　all　comers　until　it　was　superseded　by　the　modern　type　of　board；　vastly　more　elaborate　and　expensive。

By　1884；　gathered　around　Gilliland　in　Boston　and　the　Western　Electric　in　Chicago；　there　came　to　be　a　group　of　mechanics　and　high…school　graduates；　very　young　men；　mostly；　who　had　no　reputations　to　lose；　and　who；　partly　for　a　living　and　mainly　for　a　lark；　plunged　into　the　difficulties　of　this　new　business　that　had　at　that　time　little　history　and　less　prestige。　These　young　adventurers；　most　of　whom　are　still　alive；　became　the　makers　of　industrial　history。　They　were　unquestionably　the　founders　of　the　present　science　of　telephone　engineering。

The　problem　that　they　dashed　at　so　lightheartedly　was　much　larger　than　any　of　them　imagined。　It　was　a　Gibraltar　of　impossibilities。　It　was　on　the　face　of　it　a　fantastic　nightmare　of　a　taskto　weave　such　a　web　of　wires；　with　in…　terlocking　centres；　as　would　put　any　one　telephone　in　touch　with　every　other。　There　was　no　help　for　them　in　books　or　colleges。　Watson；　who　had　acquired　a　little　knowledge；　had　become　a　shipbuilder。　Electrical　engineering；　as　a　profession；　was　unborn。　And　as　for　their　telegraphic　experience；　while　it　certainly　helped　them　for　a　time；　it　started　them　in　the　wrong　direction　and　led　them　to　do　many　things　which　had　afterwards　to　be　undone。

The　peculiar　electric　current　that　these　young　pathfinders　had　to　deal　with　is　perhaps　the　quickest；　feeblest；　and　most　elusive　force　in　the　world。　It　is　so　amazing　a　thing　that　any　description　of　it　seems　irrational。　It　is　as　gentle　as　a　touch　of　a　baby　sunbeam；　and　as　swift　as　the　lightning　flash。　It　is　so　small　that　the　electric　current　of　a　single　incandescent　lamp　is　greater　500；000；000　times。　Cool　a　spoonful　of　hot　water　just　one　degree；　and　the　energy　set　free　by　the　cooling　will　operate　a　telephone　for　ten　thousand　years。　Catch　the　falling　tear…drop　of　a　child；　and　there　will　be　sufficient　water…power　to　carry　a　spoken　message　from　one　city　to　another。

Such　is　the　tiny　Genie　of　the　Wire　that　had　to　be　protected　and　trained　into　obedience。　It　was　the　most　defenceless　of　all　electric　sprites；　and　it　had　so　many　enemies。　Enemies！　The　world　was　populous　with　its　enemies。　There　was　the　lightning；　its　elder　brother；　striking　at　it　with　murderous　blows。　There　were　the　telegraphic　and　light…and…power　currents；　its　strong　and　malicious　cousins；　chasing　and　assaulting　it　whenever　it　ventured　too　near。　There　were　rain　and　sleet　and　snow　and　every　sort　of　moisture；　lying　in　wait　to　abduct　it。　There　were　rivers　and　trees　and　flecks　of　dust。　It　seemed　as　if　all　the　known　and　unknown　agencies　of　nature　were　in　conspiracy　to　thwart　or　annihilate　this　gentle　little　messenger　who　had　been　conjured　into　life　by　the　wizardry　of　Alexander　Graham　Bell。

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；　u