The multiphone is the invention of Mr. K. M. Turner of New York. It is known also as the microphone and the acousticon, but the more expressive term "multiphone" seems to be preferred by Mr. Turner, who has not seen fit to describe the mechanism in detail. The statement is given out that the apparatus.

MR. K. M. TURNER, INVENTOR OF THE MULTIPHONE.

is a "perfected microphone in which the difficulty of broken and incoherent transmission has been overcome," while "acousticon" is a name already applied to another instrument designed to benefit the deaf.

A small, patented, sound concentrating transmitter, about three inches in diameter, behind a perforated disc, is placed on the stage of a theater, on the pulpit of a church, on the bandstand at a park, or at any point from which it is desired to transmit sound. It is connected with telephone wires, equipped at the other terminus with what might be called a loud transmitter. The latter is about two and one-half inches in diameter and three inches long with the trans

mitting feature entirely enclosed. To this is attached an ordinary phonograph horn, from which the sound issues in volume nearly as great as originally produced. Sound and articulation have been caught, carried, increased and magnified to a practicable degree.

Obviously the uses to which this invention can be put are many and valuable. The first beneficial employment in which the multiphone was engaged showed this, as well as marking the first time, so far as known, when spoken words were conveyed a long distance with something like their full tones and expressiveness and perfectly understood. This was in Philadelphia early in March, 1906, when Dr. Reuben A. Torrey, the famous English revivalist, preached a sermon in the Third Regiment Armory, which was heard by about 2,500 persons in the Bethany Presbyterian Church, one and one-half miles away.

The Armory had not been large enough to accommodate the throngs that wished to attend the Alexander and Torrey meetings. Although the structure seats 6,000 individuals many hundreds were turned away from each service. Mr. John Wanamaker, the wealthy merchant, asked Mr. Turner to come to Philadelphia and ascertain if he could not, by means of the multiphone, make possible the holding of overflow meetings in Bethany Church, of which Mr. Wanamaker is a member. The inventor responded and his endeavors met with great success. He placed an acousticon transmitter (his invention) about three inches in front of and three feet above the speaker's head. A wire was run underground through the conduit of a telephone company to the Bethany Church, where persons in the audience declared they understood the speaking much better than they had on previous visits to the Armory. Not only the voices of the speakers but of those who led in prayer could be heard distinctly The experiment was satisfactory without question or quibble and the use of the multiphone was continued during the revival.

Some time before this a demonstration at the Broadway Theater, New York, with the receiving devices located in an office in the building wholly beyond ear

shot of the theater, was carried out with entire success and so as to exemplify other possibilities of the multiphone. All that was said and sung on the stage, the orchestral music and the applause were reproduced with little impairment to tonal qualities to the satisfaction of the listeners in the office. When it is remembered that the best telephone transmitters require the lips of the speaker a few inches from the mouthpiece, and that loud talking destroys rather than assists their functions the difficulty of this achievement is better appreciated. Colloquys in ordinary conversational tones were faithfully enunciated, and even the noises made by the movements of the actors were audible, but not in the sense of being objectionable.

The wire was tapped by an individual telephone receiver back of the scenes, and observations from this point proved the extreme sensibility of the receiver, for the positions of the actors with reference. to the transmission box and the results attained by the latter could be compared. In the opera is a "swing song," sung by the soprano swaying through the air, now at one elevation and now at another, and alternately towards the front of the stage and to the rear. Despite the fluctuations of distance and height this song was conveyed to the utmost pleasure of the listeners were not within hearing distance of the voice itself.

In December, 1906, it was shown that the multiphone worked to excellent advantage in the House of Representatives at Washington. The transmission disc was placed on the desk of Speaker Cannon. After adjournment a test was made, listeners being stationed in different parts of the House wing of the Capitol. Representative Herbert Parsons of New York, in his seat some distance from the Speaker's desk, made a speech which was perfectly transmitted.

It has been proposed to equip the legislative halls and place individual receivers. in all the committee and office rooms of the members of congress. In the present days of complex and conflicting demands on their time congressmen could perform both work in their offices and keep in close touch with the proceedings in the legislative chambers. They could hear whatever they cared to and present

themselves in person when desired without losing valuable time. Both houses of congress are to have offices for members in huge new buildings and when these arrangements are completed the difficulties will be increased. The suggestion of relief by means of the multiphone has been well received and plans are being considered for its installation. No insurmountable obstacles seem to stand in the way of connecting the communities of the nation and permitting them to hear extraordinary orations, addresses, convention proceedings, or plays or operas. The principal objections at this time lie in the fact that the long distance telephone wires are crowded with

business and could not be spared for long uninterrupted periods. In case arrangements were made with existing or special facilities the cost would be heavy, but where large numbers of people are participating in the benefits, it will probably be easy to remove the item of expense from the problem class. Doubtless the day is not far distant when the delivery of matters of great interest by word of mouth will be actually heard by the ears of the country instead of waiting for next. morning's newspaper to bring the reports.

course, to be ultimately linked up with the existing railhead at Ermelo in the far Eastern Rand. At present it takes about twenty hours for travelers from the goldfields to reach the coast, but when the new line is completed it is calculated that the journey will be accomplished in something under twelve hours. It is proposed to carry the line through the new capital of Swaziland, and past Lake Chrissie, thus effecting a saving of some sixty miles on the route.

Lots of Coal to Burn

GE

ERMAN statisticians give figures as to Germany's coal supply as 280,000,000,000 tons, which will last, at the present rate of consumption, a couple of thousand years. The total deposits of Great Britain and Ireland are placed at 193,000,000,000 tons, with an annual consumption twice that of Germany. The estimated resources of the coal fields of Belgium is 23,000,000,000 tons; of France 19,000,000,000 tons; Austria has 17,000,000,000 tons of coal deposits, and Russia 40,000,000,000 tons unmined. The unmined deposits of coal in North America are estimated to be 681,000,000,000, or a figure greater than the ag

been made in the construction of the new railway between Lourenco Marquez (Delagoa Bay) and the famous Witwatersrand goldfields in the Transvaal Colony, South Africa. The importance of the line lies in the fact that when it is completed it will form a second and more direct route to the Rand-a consummation, in the eyes of many, most devoutly to be wished. The line is being constructed by the Portuguese-the objective, so far as they are concerned, being the border of Swaziland, through which country the metals will take their

named.

Asia is conceded to have great deposits of coal, but even an approximate estimate of their extent cannot well be given.

A Royal Engineer

GERMANY is practical and owes not

a little of the success she has attained among the nations of the world to her thoroughness and her faculty for tak

The Russian peasantry seem to be convinced that the plant possesses properties against fever, and fever patients sleep

upon beds made of sunflower leaves and likewise use covering made from them. This use has recently induced a Russian physician of prominence to experiment with a coloring matter prepared from sunflower leaves, and it is reported that he had good results with the coloring matter and with alcoholic extracts from the flowers and leaves. With 100 children from one month to twelve years of age he has, in the majority of cases, effected as speedy a cure as otherwise with quinine. The common sunflower was originally an American plant. Eminent botanists state that its original home was Peru and Mexico.

NATIVE AFRICAN KING AT WORK AS ENGINEER.

ing pains Even her royal princes are taught trades and are proficient in arts and craft, so it is scarcely surprising to see the youth in the accompanying photograph-he is the son of a dusky king in West Africa-busily at work in one of the engineering workshops at Hamburg. The young engineer is stated to bring keen intelligence to bear on his work and in a year or two will return to his people in the dark continent thoroughly qualified to undertake fairly intricate work and possibly able to impart to others the knowledge he has acquired.

Alcohol for Light

THE accompanying photograph illustrates types of lamps which have recently been tested with a view of ascertaining the illumination which would be produced by kerosene oil and alcohol, also the quantity required of each fluid for illumination. The lamp at the left is known as a "Miller" round-wick burner for kerosene, estimated to give 30 candle-power. The lamp at the right is a Boivin burner using alcohol with an ordinary Welsbach mantle. In utilizing the lamps, the consumption of fluid was