The Colby Phonograph

Vol. I, No. 1

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1878

Transcribed by Linda Ewen.

 

The Phonograph

 

The Machine that Speaks”

$1.50 A Year in Advance

SHAFER BRO’S EDITORS & PROP’RS.

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Wednesday, Sept 18, ‘78

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THE PHONOGRAPH

 

The Phonograph is a machine built after the model of a sausage grinder, though differing somewhat in the interior machinery.  Instead of the knives of a sausage grinder, the Phonograph has a smooth, elongated cylinder with a crank attached, the cylinder is covered with a strip of tin-foil; across the small or inner orifice of the funnel is placed a piece of parchment, connected with which is a small, sharp pointed, needle like instrument.  By turning the crank and speaking, with the mouth close to the larger opening of the funnel, the vibration of the parchment will cause the needle to record upon the tin-foil any words that you may speak.  You can then, if you wish remove the tin-foil, to be used at some future time, or by reversing the crank you can find that the machine will repeat, accurately, every word that you have spoken.  Or, in other words it will, like the small brother of a young lady, repeat everything said in its presence, without regard to blushes.

 

Our business shall be to repeat that which we may hear, hence the name of this paper, The Phonograph.

 

It is our intention to publish a local paper, in the interests of the citizens of Clark County, of Colby and the adjacent towns along the line.  We will eschew politics, in-so-much that we will not support, or lend our aid, wholly, to any one man or party.  Our reason for this, is that politics have become so mixed and jumbled, at the present time, that we might start in the fight with the honest intention of striking for the Greenback or Democrat party, and at the first “clip,” through ignorance, hit some honest Greenbacker or Democrat, right where we ought not; so we shall remain neutral in politics.  The columns of the Phonograph, though, will always be open to discussions of both politics and religion, and other questions of importance and interest, provided, that the writers will confine themselves to short articles and resort to no personalities.

 

We ask each and every one taking an interest in the welfare of the Phonograph, to cooperate with us, by giving us information in regard to any items of interest that may occur in their locality.

 

 

 


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