the history of the telephone-第11部分

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h　an　opposition　telephone。　It　was　not　an　imitation　of　Bell's；　he　insisted；　but　an　improvement　upon　an　electrical　device　made　by　a　German　named　Philip　Reis；　in　1861。

Thus　there　appeared　upon　the　scene　the　so…　called　〃Reis　telephone；〃　which　was　not　a　telephone　at　all；　in　any　practical　sense；　but　which　served　well　enough　for　nine　years　or　more　as　a　weapon　to　use　against　the　Bell　patents。　Poor　Philip　Reis　himself；　the　son　of　a　baker　in　Frankfort；　Germany；　had　hoped　to　make　a　telephone；　but　he　had　failed。　His　machine　was　operated　by　a　〃make…and…break〃　current；　and　so　could　not　carry　the　infinitely　delicate　vibrations　made　by　the　human　voice。　It　could　transmit　the　pitch　of　a　sound；　but　not　the　QUALITY。　At　its　best；　it　could　carry　a　tune；　but　never　at　any　time　a　spoken　sentence。　Reis；　in　his　later　years；　realized　that　his　machine　could　never　be　used　for　the　transmission　of　conversation；　and　in　a　letter　to　a　friend　he　tells　of　a　code　of　signals　that　he　has　invented。

Bell　had　once；　during　his　three　years　of　experimenting；　made　a　Reis　machine；　although　at　that　time　he　had　not　seen　one。　But　he　soon　threw　it　aside；　as　of　no　practical　value。　As　a　teacher　of　acoustics；　Bell　knew　that　the　one　indispensable　requirement　of　a　telephone　is　that　it　shall　transmit　the　WHOLE　of　a　sound；　and　not　merely　the　pitch　of　it。　Such　scientists　as　Lord　Kelvin；　Joseph　Henry；　and　Edison　had　seen　the　little　Reis　instrument　years　before　Bell　invented　the　telephone；　but　they　regarded　it　as　a　mere　musical　toy。　It　was　〃not　in　any　sense　a　speaking　telephone；〃　said　Lord　Kelvin。　And　Edison；　when　trying　to　put　the　Reis　machine　in　the　most　favorable　light；　admitted　humorously　that　when　he　used　a　Reis　transmitter　he　generally　〃knew　what　was　coming；　and　knowing　what　was　coming；　even　a　Reis　transmitter；　pure　and　simple；　reproduces　sounds　which　seem　almost　like　that　which　was　being　transmitted；　but　when　the　man　at　the　other　end　did　not　know　what　was　coming；　it　was　very　seldom　that　any　word　was　recognized。〃

In　the　course　of　the　Dolbear　lawsuit；　a　Reis　machine　was　brought　into　court；　and　created　much　amusement。　It　was　able　to　squeak；　but　not　to　speak。　Experts　and　professors　wrestled　with　it　in　vain。　It　refused　to　transmit　one　intel…　ligible　sentence。　〃It　CAN　speak；　but　it　WON'T；〃　explained　one　of　Dolbear's　lawyers。　It　is　now　generally　known　that　while　a　Reis　machine；　when　clogged　and　out　of　order；　would　transmit　a　word　or　two　in　an　imperfect　way；　it　was　built　on　wrong　lines。　It　was　no　more　a　telephone　than　a　wagon　is　a　sleigh；　even　though　it　is　possible　to　chain　the　wheels　and　make　them　slide　for　a　foot　or　two。　Said　Judge　Lowell；　in　rendering　his　famous　decision：


〃A　century　of　Reis　would　never　have　produced　a　speaking　telephone　by　mere　improvement　of　construction。　It　was　left　for　Bell　to　discover　that　the　failure　was　due　not　to　workmanship　but　to　the　principle　which　was　adopted　as　the　basis　of　what　had　to　be　done。　。　。　。　Bell　discovered　a　new　artthat　of　transmitting　speech　by　electricity；　and　his　claim　is　not　as　broad　as　his　invention。　。　。　。　To　follow　Reis　is　to　fail；　but　to　follow　Bell　is　to　succeed。〃


After　the　victory　over　Dolbear；　the　Bell　stock　went　soaring　skywards；　and　the　higher　it　went；　the　greater　were　the　number　of　infringers　and　blowers　of　stock　bubbles。　To　bait　the　Bell　Company　became　almost　a　national　sport。　Any　sort　of　claimant；　with　any　sort　of　wild　tale　of　prior　invention；　could　find　a　speculator　to　support　him。　On　they　came；　a　motley　array；　〃some　in　rags；　some　on　nags；　and　some　in　velvet　gowns。〃　One　of　them　claimed　to　have　done　wonders　with　an　iron　hoop　and　a　file　in　1867；　a　second　had　a　marvellous　table　with　glass　legs；　a　third　swore　that　he　had　made　a　telephone　in　1860；　but　did　not　know　what　it　was　until　he　saw　Bell's　patent；　and　a　fourth　told　a　vivid　story　of　having　heard　a　bullfrog　croak　via　a　telegraph　wire　which　was　strung　into　a　certain　cellar　in　Racine；　in　1851。

This　comic　opera　phase　came　to　a　head　in　the　famous　Drawbaugh　case；　which　lasted　for　nearly　four　years；　and　filled　ten　thousand　pages　with　its　evidence。　Having　failed　on　Reis；　the　German；　the　opponents　of　Bell　now　brought　forward　an　American　inventor　named　Daniel　Drawbaugh；　and　opened　up　a　noisy　newspaper　campaign。　To　secure　public　sympathy　for　Drawbaugh；　it　was　said　that　he　had　invented　a　complete　telephone　and　switchboard　before　1876；　but　was　in　such　〃utter　and　abject　poverty〃　that　he　could　not　get　himself　a　patent。　Five　hundred　witnesses　were　examined；　and　such　a　general　turmoil　was　aroused　that　the　Bell　lawyers　were　compelled　to　take　the　attack　seriously；　and　to　fight　back　with　every　pound　of　ammunition　they　possessed。

The　fact　about　Drawbaugh　is　that　he　was　a　mechanic　in　a　country　village　near　Harrisburg；　Pennsylvania。　He　was　ingenious　but　not　inventive；　and　loved　to　display　his　mechanical　skill　before　the　farmers　and　villagers。　He　was　a　subscriber　to　The　Scientific　American；　and　it　had　become　the　fixed　habit　of　his　life　to　copy　other　people's　inventions　and　exhibit　them　as　his　own。　He　was　a　trailer　of　inventors。　More　than　forty　instances　of　this　imitative　habit　were　shown　at　the　trial；　and　he　was　severely　scored　by　the　judge；　who　accused　him　of　〃deliberately　falsifying　the　facts。〃　His　ruling　passion　of　imitation；　apparently；　was　not　diminished　by　the　loss　of　his　telephone　claims；　as　he　came　to　public　view　again　in　1903　as　a　trailer　of　Marconi。

Drawbaugh's　defeat　sent　the　Bell　stock　up　once　more；　and　brought　on　a　Xerxes'　army　of　opposition　which　called　itself　the　〃Overland　Company。〃　Having　learned　that　no　one　claim…　ant　could　beat　Bell　in　the　courts；　this　company　massed　the　losers　together　and　came　forward　with　a　scrap…basket　full　of　patents。　Several　powerful　capitalists　undertook　to　pay　the　expenses　of　this　adventure。　Wires　were　strung；　stock　was　sold；　and　the　enterprise　looked　for　a　time　so　genuine　that　when　the　Bell　lawyers　asked　for　an　injunction　against　it；　they　were　refused。　This　was　as　hard　a　blow　as　the　Bell　people　received　in　their　eleven　years　of　litigation；　and　the　Bell　stock　tumbled　thirty…five　points　in　a　few　days。　Infringing　companies　sprang　up　like　gourds　in　the　night。　And　all　went　merrily　with　the　promoters　until　the　Overland　Company　was　thrown　out　of　court；　as　having　no　evidence；　except　〃the　refuse　and　dregs　of　former　cases　the　heel…taps　found　in　the　glasses　at　the　end　of　the　frolic。〃

But　even　after　this　defeat　for　the　claimants；　the　frolic　was　not　wholly　ended。　They　next　planned　to　get　through　politics　what　they　could　not　get　through　law；　they　induced　the　Government　to　bring　suit　for　the　annulment　of　the　Bell　patents。　It　was　a　bold　and　desperate　move；　and　enabled　the　promoters　of　paper　companies　to　sell　stock　for　several　years　longer。　The　whole　dispute　was　re…opened；　from　Gray　to　Drawbaugh。　Every　battle　was　re…fought；　and　in　the　end；　of　course；　the　Government　officials　learned　that　they　were　being　used　to　pull　telephone　chestnuts　out　of　the　fire。　The　case　was　allowed　to　die　a　natural　death；　and　was　informally　dropped　in　1896。

In　all；　the　Bell　Company　fought　out　thirteen　lawsuits　that　were　of　national　interest；　and　five　that　were　carried　to　the　Supreme　Court　in　Washington。　It　fought　out　five　hundred　and　eighty…　seven　other　lawsuits　of　various　natures；　and　with　the　exception　of　two　trivial　contract　suits；　IT　NEVER　LOST　A　CASE。

Its　experience　is　an　unanswerable　indictment　of　our　system　of　protecting　inventors。　No　inventor　had　ever　a　clearer　title　than　Bell。　The　Patent　Office　itself；　in　1884；　made　an　eighteen…　months'　investigation　of　all　telephone　patents；　and　reported：　〃It　is　to　Bell　that　the　world　owes　the　possession　of　the　speaking　telephone。〃　Yet　his　patent　was　continuously　under　fire；　and　never　at　any　time　secure。　Stock　companies　whose　paper　capital　totalled　more　than　500；000；000　were　organized　to　break　it　down；　and　from　first　to　last　the　success　of　the　telephone　was　based　much　less　upon　the　monopoly　of　patents　than　upon　the　building　up　of　a　well　organized　business。

Fortunately　for　Bell　and　the　men　who　upheld　him；　they　were　defended　by　two　master…lawyers　who　have　seldom；　if　ever；　had　an　equal　for　team　work　and　efficiencyChauncy　Smith　and　James　J。　Storrow。　These　two　men　were　marvellously　well　mated。　Smith　was　an　old…fashioned　attorney　of　the　Websterian　sort；　dignified；　ponderous；　and　impressive。　By　1878；　when　he　came　in　to　defend　the　little　Bell　Company　against　the　towering　Western　Union；　Smith　had　become　the　most　noted　patent　lawyer　in　Boston。　He　was　a　large；　thick…set　man；　a　reminder　of　Benjamin　Franklin；　with　clean…shaven　face；　long　hair　curling　at　the　ends；　frock　coat；　high　collar；　and　beaver　hat。

Storrow；　on　the　contrary；　was　a　small　man；　quiet　in　manner；　conversational　in　argument；　and　an　encyclopedia　of　definite　information。　He　was　so　thorough　that；　when　he　became　a　Bell　lawyer；　he　first　spent　an　entire　summer　at　his　country　home　in　Petersham；　studying　the　laws　of　physics　and　electricity。　He　was　never　in　the　slightest　degree　spectacular。　Once　only；　during　the　eleven　years　of　litigation；　did　he　lose　control　of　his　temper。　He　was　attacking　the　credibility　of　a　witness　whom　he　had　put　on　the　stand；　but　who　had　been　tampered　with　by　the　opposition　lawyers。　〃But　this　man　is　your　own　witness；〃　protested　the　lawyers。　〃Yes；〃　shouted　the　usua