The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-09-05
EDISON.
The Great Inventor on Rattlesnakes,
Balloons. Etc.

! The Great Inventor on Rattlesnakes,
/ Balloons, Etc.
Interview in the ST. Louis Republican,
The talk drifted about from one topic
to another while the wires were being
arranged for the telephone experiment,
and the opportunity was afforded to
interview Mr.. Edison on subject of in
terest. He was asked if he was not seek
ing something quite different from any
thing he had thus far discovered and an
nounced to the world. care you not,
Mr.. Edison was the question, /" really
endeavoring to develop power from cleo
tricity, to solve the problem which is
puzzling the inventors of air ships, that
is to give what will furnish the power of
steam engine without it's weight 2"
Mr.. Edison hesitated moment, and
then said, eyes, I'm working on such a
machine now"
"Do you think aerial navigation one
of the practicable things?"
eyes, I think they'll get it. The in
vention of the Connecticut man recently
exhibited in New York is successful
air ship as far as it goes. Without a
wind to interfere with him he can rise in
the air and direct his vessel easily"
sBut he lacks the power to force a
breeze, and SO make his invention
valuable"
"Yes, but he had good deal of power,
after all. A nan is pretty powerful
machine, you know"
"Have you an idea that electricity
will yet be controlled SO as to furnish
the power required-any amount of
power, in fact ?"
:" It doesn't appear as though power
to an unlimited extent can be utilized
from it, Still some new discovery may
change the situation. I believe the ma
chine I have far exceeds any attempt
heretofore made in that direction"
elbow much power can you COM
mand?"
"Oh, enough to run pump, or wind
mill, or a sewing It's a sort
of tuning fork continuance"
"What's that ?"
"The power has to be exercised over
something shaped like tuning fork. L
can run sewing machine at the end of
one prong of the fork, but am COM
PEELED to have what corresponds to a
sham machine at the other in order to
utilize the electricity. I lose half the
power this way in running sewing ma
chine, but it is not so in pumping. I
have double pump, and this obviates
the loss.'
"What proportion of the power of
electricity has heretofore been utilized
by any invention ?"
"Only one-tenth. By my new ma
chine only one-tenth is lost. It has
practical value"
eff aerial navigation becomes fixed
fact the revolution occasioned will be
great, will it not ?"
eyes it must change things wonder
fully.
The conversation here turned to the
recent trip to the far West of the party
of scientists of which Mr.. Edison was a
member, and which went out to observe
the eclipse of the sun. The inventor
was much interested in what he saw at
Virginia City, and gave a graphic de-
scription of the faro-playing and the
ways of the miners. The party went
far out on the plains in the course of
their travels, engaging after the eclipse
in hunt which was full Of adventure,
especially to Edison.
"There are millions of antelope out
there, said he, "and you can shoot
them if you are only near enough. The
clear air there deceives you as to dis
lance. We hadn't been out long when I
saw some antelope, big fellows. and I
got down confidently to kill one. I
hadn't more than raised my gun when
one of the plainsmen stopped me with
the remark, Why, you - fool, them
antelope is two miles off, And so
they we're. The atmosphere had fooled
me-"
cat another time on the trip" said
Mr.. Edison, " [ was standing alone by
big rock near some sage bushes, when [
heard a queer sound which was new to
me-something like castanets. I was
looking around when some of the party
came up, but hadn't solved the thing yet,
and SO told them about the sounds I'd
heard. It seemed to be somewhere on
the ground near me. I'm little deaf and
they gave me some good advice at once.
It was a rattlesnake We looked around
and saw plenty Of them afterwards,
immense ones, which we shot. It was
no place for deaf man to be wandering
about alone"
A Tremendous Cave.
Some time ago Mr.. Neff, residing
near Alexandria, Huntingdon county,
this State, went to his well to get q