The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-05-10
AN AFTERNOON IN THE LABORATORY
OF PROF. THOMAS A. EDISON.
The Inventor at Work How he was
BOtherel by a Wicked Tribune
EmplOye The Great Musical
Telephone - MnnGuvres by
Cork. Headed Needles.
IN. y. Sun.l


IN. y. Sun.l
The recent appearance of Prof. Thos.
Alva Edison in Washington, and his
article on the speaking phonograph,
printed in the North American Re-
view, have increased public interest
in the inventor and his inventions.
Any information concerning him is
sure to be read with avidity. In
Washington he was the honorcd guest
of the most distinguished men in the
country. Robert Fulton, Sir Isaac
Newton, or Galilco would not have ut
tracted more attention.
About six weeks ago Il journalist
visited Mr.. Edison for the second
time. He was accompanied by the
Hon. John Kelly of the Tammany
General Committee. The Professor
was found in his large laboratory on
the second floor of his mandatory ut
ed by jars of vitriol, strips of tin foil,
phials of chemicals, smoking kerosene
lamps, pieces of telephones, old clay
pipes, odd looking electrical machines,
copies of the great daily newspapers,
mechanical etcfings, papers of niger
head smoking tobacco, electrO-mOto-
graphs, and sundry bits of machinery
OF unknown power. An open volume
Of POe's poems lay beneath the largest
phonograph. Three or four visitors
were wandering around the room.
They were all personal acquain tances.
One was playing II small organ in the
west end, a second was coughing in
one of the speaking machines, and a
third was yawning over the Professors
carbon mandatory. A fourth proved
to be Il scientist.
Mr.. Edison's shoes were covered
with Jersey mud. His shirt was col
larless. He wore a seedy frock coat.
There was a charcoal mark OF the side
of his nose, and another on the tlange
of his left ear. His hair seemed to
have been spread with a hayfork, and
his general appearance was decidedly
interesting. The picture was not that
OF an alchemist; it was moro like an
honest plodding apprentice to Il ma
chinist. He was very busy. New
York and Philadelphia were about to
experiment with his carbon telephone,
and he was making II connection with
the two cities. He sped about the
laboratory witS a quick tread conferr-
ing with his assistants, making aud re-
ceiving suggestions, and giving the
necessary orders. For minutes he
stood ut the end of the room, with one
pole of the telephone ut his ear and the
other at his mouth, shouting. elbow
do you get it now? Mary had n little
lamb, its fleece was white as snow
how do you get that?' Finally the
wires were so arranged that one OF the
assistants declared that he could over
hear the electrical palaver between the
two cities, and take a hand in if it was
thought best.
The Professor al prOached his visi-
tors with II smile of satisfaction. a
roll of white paper strips that had
been soaked in II chemical solution
was drying on a chair near Il hot stove.
The day was damp and chilly. Mr..
Edison removed the strips and offered
the chair to n stranger. The Hon.
John Kelly then handed him Il bunch
of cigars. They were thrown on the
work table, and everybody invited to
help themselves. After lighting one
of them, the Professor stepped to the
window, and directed the journalists $
attention to a little pond in the yard.
"They tell me-" said he, "that you
of it myself. Come down some sum-
mcr's day, and I'l1 go out with you.
That pond out there is filled with Mon
tezuma trout. "
"What are N[ontezuma trout ~ in
quired the innocent journalist.
"Some persons call them bull heads,
and others cattish,' he replied; "but
Montezuma trout is what I call them" "
After Il lunch Mr.. Edison said,
"Conc over to this table, and will
show you something surprising-sent
me by scientific gentleman" He
filed glass with wafer. Into the
water he threw Il half dozen needles,
with tiny cork heads. He then pick
cd up II magnet, shaped something
like Il spike, and held it Il few inches
above the scattered needles. They i'm
mediately formed Il hexaGonnl group
like the following:
AS the magnetic spike was raised
the intervals were wi,lened with mill
tary precision, and AS it was lowered
the intervals were leSSened. Two at
ditional needles We're dropped in til.
tumbler. Under the magnetic inhu
ence of the spike the sin original need
les opened square, and the two new
corners took their Positions. Tn,
square became ortagnnal, thus