West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-09-14
EdIson,s Latest Invention.
~. Louis Republican,

tSt" at9hi7 h"pAplNAhl
AT about eight O'Clock, last night, a
message was received at the Republican
office that Mr.. Thomas Edison, the in
ventor, was about 20 experiment with
the telephone, at the office of the Union
Telegraph Company, at Third and
Olive-strt cts. A representative of this
paper visited the office, was directed 10
the operating room on the fourth floor,
and there, at one end of the great apart
ment, full Of operators, and noisy
with the click of scores of instruments.
saw small group of gentlemen sitting
at their ease telling stories. One was
Mr.. Brown, local manager of the tele-
graph company; another was Professor
George +. Baker, of the University of
Pennsylvania, and there were two or
three others. One of these was the
honest-looking country boy, holding in
his hand tremendous black felt hat.
laughing heartily at something which
had just been said, and telling n story
OF his own i'm return. Looking at him
and studying him, one would be ready
to swear that the crops on his fathers
farm and his own digestion were each
particularly good this season, and that
he had made good sale of the load of
farm truck he had brought i'm i'm the
afternoon, and was at peace with all the
world. His hands, though, were soft
and white, and this marred the country
boy theory. The Republicans represen-
tative met him, and he of the group
proved 10 be the famous Edison, the
magnet of the occasion
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 in
terview Mr.. Edison on subject of in
terest. He was asked if he was not
seeking something quite different from
anything he had thus far discovered and
announced TO the world. Are YOU
not, Mr.. Edison" was the question
really endeavoring to develop power
from electricity, to solve the problem
which is puzzling the inventors of air
ships, that is to give what will furnish
the power of a steam engine.
Mr.. Edison hesitated a moment and
then said, eyes, Pm working on such a
machine now"
DO you think aerial navigation one
of the practicable things2'
Yes, / think they'll get it. The in
yentiOn of the Connecticut man, recently
exhibited in New York, is a 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"
" But he lacks the power to face n
breeze and so make his invention valua-
BILE"
Yes, but he had good deal of
power, after all. A man is a pretty
powerful machine, you know"
Have you an idea that electricity
VIII yet be controlled so as to furnish
the power reguired-any amount of
power, in fact?"
" 1t doesn't appear as though power
to an unlimited extent can be utilized
from it. Still some new discovery may
change the situation. believe the ma
chine | have far exceeds any attempts
heretofore made in that direction"
How much power can you COM
mandP'
ooh, enough to run a pump, or a
windmill, or sewing machine. It's a
sort of tuning-fork continuance"
" What's that"
The power has to be exercised over
something shaped like tuning fork.
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. | lose half the
power, this way, in running sewing
machine, but it is not 50 in pumping. I
have double pump, and that obviates
the loss"
" What proportion of the power of
electricity has heretofore been utilized
by any invention?'
g One-tenth. By my new machine
only one-tenth is lost. 1t has practical
value"
" If aerial navigation becomes a fixed
fact the revolution occasioned will be
great, will it not|'
:. Yes; it must change things wonder
fully"