The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1878-05-18
TOM FDISON.
Below we give a story relative TO the
early life Of Edison, the inventor
IL n. i...,... IT,. IrIinur, nn..n


Mr. Stewart, "ln 1865. At that time !
was an operator in Tennessee. Tom
was employed by Colonel Coleman, the
Superintendent of the Western Union
Office in Memphis. He was a gawky
boy, about eighteen or nineteen, and
was reading everything about electri
city that he could pick up. He had
lean and hungry look, and seemed al.
ways to be under the influence of some
great excitement. He had got in his
head the idea of sending duplex dis
patches and all his spare time was de-
voted to experiments in the Office,
Coleman stood it for some time, but at
last began to growl. He allowed that
Tom was crazy, and said that ANY
damned fool might know that Il wire
can't be worked both ways at the same
time He declared that he wouldn't
have Tom puttering around the Office
with such Stiffness, and finally dis.
charged him in disgust. The boy went
back home to some town in Michigan,
and lost track of him.
"Some time afterward 1 was transferr.
ed to the Boston Office. At that time
wire No. /, as it was then called, was
cosidered the crack wire of the country.
The fastest men were working it. For
some cause the operator in Boston re-
signed, A half dozen fellows tried
1t, but found it too much for them.
One after another they dropped it like
hot potato, and sloped wiser than
they came. There was q Lan in the
Office named NJ. p. Adams. lie thought
the world of Tom Edison, and recon.
mended him for the place, vouching for
him as a first-clase operator. G.. f.
Milliken, the manager, telegraphed to
the little town in Michigan, asking Tom
If he would come on and accept the
position. Tom answered yes, and
without further words started for
Boston, via the Michigan Central and
Grand Trunk Railroads. In running
through Canada he got showed under,
and was kept on the track for twenty
four hours in one spot, cold and hun
cry. without bed. AS usual, he own
ed but one suit of clothes, and that was
on his back. Unfortunately, it was a
summer suit. lie might have frozen
to death had he not bought an old
rough roundabout overcoat from an old
Canuck railroad laborer. But he final.
ly got through all right.
II was in the the Boston office when
he arrived, and l must say" continued
Mr.. Stewart, bringing his his fist down
upon the table, the was the worst look.
Ing specimen of humanity 1 ever saw.
The modern telegraph tramp isn't a
marker. He wore pair of jean breech.
es six inches too short for him, pair Of
very low shoes, the Canuck Jacket, and
broad'brlmmed bu.ternut lat, a relic
of his life in Memphis. The wide rim
was badly torn, and hung down sc
that you could see his ear through the
opening. There was the slight trace Of
dirt on his upper lip that was called 8
moustache. His hair hadn't been comb
ed for week, and he wore the blackes
white shirt that was ever seen on thu
back of q human being, Nervously
pinching his upper Iip-a habit he haC
he inquired for the manager, an,
was sent to Milliken.
"'Are yon the boss p Tom asked
Milliken smiled and said lie was man
ager. Tom then introduced himsel
and asked when they wanted him to q
to work. Milliken stared at him a
though he couldn't believe his ears, an,
said, AT halfpast fVe.' 1t was theI
well along in the afternoon. Tom be
gan to look around the Office for clock
aud Milliken said, Young man, VOL
have to work pretty heavy wire.
Tom gave what he called his moustach,
an extra twist, and with all the assu
rance in the world, blurted out, 'Al
right, boss, I'll be here at half pas
fve.' He sloped so quick that it mad
his head swim.
The operators burst into a peal o
laughter. They had seen and hear,
everything, and their remarks wer
anything but complimentary to Tom
'Oh, said one of them, he won't last a
long as that Jerseyman that tackle,
the wire the other day why, tina
fellow can't read by paper, let alone b
sound, shouted another. A third de
clared that Tom was the worst he eve
saw F.; and when the fourth wonders
whether the walking between Michigan
and Boston was very good,' there wa
a general roar.
Well" continued Stewart, "hali
past five came and so did Tom. Every
body was on the qui viye. Millike