The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-09-06
EDISON.
The Great Inventor on RattIcsnakes,
nA'fi balloons, Etc.

l. n-f- balloons, Etc.
80 INTERVIEW In the st. Louis republican.l
The talk drifted about from one toni
to another while the wires were bein,
arranged for the telephone experiment
and the opportunity was afforded I,
interview Mr.. Edison on a 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, " reall,
endeavoring to develop power from cleo
tricity, to solve the problem which i,
puzzling the inventors of air ships, thai
is to give what will furnish the power o.
steam engine without its weight ?"
Mr.. Edison hesitated a moment. and
then said, eyes, I'm working on such O
machine now.
"Do you think aerial navigation one
of the practicable things?"
Yes, think they'll get it, The in
vention 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 force a
breeze, and so make his invention
valuable"
Yes, but he had good deal of power.
after all. A .aan is a pretty powerful
machine, you know"
Have you an idea that electricity
will yet be controlled 80 as to furnish
the power required-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. 1 believe the ma
chine have far exceeds any attempt
made in that direction"
"How much power can you COM
ooh, enough to run pump, or a wind
mill, or q sewing-machine. It's sort
Of tuning fork continuance"
whats that ?"
"The power has to be exercised over
something shaped like tuning fork. Il
IAN run a sewing machine at the end of
one prong of the fork, but am COM
oelled to have what corresponds to
sham machine at the other in order to
Utilize the electricity. I lose half the
bower this way in running a sewing ma
thine, but 1T is not 80 in pumping. I |
AVE double pump, and this obviates
he loss"
What proportion of the power of |
Electricity has heretofore been utilized |
" any invention ?"
"Only one-tenth. BY my new ma
hine only one-tenth is lost. 1t has a
PRACTICAL value"
If aerial navigation becomes fixed
act the revolution occasioned will be
reat, will it not ?"
Yes; it must change things wonder
nlly.
The conversation here turned to the
ecent trip to the far West of the party
+ scientists of which Mr.. Edison was a
lember, and which went out to observe
ne eclipse of the sun. The inventor
,as much interested in what he saw at
'irginia City, and gave graphic de-
cription of the faro-playing and the
'ays OF the miners. The party went
ir out on the plains in the course of
leir travels, engaging after the eclipse
hunt which was full of adventure.
specially to Edison.
"There are millions of antelope out
lere," said he, "and you can shoot
lem If you are only near enough. The
ear air there deceives you as to dis
nee. We hadn't been out long when 1
w some antelope, big fellows, and I
ot down confidently to kill one. III,
admit more than raised my gun when
he of the plainsmen stopped me with
70 remark, Why, you = fool, them {
ltelope is two miles Off And so [
ey were. The atmosphere had fooled
e." :
AT another time Oh the trip" said !
r. Edison, was standing alone by 6
g rock near some sage bushes, when 1 S
lard queer sound which was new to '
e-something like castanets. l was Q
oking around when some of the party |
me up, but hadn't solved the thing yet, f
ID so told them about the sounds I'd
ard. 1t seemed to be somewhere on
g ground near me. I'm little deaf and
ey gave me some good advice at once.
was a rattlesnake We looked around
d L saw plenty of them afterwards, .
mense ones, which we shot. It was q
place for deaf man to be wandering a
out alone" U