The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-04-18
EDISON.
si,ori shrlrh ~ the Career ~ H.. rbon'
0grapi Inventor,

vkFhNh ths"h'V''
The occasion was q practical public
test of Eiison's ph0n0grapb, an extraor'
binary invention, the nature ana capaN
biIiLies OF which have already been de-
scribed In the Press, and a briei sketch
Of the inventor by Dr. C!eland OF Chicago,
At s o'clock every seat was occupied and
hundreds were standing, while probably
quite Al many m gained admiLtance were
turned away Tor want OF accommodation,
In his graphic sketch Of the life of Thos.
Edison, DR.. Cleland began by claiming
Tor his hero n pre- eminence in the scien-
tifc world second to that OF none OF the
great inventors of the present age. The
interest attaching to Edis0n's career be-
gins with his experience rs a telegraph
operator, a pursuit which he learned in
| Canada.
WHY HE LEFT THE DOMINION.
lie obtained a position ~ operator in a
railroad office in one of the small towns
in the Dominion. One night the agent
at the station was absent and a train was
standing on the track. Edison tele-
praphcd for orders as to what TO do with
this train, and received in reply to " hold
it," Before the reply had been received,
however, he had allowed the train 10 de-
part, and, AZ a result, two trains were
| moving in different directions on a single
track at the same time. Fortunately
the engineers, ~ the trains were coming
together, saw the danger in time TO avert
the catastrophe, and thus saved the
passengers the necessity of being parties
to the unpleasant and invariably unsuc-
cessful experiment OF two trains trying
to pass each other on the same track at
the same time. But it was a serious mat
ter Tor Edison. How serious he didn't
wait to see, but without the lOrmality OF
rendering his resignation he started for
the states 80 swiftly. Another incident
the speaker related, showing how Edison
perfected his first invention. 1t was
the custom to signal the number six and
the number Of the Office to headquarters
every half hour in order TO show that
the operator was on the alert. Edison
contrived a machine which performed
this service automatically and enjoyed his
nap undi.Lurbed. Then he made and sold
a number of his ingenious little machines
TO other operators, until finally he was
discovered and dismissed. After speaking
OF EdisOn's commonplace experiences,
the speaker went on TO tell Of his visit to
Memphis, where his inventive faculties
led him to making such alterations in the
Instruments, that it was deemed desirable
to dispense with his services. lie was
dispensed with accordingly. After
enduring the usual vicissitudes which n
telegraph operator out Of work usually
experiences, he
ARIuVEDIN INDIANAP0II5.
Just at the time he got to the Rail
road City q strike was in progress and
men were in demand. lie went into an
Office. Press dispatches were coming in,
There was nobody who could take them.
Edison sat down and next morning
every paper had It's regular quantity of
Associated Press e W. to the disgust of
the strikers. That gave Edison a start,
and so pleased the superintendent that
next day he was promoted from a'posi-
ton worth $50 to one worth $40 per
month. Why Edison left that place the
lecturer did not explain, but his next
experience was in Boston. lie was
II .ything but a neat. looking specimen,
and when he applied at an office for
work, agricultural appearance excited
no small degree of merriment He stood
this like a hero. They tried a joke on
him. "Sit down aud take this dis.
patch" said the superintendent. One
of the fastest operators on the line was
the other end of the wire, and the
words were coming thick and fast. But
Edison did it. He had another perma-
nent position. Next he appears in New
York, and here he invents the gold and
stock or well known "tapeline' telegraph.
That made his name and fame and for.
tune. lie has over one hundred and
twelve patents now, n number of appli-
cations for more in, and nobody knows
where be intends to stop. Thirty.one
yearsoi age, a master OF English, French,
German, and understanding Il little
Italian, a dutiful son, the inventor of the
duplex repeater, the t%elegraphic register,
the telephone, the monograph and the
Grophone, he il a sort OF a scientific
admirable Crichton. His place down in
Jersey is a wonderful concern, filled with
inventions complete and incomplete,
wheels, guys, pulleys, the thousand and
one mysterious appliances with which
~; T., ,,n,,i,,o u,rrnpn .lJ himuolI II Dhiln- |