Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-04-09
Th0s. Alvey Edison.

INTERESTING SKETCH OF THE GREAT
INVENTOR BY A WELL KNOWN ELEC-
TRICIAN.
A correspondent of the Cincinnati
Commercial has obtained from Mr.. Ed,
T. Gilland an Interesting statement re-
garding Thos. Alvey Edison. the great
electrician and inventor. Mr.. Edison
since boyhood, and for three years, re-
Gently, was associated with him in busi-
ness. He says:
g Edison was born in Milan, in the
north part of this State, and his parents
moved to Port Huron Michigan, while
he was quite small boy. He was en-
ployed as train boy on railroad run
ming through Port Huron. It was while
thus employed that he learnd telegraph
ing.
1 first met him in 1863 atAdrian, Mi
chigan, where we were both employed
as telegraph operators. We both left
there about the same time, he going to
Indianapolis and coming to this city.
He remained only short time in Indi-
annapolis, and then came to Cincinnati.
I was then boarding at the Bevis House,
Mr.. Hyams. now manager of Woods,
Edison and myself occupied one room.
One day Edison was relating to Hyams
and myself how, on one occasion, while
he was peanut boy, he had taken
charge of a locomotive and run the train
the entire trip. The engineer and fire.
man had been compelled to make one
or two extra trips, and had become COM
pletely worn out, and while on a siding
both engineer and fireman fell asleep
on their seats. The conductor signaled
10 oh do fr,
awake them, but was Unable to do so,
and decided he would pull out. expect
ing they would soon awak after they
got in motion. Finding everything was
going all right he grew little bold and
didn't disturb them. The train being a
light one, he was enabled to do the stok-
ing. Ifthetrain hands looked forward
theyisaw Tom busy yslingingwoo or pull
ing the bell, or, perhaps. With bis hand
on the throttlevalve. But as he was very
fond of riding on the engine and had
often been allowed to do the same moth
ing was thought of 1t, and so he drove
ahead, completing the entire trip. OF
course but very little could be said
about it at the time without giving the
engineer away. But it made Tom solid
with the engineer, who, on many Oc-
casions, under the pretense of adjusting
some part of the machinery. would de-
lay atartipg Q few minutes to enable
hum to get his box aboard, when he had
oversight aud was little late.
From this story I learned that Tom
was of mechanical turn of mind, and
having in my youth been apprenticed
out at punsmithing, we found much to
talk about He then showed me lit
tie steam engine he had made out OF
brass tubing, with very ingenious
valve motion, aud told of several other
inventions he had gotten up. From this
time forward all of his spare time was
spent in tinkering and experimenting
At that time we had very poor facilities
no tools, very little apparatus, having
to rely wholly upon the old, wornoul
and discarded instruments and battery
from the ot4ice.
In 1865, when the western Union OF.
to Third street, there was an old set ol
and Mr.. Stevens, the chief operator, telo
time Edison had an idea that he could
send two messages simultaneously ovel
one wire. He had made 2 great many
SACGCu uldWIuSS VI ~, uAA OAtCA -
planned the invention to me. have
these drawings now in my possession,
But up to this time had never been ena.
bled to secure sufficient apparatus te
test it.
Immediately upon getting possession
of the old repeater it was taken to hi
hone and pulled to pieces. and the worh
of constructing 9 duplex was begun
tseted, and when" completed ynC
was found to work precisely as he
expected. Thefew operators to whom
it was shown could not understand OF
appreciate it, and went away believing
it to be some trick, or that he was de
ceiying himself.
At that time thia tinkeripS or expert
menting was not looked eupon Will
much favor, and no hopes were enter
tanned of being able to get get OF appa'
ratus and making a practical test upOr
the wires. The instruments used To-
the experiment were, of fceurse, not suit
able for practical transmission OF mes
| ssges, being stuck together with seal
ingwax, and tied up With strings, Al
old cigar.box, being easily whitfield ant