Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-07-20
EDISON AGAIN.
The Man of Inventions on His Way
West-rhe TRsimeter and How it
IL to be Used az the suns Eclipse.

NNa
Rest-rhe TasimeIeF and How it
Is TO be Used at the suns Eclipse.
Professor Edison, accompanied by
Professors Draper and Barker, we're in
Chicago on Monday with two tons of as
Economical luggage to be used in observ-
irg the total eclipse of the sun at Raw.
Inns, Wyoming Territory. He was
interviewed, Of course, and made these
statements about the tasimeter to be
used in observations Of the eclipse:
The taslmeter, replied the nan who
~invents something so often that it is dif.
icult to keep track Of his works, "is a
heat measurer Of very delicate power.
Heat acts on the carbon points, and the
vibrations are communicated by an cleo.
tricsl apparatus until they turn a needle.
Now it is very evident that the suns
rays, those coming from the center, are
hot-quite hot, as you have found them
here lately"
The reporter perspired assent.
II isu't so evident that there is great
heat in the rays near the suns edges.
The astronomers haven't settled about
that yet, and the tssimeter will be ap-
piled to measure the differences in the
heat from these two portions oil the sum-"
NOW WILL YOU co TO wokK?'
well, the thermometer ia good enough
to MEASURE the heat from the center.
Now, when the moon crosses the sun, all
bat the edges Of the latter planet will be
covered for two minutes and ffty.seven
seconds. These edges, or the corona,
are what we want, and the tasimeter,
with its wonderful delicacy, will measure
the beat"
ITO what degree Of heat is It adapted
for measurement
well, l couldn't say exactly. To
illustrate, however, / have held a lighted
cigar off q considerable distance from
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS feet, for in.
stance-and the heat has turned the
needle very perceptibly."
you are hopeful that the instrument
will do what you claim for it in the
eclipseP'
Eyes; l don't see why 1t shouldn't.
I'm no astronomer myself-don't know
anything more about it than a pig does
about learning Latin. What | want to
see is, whether my instrument will do thu
work, and | guess it will"
Have you measured the heat OF othel
planets yet-the stars, or the moon2'
"0h, yes, frequently. 1t is much
easier, you understand, to measure thu
, heat Of the stare than the moon, for tn
reason that the former shine with thei
/, own light, while that of the latter is boz
rowed from the sun, and possesses verJ
little heat
How about the other inventions2 Ar,
you still perfecting them, pursuing
new tackP'
We'll, I'm principally engaged il
. getting my inventions on the market
%patenting them and introducing them t,
public use, etc. You see | have to ge
, out about fifteen patents on every differ
emit invention so as to prevent people
infringing upon the things"
: How many patents have you now2.
1T was something like lao some tim,
, ago. | guess there are $50 or so now.
II suppose you are constantly i'm
proving some Of your instruments 2
observed the reporter.
20, yes; almost all the time"
|, How is the phonograpt2'
I've got q machine, or several Of
them dowa home that work beautifully
These out here are no account, ir cen
parison. You can talk into the perfected
machine, or sing into it, and the air il
produced with perfect accnrateness. Thu
Last Rose OF Summer comes out fine
ly. | have experimental a good dea
with the ~phonograph, and you'd be as
tonished at one or two things. 0ne i,
that when you turn the crank backward
after singing Into it the melody is re
peated from end to beginning instead OIL
from beginning to end, as 10 the frs.
! place, really sounds quite as well as tht
original, and 10 some instances better
recolleet my assistant singing i,
Sabre, from 0fenbach, into the phone
graph. Then he turned the crank back
ward, and, to bis mind, the tune wa
much better than the composers. And
then he sang Yankee Doodle back
wards (he's become 80 expert in thiI
thing, you see), turRed the crank for
wards, aud out would come Yankee
Doodle again, the notes in their proper
} musical order as you hear them when
the tune is sung right"
J