Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-10-31
100.
Edison at Work.

The following is from an article in SCRIBSER for
November entitled "A Night with Edison"
There is nowhere such another in
genious mind, bat there is also nowhere
such worker. When in search of
some special object he allows himself
absolutely no rest. At Newark he
mounted to the loft of his factory with
five men, on the occasion Of the appar-
ent failure of the printing-machinc he
had taken contract to furnish, and
declared he would never come down
till it worked. 1t took sixty hours of
continuous labor, but it worked, and
then he slept for thirty. The routine
OF his day Is 4 routine of grand pro-
cesses and ennobling ideas. Nowhere
else probably would such day be pos
slblc. There are not fortunes, if there
were capacity, to carry on the business
Of pure scientific research on such a
scale. His whole great establishment
is occupied not in manufacturing, nor
primarily in projects for profitable re-
turns, though these follow,-but in
new reflections, new combinations, in
wrestling from Nature inch by inch the
domain She would have kept hidden.
He comes in the morning and reads
his letters. He overlooks his men and
the experiments of his assistants. The
element of hazard enters into these
somewhat. There are n great number
IN progress action Of chemicals
other, or the phenomena of substances
subjected to the various forces at com
mand. Strips of ivory, for instance,
in 4 certain oil in six weeks become
transparent. a globule of mercury in
water, then with little potassium
added, takes various shapes for the
opposite poles of the battery, retires
coqlettlshlv or is attracted, forms IN
whlrlpools, changes color, or becomes
immobile. There is no use at once for
these results, but they are recorded in
voluminOuS MOTEL books. When the
proper time comes they are borne in
mind some one of them may form the
connecting link in the chain Of an in
valuable discovery. Then perhaps he
tests for the thousandth time his car
bon telephone for new pertectlons, and
then goes on carrying forward a step
each of the works in progress, or be-
comes wholly engrossed, according to
his mood, In one.
In spite of the fact that the motive
of his retreat to Menlo Park wa
good part to escape them. numerous
visitors arrive. 1t is the Mecca OF a
continuous pilgrimage of scientists, re-
porters for the journals, and curiosity
hunters. Yesterday a troop of one
hundred and seventy-fye persons
brought by gentleman who had asked
the privilege of presenting few
triends,-to-morrow a special train of
visitors from Boston is announced. He
receives all atiably, submitting himself
and his inventions to be gazed at with
out reserve. One wonders, next to his
piIono5raph, at his good humor.
"StiII, shall blow up somebody
yet" he says, laughing. 81 am con-
sidering the idea of fixing a wire con-
Meeting with battery that knocks over
everybody that touches the gate.
He sits down at the phonograph.
fixes double mouth-piece to it and
summons one of his assistants, while
another places himself at an organ In
the corner. They sing in two parts
John Browns Body" AS the sonor-
Gus music rises and fills the long apart
lnent. one gazes musingly yet with a
secret thrill 1t is like assisting at
some strange, new rite,-a martial
chant Of rejoicing in the greatness of a
new era full of sublime promise and
the dissipation of mysteries.