The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-05-08
a WONDERFUL GENUS.
Interesting Remaini scemces of
Thomas AIVa Edison.

FROM the Boston Herald

/ and "reminiscences of his life therefore are
interesting to all connected with the use
of electricity, and not only to these, but
to the world at large, which he has so
( greatly benefited.
! His ancestors came to this country in
/ 1870. Thomas Ellison was prominent
bank official on Manhattan Island dur
ing the revolution, and his name appears
on the Continental money. The race is
! long-lived. Edison's great-grandfather
lived to be 102, and his grandfather 103
years old. His father. Samuel Edison,
Is now living, aged "A, and in perfect
health. His mother, Mary Elliot Edi
son, was of Scotch parentage. but born
in Massachusetts,. She was finely edu-
Gated, and for several years taught in a
Canadian high school. She was indus
trious, capable, literary and ambitious wO
mar. She died in 1862 at 81 years of
age. Thomas AIva Edison was born
February II, 1S47, at Milan, Erie eoun-
ty, Ohio, but hisparents removed to Port
Huron, Mich, when he was seven years
old, which has since been their home.
Edison never went to school over two
months in his life. His mother taught
him spelling, reading, writing and arith-
metic. She was a fine reader, and often
read aloud to the family. Edison ac-
quired his love Of reading from her At
ten years old he had read "The Penny
Encyclopedia, "Hume's England"
Gibbons Rome" and other books of
like character and value. In his read
ing he passed over nothing specifically,
and to this concentration is due the &C
omplishment Of
MANY ASTONISHING RESULTS.
While disliking mathematics, he was
constant in experiments while yet a boy
At II he became train-boy on the Grand
Trunk railroad, and soon after acquired
an exclusive newsdealers' right, having
four assistants. This he held for four
years, earning about 81 lay, which was
given to his mother. While running to
Detroit he attempted to read the Libra
ny" through, but gave it up, and sys
tematised his selections when he had
read everything on the shelves to the
height of fifteen feet His favorite is
Victor Hugo. His mind is so retentive
that he quotes long extracts from vol
umes and pages of abstruse authors, so
that he is something of an encyclopedia
himself. In an untenable freight car
which had been intended as a smoking
car, he fitted up laboratory, where ex-
periments were common while running
onjhis route, until his bottle of phlospho
rus fell and set the car on fire. He pur
chased 300 pounds of the old type of the
Detroit Free Press, and for six months
printed the Grand Trunk Herald, filled
with railroad gossip and other informa-
ton of interest on the road, and had
''ist" of several hundred. While run
ming TO Detroit he became acquainted
u-it tho +oloer~o,,h o,ro"a t"ra and haUan
telegrap hing the newspaper headings to
stations in advance of the train. He be
came impressed with the value Of the
telegraph, and determined to learn the
business He purchased work on. the
electric telegraph and, in conjunction
with James Ward, one of assistants, con
structed a line between their residences
in Port Huron. using stovepipe wire, in
sulated with bottles placed on nails driven
into trees and crossed under an exposed
road by means of piece of abandoned
cable, captured from the Detroit river.
| The first magnets were of wire, wound
| with rags for insulation, and a piece of
spring brass was used for a key. The
| first attempt to generate current was
bv means of cats rubbed vigorously to-
gether at each end This failing, they
| soon after purchased some old instru-
ments and other materials, and a success
was accomplished About two months
afterward, as the railroad train was
switching some cars on the side track at
Mt Clements station, the agents little
boy, two years old, crept upon the track
in front of the approaching cars. EdI
son, seeing the danger, sprang to the
ground, seized the child and barrel saved
his life j. A. Mckenzie was the agent
and operator, in gratitude, for the act vol
unteered to assist Edison
TO LEARN TELEGRAPHY.
Thereafter, on reaching the end of his
route, Edison would go back by freight
train to Mt Clements, and worked night:
to perfect himself in operating. In five
months he was sufficiently accomplished
to secure employment in the telegraph
office at Port Huron. The office wa:
in aiewelry store, and Edison had
an opportunity to indulge his mechan
zeal inclinations. He worked nigh
and day for six months, and next
went to Stratford Canada, as night
operator. The operators were required
to report "six' every half hour to the
circuit manager. Edison INDUCED hi:
ingenuity in making a wheel with Morse
characters out in circumference, in such
way that when turned it would write
the figure six and sign his Office call
This the Waterman turned for him Will,
Edison slept. He was discharged from
here by the train dispatcher for an error
and soon after obtained a situation a
Adrian, Mich. Here he had small
shop and a few tools, where his spar
time was used in repairing instrument
and making such experiments as he haC
the means to accomplish. He lost hi
situation through violation of a rule
Two months later he went to 1ndianapO
: lis, where he invented his first successful
automatic repeater, which is an arrange
ment for transferring the writing from
one telegraph line to another without thu
medium Of a sending or receiving op
orator. Being unable to take "press
reports without frequent breaks, he rigge'
two more recording registers, one to re
ceive and one to repeat the embosse
writing at slower speed so it could b
copied. When this was done he told tn
sending operator to s'rush him, whic
i gave him brief reputation, for tn
sscopy" was so low in reaching the pres
, it caused complaint.
Heart 10 Heart for N Moment
Cincinnati Commercially
There was a touching scene recent
over fresh grave in Spring Grow
! Cemetery. A little boy, and only child
!, was being buried Among the mourneI