Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-04-11
"A Night With EdIsOn."


The following is from an article in
Scri6ner for November, entitled "a
Night with Edison"
1t is at night that the great inventor
is to be seen in his most characteristic
aspect. He has the habit, acquired
through the necessity of gaining soli-
tude, of doing then his most important
work. It is not till midnight merely
that il continues; it goes on far into the
small hours Of the morning. Then
more than ever does the business in
progress, the discussion entered upon,
the speculatiOns, the news reported,
take an inspiring character that gives
the ordinary matters of life a cast of
puerility. 1t is question of planets,
of splendid forces, of essential essences.
One seems to be at a point where q
hand is placed upon lever connecting
with the very heart of things. The
writer has had the privilege of
spending one of these nights at Menlo
Park and cannot fail to look upon it as
unique and memorable occasion. The
combination which is certain to come
of the three instruments-the tele-
phone, to transmit the message, the
phonOgraph, to receive it, the aero
phone TO proclaim it aloud at any dis
tant time or place-is discussed. We
talk about the microphOne, which is to
sound what the microscope is to sight;
about the combination proposed by
DIR. Phipson of the phonograph and
kinctoscope, by which Photographic
image is to move and seem to talk.
The long building on the hill is sim
gular spot of energy in the lonesome
country sunk in repOse. The crickets
and tree-toads are chirping in the thick
darkness outside Within, the lamps
burn steadily, raising the temperature,
and the machinery plods on with pa
tient rumble.
An apparatus in progress, of i'm
mense importance "a device for
resolving sound into its constitu-
ent elements, as light is analyzed
by a prism-is brought out. A gen.
tleman of new York has already
found a pathological use for the phono-
graph in proposing to preserve with it
Indian dialects, like those of the Sene-
cas- and Tuscaroras, which are ready
to disappear with this generation. But
this sOund-prism, to call it so, if it can
be perfected, opens a way for philOlogy
to reduce to a few simple formulas
speech of every variety, and would
render a scheme of universal language
by no means chimerical. We sit down
and watch the action of a carbon
thermo-pile thermometer, called the
tasimeter, which detects one-twenty-
four-thOusandth of a degree of Fab
renheit, and is capable of yet greater
delicacY. The sensitiveness of the car
We go to where the preparation of
these carbon buttons is in progress
The material is taken from lalnp-chim-
neys in which the wicks are trained to
smoke as much as possible, and is aft
erward solidified by powerful pres
sure. The inventor, bending sOlici-
tously among a dozen lurid lamps,
ranged upon a brick fireplace over
hung by a canopy, with the dark
wreaths twisting about his head, has
for the moment awizard-like air. Ore
might imagine him engaged in conjura-
tions, summoning occult powers to
his aid. But for the most part his air
IS as far from wizard-like as possible.
AS the night goes on, his hair is more
than ever tumbled over his eyes, and
his appearance more nonchalant. It is
much after midnight now. The ma
chinery below has ceased to rumble.
and the tired hands have gone to their
homes. A hasty lunch has been sent
up We are at the spectroseOpe Sud-
denly telegraph instrument begins %
click. The inventor strikes a grOtesque
attitude, a herring in one hand and
biscuit in the other, and, with avOice a
little muffied with mouthful of both,
translates aloud slowly the sounds in
telligible to him alone: London,
May -. News of death of Lord
John Russell premature. John
Blanchard whose-failure was
yesterday = suicided
= no, that was a bad one, Sacceeded]
In adjusting-his affairs and-will-
cOntinue-in business.
A late moon has risen, and we pass
out upon the balloon to which a tele-
scope is fixed, and gaze-mOst inspir-
ing exercise of all at its white ver-
miculated surface and the full starry
heavens. It is after two in the morn
ing. The others show fatigue, but the
hest is more animated than ever. 1t is
at this time, in u feverish exaltatiOn
arising from the long night vigils, that
some of his best inspirations come to
him.