The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-01-15
CROWDING EDISON.
Menlo Park Invaded and so overrun
That the Wizard is Compelled
to Change His Policy.

New York Herald: If ever the
patience of a scientist was tried by
the surging in upon his privacy o
the curious multitude, Mr.. Edison's
patience has certainly been trieC
during the past six days. To salts
fly the curiosity of the earnest in
quirers on science and to practical
ly answer the critics and skeptics
Mr.. Edison ordered the doors o.
his laboratory thrown wide open, sc
that all might see and judge of his
electric light. Anxious on the one
hand to avoid the appearance Of
anything like show or fair, and
on the other hand to give every op.
portunity to those who were hon
estly skeptical as to the practicable
ity of the light, he set no particu-
lar night for public exhibition OF
the same, but directed a week ago
that no person who should come to
Menlo Park to see the electric light
be excluded from the laboratory.
Awaiting themselves of the privil-
eye hundreds of persons came from
all quarters. During the first few
days the crowds were not too large
to interfere with the business of the
inventors assistants, and all went
very well. Every courtesy was
shown and every detail of the new
system of lighting explained. The
crowds, however, kept increasing.
The railroad company ordered ex-
ira trains to be run and carriages
came streaming from near and far.
Surging crowds fled into the labora-
tory, machine shop and private
Office of the scientist, and all work
had to be practically suspended.
Yesterday the people came by hun
dreds on every train. They went
pellmell through the places previ
ously kept sacredly private. No
tees not to touch or handle appa-
ratnses were disregarded. The as
sistants were kept on the jump
from early TIL late guarding the
scores of delicate instruments with
which the laboratory abountls.
Up to nearly midnight the rush
continued and this morning an in
spection revealed, as result of the
visitation, a broken vacuum pump
and the loss of eight electric lamps,
which had been stolen by vulgar
curiosity searchers. Tonight the
rush was still greater, and from
dark until 10 o'clock trains, wagons
and carriages deposited loads upon
loads of visitors in this ordinarily
quiet hamlet. Of course hundreds
of those who came were well bred
people, who meant not to take and
did not take advantage Of Mr.. Edi-
sons good nature, but it is to be re-
GREETED there were others, and they
were numbered by the score, who
cared nothing for science, who re-
garded the laboratory as they would
a circus. By eight o'clock the lab
oratory was so crowded that it was
almost impossible for the assistants
to pass through. The exclamation,
''There is EdIsonr invariably
caused rash that more than once
threatened to break down the tim
bers of the building. The assist
ants, however, stood firm at their
posts, watching keenly for depreda
tors. Messrs. Bachelor and Upton
stood guard over the main wires
leading to the generators, Van Cleef
and Segadore remained at the vacu-
um pumps, and Force and Poiner
watched the dynamic Machines
The various other assistants were
doing duty in other parts of the
Their vigilance was
more than once rewarded by detect
ing persons rudely handling the APP
paratus.