Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-30
A TAX About Edison.

Louisville Courier-JoirnAL
$50 you want TO know something
fresh about Thomas A Edison" said
Mr.. w. p. Hix to a Cjurier-J ournal
r. porter, at the Calf house last nightj
"weil, cir, I'll do the beat l a for
you"
Mr.. Hix IL q friend and business
associate Of the great inventor, and
was at Menlo park only q few days
ago.
"That man is the most tireless
weeker In America" he commenced;
''he never takes an hours recreation.
When I saw him at bis workshop last
week he was too busy to talk"
"What Is he doing at PRESENT.
asked the reporter.
"He Ia working at his electric en-
CINE. You know he has q track at
Menlo park, and every few days he
invites q party over from New York
and gives them a ride. He Is conf.
dent that the invention will, when
perfected, revolutionize present
methods OF travel, and he frequently
says that within twenty years electric.
ity will DO the most generally em.
pioyed motor power. There Is one
popularity about Edison When he
ma Go q great discovery, he doesn't
herald II to the world In It's crude
state, but Immediately goes to work to
perfect It to the smallest de.
tail, and 1t is only when he
IL perfectly satisfied that he can
make no further Improvement that he
makes In public. That wes the cause
OF his long delay In bringing out his
light. He worked for three years in.
venting such minor appliances as
switches, safety links, different forms
Of chandeliers, or, as he calls them,
electroliers, and brackets, before he
announced that he was ready to intro
duce the light. Why, In q case in his
workshop I saw $50 different kinds Of
screws that were made for an appar-
emily simple appliance before he found
one to suit"
"What kind OF a man is he, per-
sonallyr
"Well, no looks like a boy, but Is a
very intelligent talker, especially on
subjects that interest him. But he 10
80 wrapped up In his work that 1t Ia
difficult to get him started. He 10
continually thinking over some I'm.
provement to his Inventions, and IL an
idea enters his head that seems practi-
cable he drops everything and rushes
off to the factory to carry 1t out. I
remember once, about u year ago, q
number of capitalists gave him
a dinner at Delmonico's. They
had been seated around the
table for an hour, talking and
drinking wine, and wore just at the
height of their frolic, when Edison,
who had been silent for several min.
utes. suddenly jumped up from his
chair, and without saying q word, dis.
appeared. He went straight to his
Workshop and worked all night, and
the next morning had perfected his
switch, by which all the lights on any
one floor of q building can be turned
off without disturbing those on the
other floors. Another time he invited
his wife, who, by the way, Is a very
attractive lady, to go the matinee with
him. When they entered the carriage,
he ordered the driver to 20 by the
fa%otory--then on Wooster street, Al
he wanted to rtop there a moment.
The dryer obeyed, and he left the
carriage. Mrs. Edison waited for
him al hour and then drove home,
and never cav him again until next
day. He just went to work at some
thing and forgot all about her. When
he established the first central station
In New York he never left the office
day or night for elk weeks, so anxious
wal he that everything should be ar
ranged exactly right. He got his
rest by throwing himself ON q lounge
until something required his atten.
tion."
HAS MI. Edison given up all Idea
Of aver putting the photograph to
practical une2"
ooh, no. He said to me the other
day that he simply considered his
other Inventions of so much greater
Importance that he wouldn't touch the
phonograph until he had perfected
them. When he gets . vacation he
says he will take hold of It,"
rs the inventor prospecting In q
financial way7"
eyes, he's making piles Of money.
You oan safely call him, now, q
wealthy man."
"Why Is 1t 20 little has been said Of
him lately In the pspers2"
"Prinoipally because he has adopted
. policy of silence. During the frat
years Of his work he suffered great an.
noyanoe from ipjudicious, because
premature, revelations OF his inven.
tons, and to remedy this he has re-
GENTLY been very reticent to seekers
after Information. You have probably
noticed, however, that since the intro.
duotion Of his light In lower New York
city about . year ago, and its success
that the papers of that city have
stopped poking fun at him."
"Does he utill meet with opposition
from the theoretical soientists2"
"No; most of them have come over
to his side. He always took the
greatest delight In downing these fel.
lows by proving the absurdity of theiI
theories. He hasn't much respect for
theoretical scientists, and often sayl
that he has plenty of young men q
Menlo park who, having never studied
theories, know more about the practi'
cal application of electricity than oil
the professional scientists In Amer
ica."
81 see 1t stated that Columbia Col
lege has asked his assistance In estab
fishing q chair Of electrical science ir
that institution. Will he CONSENT
"Yes; he likes the idea, and will dc
all In his power to further II. On,