Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-18
Two of Edison,s Jokes.

From the Boston Euaget.
81 reckon Thomas A. Edison was one
of the finest men that ever handled the
keys" said a telegraph operator to a re-
porter.
Il knew him when he was one of the
BOYS, and be was no 'ham,' you can bet"
The reporter looked at the speaker in
credUlously, and the latter, perceiying it,
observed:
"Wbat l am telling you is true. Fact
is. Tom, as we used 10 call him. amt old
by any means. AS ] was saving, / knew
him years back. About my first work
was i'm Cincinnati. i'm the same office with
Edison. | was fresh then, and the fellows
laid for me. one night l remember that
I was just through, and about to go home
There had been "A rush that day and |
was mighty tired. Just as | was putting
the few blanks that | had left on my desk
in my drawer some one called me, Hello!
Who is thatP | asked. 'Pittsburg Get
ready to take lot OF press natter was
the reply.
Il guess there We're fifteen instruments
in the room, and every one was busy send
ing or receiving. | could take pretty well
even then, but l swear l never had such a
hot wire before or since. / was a whole
sentence behind copying by the time the
first 100 words were in. | broke 10 catch
up. The sender wanted 10 know what
was the matter, and when ] was ND / told
him had been getting more blanks. He
started Cf harder than before. He wasn't
sending less than fifty words "a minute.
and il seemed to me nearer seventy.
broke again and he began 10 get mad. l
said was putting in new peu. He
swore and fired away. | broke every half
minute. sometimes oftener. BY the time
had received 600 or zoo words we were
Goth fighting mad / swore that he wasn't
sending plain. He maintained that he
was, and finally, after a dozen breaks in
almost as few words, he got furious.
"sIell the operator 10 come there
You'd better try shoemaking' he said.
81 didn't like TO give up. but AT last
turned around and asked for somebody To
relieve me. You never saw q buster
crowd. ] kept on the best ! could. the
Pittsburg fellow Keeping mp am incessant
growl am the time. He wanted me to yet
a messenger, or brakeman ON freight
train. or the ianitor, 20 take my place.
/ had taken 1900 words before he let up
" sign said /.
r. he answered.
"Ihe boys howled. II was Edis0n's
signature. he had switched on "a test
instrument and had sent me "a column
from one of the afternoon papers. he
had nov been twenty feet away from me.
but OF course / did not notice that he was
sending the dispatch. because there were
so many tickers going all around me. II
cost mo good many drinks before heard
the last of It, ard was not quite So fresh
after that.
Il recollect ore election night New
York was sending "a great deal of pres.
matter 90 Chicago. IL was late 40 uight
and The lines We're crowded. All at once
Edison jumped mp put on ground wire
and cut Chicago on ne began taking.
aud every few words Doc would ask New
York 20 repeat. The New York fellows
fayed. suddenly Edison cut New York
ul and called Chicago. he sent whathe
had received as hard as he could go. and
In a minute Chicago was swearing. Then
DIE switched New York aud Chicago TO.
eether the former, hearing Chicago
swearing, let loose himself For two on
three minutes there seemed 20 be- sort az
smell about that wire. They
got 20 working an right, though. pretty
soon, and don't expect they ever found
out The trick that had been played on
tuem."