Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-01
EDISON,S LATEST IDEA.
An InstrumeDt for Utilizing EARN
Currents In Place OF feie-
graph-W Wires.

Currents In Place Of reie-
graph-Wiies.
A Newark special says: When
Thomas Edison, the whilom " wizard "
Of Menlo Park, brought his
bride to his $4,000 residence, on the
Orange Mountain, about two months
ago. he also determined to bring his
workshop within easy access from his
residence. Carrying out his purpose,
the great electrician has been busy for
a period Of six weeks in putting up a
workshop in East Newark, and there
he was found this morning, breezy,
blue-eyed, little stouter than he was
two years ago, and trihe more settled.
II am a workingman now" he said,
smiliDgly. ~ bring my lunch with
me in the morning, for | cannot afford
to spare the time to 60 home to dinner.
OF course you know that have become
a Jerseyman once more. have given
up my laboratory in New York, and
everything is now at the factory here in
East Newark"
"Isit permanent arrangement"
"No; l will build new laboratory
for myself next summer at Llewellyn
Park (the place Of his RESIDENCE. |
have planned that it shall be down in
one corner Of my garden"
"Will it be an extensive one? D."
ooh, yes" it will be a good deal
bigger than my house," answered Mr..
Edison. 81 expect to have within 1t
physical aud chemical laboratories, a
blacksmith-shop, and other depart
ments. l am going to have it little
more complete than any other in the
country, if possible. | like Jersey.
Almost all the success | ever had was
at Menlo Park"
AT what are you working now?"
clam simply trying to cheaper the
electric lamps and the carbons. have
had men almost all over the United
States and South America looking for a
vegetable or mineral substance from
which carbon points might be made.
Professor Hedden, of Newark, mine
ralogist, in travelling through the south
ern States failed to find what | wanted,
but he discovered the Heddenite and
a fortune in North Carolina"
"Have you done nothing recently
with electricity"
"You newspaper people," said Mr..
Edison, laughing, think that always
must have just completed some Won
derful invention, which ought to tell
you about. Why don't you devour
each others fiction: An American
correspondent wrote to Berlin paper
recently a tremendous story about my
having invented a wonderful shirt oil
gelatine, made transparent by electrical
treatment. This shirt was supposed
to be built in layers Of almost incon'
ceivable thinness. Each layer was white
and adhesive and could be taken of
when soiled, and, as there were just 800
layers, and it was calculated that each
sheet would last day, gelatine gar.
ment would last a year. Well, this
marvellous tale went the rounds Of the
! European press and at last it was re-
printed in Brazil. The gullibility o
the South American may be appreciated
when it is known that soon after the
shirt story met their eyes the Brazilian:
began to send me drafts and checks. for
shirts. One idiotic diamond.dealer, y
added Mr.. Edison, mirthfully, "sen
me draft for fl00 on the Bank OF
England. lie wrote that he hadn't
known how much the shirts were, bu
he did not think they ought to cost ovel
hundred pounds apiece.
Seriously" said he, drawing out ;
sheet of paper and pencil, "there il
but one idea l am thinking Of that
care to talk about. AS soon as / car
find time to 60 to Florida am going t.
make some experiments with earth cur.
rents. cannot do it here becaus,
there is too much mineral in the soil
In Florida it is all sand. There ar,
currents of electricity passing all TIL
time through the earth their directions
however, are unknown. l propose t.
arrange eight currents, radiatinl
in as many directions from a cen
trail point. l will place a man a
each circuit to test the power of tn,
currents. 1t is we'll known that IL al
earth current crosses wire at RICH,
angles there is but little il any appre
ciable effect made upon it. The great
est power is felt where the wire and cur
rents run in parallel directions. II
Boston have run swire six hours will
the aurora borealis without q battery
II l had had rod at that time runnin,
from New York to Boston I would
have had electric power enough on it Il
run al the machinery in Boston,"
"After you understand the EARTH
currents, what them"
swell, . knowledge Of them may
revolutionize telegraphy. II may revo
lutionize the Meteorological Bureau sys
tenn, and make 1t possible to forecast til,
weather exactly. l have an idea that i
may do something still greater, but
do not care to talk about it ct present
Tslegraphic wires, sooner or later, viii
bea thing Of the past, / believe. The
are expensive and cumbersome, and VIII
use them II you can make an instrument
that will be sensitive to the nstura
| A.