St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-20
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thousand feet from the laboratory, and
q carriage comes regularly to convey
him to lunch and dinner, there are days
ut time when it waits in vain at the
door. During the past month Edison
repeatedly remained two consecutive
days and nights in his workshop, never
sleeping and scarcely stopping his in
vestigations long enough to eat sand
witch or drink cup of coffee. He loves
his work and will not break off in the
midst. Once started on a problem he
will spend week in its solution.
There is not an assistant in all the
magnificent laboratory that is not an
expert in his own particular line. Ed
iSon'S chemists, asSayists, mathema-
ticianS and electricians are men whose
whole lives have been devoted to their
work. The fact that seventy-five i'm
portant experiments are conducted at
time shows the character and high
quality of the work constantly in Oper-
alton. Edison is familiar with the
progress of each of these experiments.
He never forgets them. Some of them
may lie dormant for months waiting for
some connecting clue, but the master
mind of the establishment never loses
sight of them. Experiments never
graph. The work goes on, although the
telephone has been practically in per-
feet condition for years, and there are
monographs in process of manufacture
Tor the market.
The laboratory is stocked with me-
chanical and electrical wonders. The
place is like a museum of invention.
Ponderous machines are perpetually
grinding and drilling upon castings of
N ono &c a,.t nf
dynamo that is being made on an en-
tirely new principle. 1t will soon be
finished and will then be tested in the
Edison factory at Schenectady, n. Y.
There are three boilers of 100 horse
power each, invented by two young
Rhode Islanders. These furnish all the
power for the engines, which in turn
are connected with all parts of the i'm
menSe laboratory by means of wires.
Edison's pet invention. He is forever
improving it and making some new dis
eovery OF its power and possibilities.
There have been great changes in its
construction The cylindrical-shaped
barrel of old has been supplanted by an
Oblong, highly polished box. The funnel
that was at first used to send out the
words of the marvellous instrument is
replaced by receivers similar to those
connected with the telephone. There is
no roar to the machine as there was at
first. To hear what the photograph is
saying you now place the receiver to
the ear, just as you do when talking
through the telephone. A small, round
object is shown the visitor while inspect
Ing the photograph. 1t is EdisOn's
latest electrical fad so to speak. 1t
is 2 small phonograph to be placed in
side of doll. The machine is placed
in fin noca and tha naSp iS mt in side
of the doll. By turning a small crank,
the doll will say, mamma, love you'll"
or anything else that the inventor
chooses to speak into it when it is made.
Not only will the toy be very profitable,
but it Will add another laurel to the
brow of the ingenious inventor.
Near the main laboratory building
stands curious structure. 1t is made
entirely of copper. Even the nails are
of copper. There is not a particle of
iron about it. In this building are the
most delicate electrical instruments in
the world. The very finest measure
mentS are also made in this structure.
A handsome telescope and beautiful
spectroscope are shortly to be added.
New York, May 12.-To-night In
ventor Edison exhibited his photograph
talking machine-tO the Electric club
in its handsome quarters on East
Twenty-second street. Great lawy ers,
literary men of fame, dramatiStS, doc
tors and not few milliOnaireS were in
attendance. In various parts of the club
house were placed the newest forms of
monographs, which were now for the
first time seen outside of Edison's
laboratory. All had heard, of course,
about this extraordinary instrument,
for it is now just ten years since Edison
startled the world by announcing the
invention of his talking machine"
which seemed less machine than an
organism. In place of the cumber-
some affair with its loud metallic
tone, was neat little instrument
smaller than typewriter, but suggest
ing curiouSly compromise between
that familiar machine and the tele-
graphic instrument to be seen in any
railroad station. Partly covering this
is little arrangement of polished brass
resembling somewhat pair of eye
glasses with broad flat frames. In place
of the glasses, however, are two dia-
phragms, one of which is termed the
recorder-fOr 1t is used to record the
speech-and the other the reproducer,
for with it the talking back' is accom-
plished. To the left of the cylinder is
small square box containing the small
electric motor, which is one of the chief
improvements lately added by Mr.. Edi-
son.
Of the ten instruments exhibited this
evening, nine were, for convenience
sake, limited to reproducing. CONVEX
sations, passages of piano music, solos
on a cornet and recitation by we'll
known humorist had been recorded on
various cylinders, and over and over
again the little instrument ground them
out to the wOnderment of the listeners.
Theremaining photograph was arranged
for recording as well as reproducing,
and the visitors amused themselves by
talking into it and then hearing their
own words ground out again. On every
side there were EXPLANATIONS of amaze
ment and prophecies as to the various
practical directions in which the inven-
ton will be used. That it will be use
full for educational purposes and of
practical advantage to business men
was the general verdict of the distin-
guished assemblage who gaZed in won
derment on the latest piece of brainwork
of the wizard of Menlo Park.