Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-26

| operators guyed him loud enough for him
| to hear them. He did not care, though,
| Several hours later New York seudfEss
noted for his swiftness, called at The
| office, and there was no one to take him.
90 Well, let that new fellow try him,
| anyway, said the superintendent.
Young Edison sat down, and for four
hours and half wrote out messages in a,
clear, round hand. stuck a date and
| number on them, and threw them on the
| floor for the office boy to pick up. The
| time he took in numbering and dating
were the only moments he was not writ
ing out transmitted words. Faster and
faster licked the instrument, and faster
and faster Edison's fingers, till the
rapidity with which the messages came
tumbling out on the floor attracted the
attention of other operators, who, when
their work was done, gathered around to
witness the spectacle. At the close of
four hours and half, and the New
York business, there flashed from New
York the salutation:
80 'HellO!'
1" Hello yourself, licked back Edi-
son.
90 Who the hell are your ratified into
the office with big H.
90 tom Edison was licked back.
60 Shake, Tom Edison, came over
the wires.
% with all my heart > was the reply.
1" You are the first man in the cOun-
try, said the instrument, that could
ever take me at my fastest, and the only
one who could ever sit at the other end of
my wire for more than two hours and Il
half. Pm proud to know you
''Mr. Edison had been experimenting
and studying and improving telegraphy
ever since he was nineteen years old. He
patented some of his inventions. He left
the Boston Office to try and sell his multi
pick system to the Western Union. He
was a careless looking young fellow when
he walked into the Office one day in New
York and asked them if they wanted to
buy patent.
60 What is it?' they asked.
90 Why, q means of sending two mes
sages over the same wire in different di-
rections ut the same time, said the young
inventor.
"'The Western Union officials lay back
in their chairs and shouted in merriment.
% Don t bother us with such nonsense
as that, said one at last.
"Mr. Edison tried to sell it to one of
the rival companies that existed ut the
time. They also laughed to scorn ting
idea of doing such feat.
80 Well, remarked the inventor, as
he turned carelesSly away, 'if you ever
get anything the matter with your plant
that you can t straighten out yourselve$
send round for me-.
''He took a little Office and announced
himself an electrical and Geographic eX-
pert. Some time afterward the company
had trouble with its Albany wire. The
wire WASH t broken, but wouldn t work,
and several days of investigation on the
part of the company's electricians only
served to puzzle them the more. As Il
forlorn hope they sent for young Edison.
"'How long will you give me?" he
asked
1.-the manager laughed. -
60 six hOurs?'' asked Edison. -
"The manager laughed louder and told
him he ID need longer time than that.
Edison sat down at the instrument,
established communication with Albany
by way of Pittsburg, told the Albany
office to put their best man at the inStru-
ment, and began careful and rapid
series of tests with all currents of all in
tensities He had his Pittsburg circuit
instrument by his side and directed the
Albany operator in each movement from
HIS CuI 1uc SItJS were SlllulldlIc-
Gus and the Albany man telegraphed
the results of each test. Edison COM
pared them, made calculations, and in
two hours and half told the officials that
the trouble existed at certain place he
named on the line, and told them what it
was. The officials telegraphed the office
nearest this point, and an hour later
messages were tripping gayly between
New York and Albany. The company
made him their superintendent immedi-
ately. Now he was in position to
command respect and attention. He
induced the companies to test his
patents, and sold them rapidly. He
much improved his multiplex system,
and sold that TO the Western Union at
ten times what he would have taken for
it when they laughed at his first PROPOSE
ton. He simply informs the Western
Union now when he has invented some
thing new in telegraphy. Does it work?
1t works. How much? Hundred thou
sand. CHECK. That S the way he sells
all his inventions nowadays.
The public doesn t know it, but there
are i'll the safes of the Western Union
5ka1ble the effi&9fcy of the telegraph in
tA interests9spublic convenience. They
4 not ussEoecagse it costs money to put
tiM. sgysSspel tES$WesterrbsFnion to do
lie b&b8f kReSs how 4osSS
F R gas