Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-10
EDISON At THE KEY.
A WONDERFUL RECEIVER, BUT AN IN
DIFFERENT SENDER.
How the Inventor Appeared to Group
of Operators Twenty Years Ago
His Generosity.

A score of years ago a group of young
men. some of whom have been factors in
shaping various events of the world since
were lounging in the operating room o
the largest telegraph office in New Eng
land, awaiting the time, near at hand, fol
the appearance of the night relief, which
would carry on the duties of the office
until the morning. The day messages had
almost ceased to come, and the lull in the
business, common to all stations just before
the filing of half-rate kilograms and press
matter, had given respite to the force
and they were relating anecdotes and ex'
changing the gossip of the day. Thi;
evening the talk ran mainly on the where
abouts of an operator, who was on his way
from a Michigan city, and from whom
nothing had been heard since the single
message announcing his departure. The
weather had been bitter cold, huge snow.
storm had interviewed, still the delay was
getting very unreasonable, and conjectures
as to where he was were multiplying.
At length the heavy street door swung
back and with quick stride the young
man IN question walked into the room
His appearance was worthy of comment
A square jawed young man with tall hat,
which had apparently been slept on,
pushed back from high forehead, head
set forward, with good. sized features, a
middle-sized form, dressed in short frocE,
| IL. ba har- 4.
rumpled collar, minus necktie, trousers ill
fitting and well-worn, and pair of ugly,
coarse, high-topped boots. The whole ap-
pearance of the man was nothing short OF
a caricature. Those who saw him, carried
for years afterward the picture impressed
upon their minds, although after the first
words had dropped from his lips his ap-
pearance was temporarily forgotten. the
impression instantly prevailing that here
was man greatly unlike themselves.
The man, who was Thomas A. Edison,
confidently approached the group, spoke to
a friend, and without introduction of any
sort was familiar with all.
| Where had he been? Why, he had con-
| cluded to take a route that would carry
him as near to the North Pole as he could
90, and became showed in, and, with his
usual improvidence, he had parted with
his last penny midway in the trip, and had
simply had time of it.
Now he was ready for work. The hard
est wire in the Office was assigned him,
and, tired as he was, he sat down amid the
admiring glances of his newly found
friends, and hour after hour turned off
copy, unique in its way, but showing his
great skill as an operator in those days.
Edison was a peculiar operator. His
copy was solid print. Every letter was
separate, and did not incline at any angle.
His great speed in writing must have been
the result of long practice, for it had every
element of slowness IN it. His memory
was wonderful. In long, difficult code
messages he was often behind the trans
mitting operator ten or more words, feat
considered very difficult, if not unpar-
alleled, in those days. Hour after hour he
would go along this way, never opening
the key, sometimes causing the distant
operator to wonder whether the wire was
all right, and to ask the question, "Are you
thefeY
There he was and again onward would
the messages go to Edison, no sign coming
from him that he was weary or doubtful
about any word. He was the acme of a
receiver.
As a sender he was poor He never
could master the art of smoothly manipu-
lating key. The operator at the other
end, in spirit of humor, would often sug-
gest to him that if he would occasionally
send with the "other foot" great i'm
provement would be made.
His spirit of invention was strong, even
in those days. One of his contrivance:
proved boomerang for himself, and was
far-reaching in some rather disastrous re-
suits
In the Boston office was "trick" which
to him was especially desirable. Ia those
DAYS all the messages between America
and Europe passed over a single wire be-
tween New York and st. Johns, n. f.
with relay station at Plaster Cove
This long stretch of circuit was very hare
to maintain, and the discipline was rigor
Gus. In Boston the operator in charge
was ordered to give his individual atten
tion to it while on duty.
There were three reliefs, one Of which
was from l o'clock to in the morning
during which time the traffic from London
quite heavy. Edison, in his thirst fol
knowledge, had found rich mine in the
Boston Public Library. 1t was full O
rare scientific books, and as he could reac
German, French, Spanish and Italian, ht
had come to spend all his time in pouring
over the volumes obtainable in that insti
tuition. He sought and obtained the
morning hours on the wire in question
but after little he found that sitting anC
looking at that wire seven hours per day
was irksome, and he believed unnecessary
How to make it do its own watching wa
the problem. Before 5 A. NJ. the wire wa
idle as a rule, but the discipline was 81
strict that each station had to send in ;
signal every half hour, indicating tina
everything was all right.
Edison ingeniously rigged up clock.
work which would automatically throw il
his signal at the end of each half hour
and it worked like a charm. He then go
himself rude bed, and his coming oil
duty was more of preparation for goin!
to sleep than anything else. For man,
weeks this plan was success, and Edisol
was master of the situation, but un
fortunately one night the wire itself gave
out, and the whole scheme fell fiat. Ever.
one in the office save Edison had gon
home. In order to restore the circuit {
wire between Portland and Boston had tt
be inserted and the clock was not adapted
to that sort of work.
Frantic calls for Boston were made
Gables piled up in congested mass. arbi
TRACE brokers in three capitals were wild
and the whole financial world stood still
while our wizard snored rythmically, ant
perhaps dreamed of the time that thos
three capitals, and all the world beside
would heap honor after honor upon him
and his fame would be sounded through
every land.
For this Edison was ANONYMOUSLY dis
charged, and his days at the key fairl,
ended. He went out into the world dis
couraged, but it was the best thing tina
ever happened to him, for his scattering
thoughts took shape, and marvellous prac
tical inventions came 10 the surface.
Edison cared little for money, and wa
generous to fault His salary in thos
days was 800 per month, but rarely wa
any money in his possession. A poor op
perator came along one day. out of none,
and out of work, and Edison took hin
: home.
. Shortly after another came along, ant