The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-01-12
EDlsoN's EARLY DAYS.
The Funny Figure He Cut During Hia
First Hours in Boston.
New York Sun.

| uOkl IAAIlAS 0OAA " AAASA~ "
Thomas A. Edison some days agt
to a group seated in the rear room
of one of the most comfortable hos
telries of Orange, "that you hav'
ever heard the story of how thu
Wizard first came East. He was
only young man, careless, gener
Gus, jovial, and totally ignorant O
the value of dollar. He had beer
knocking around in Western towns
in various small telegraph offices
until the reputation of his wonder
full swiftness as an operator got him
into the central office of a Western
city. From there he was ordered
to report to Boston to fill a vacancy
It was warm weather for the season
when he started East, and he don
ned linen trousers and duster.
By the time he reached Boston the
weather had got cold, raw and
stormy. He didn't care, and re-
ported just as he was. Linen trou-
sers and duster, topped bya slouchy,
broad-brimmed hat, weren't the
fashion in Boston in the best OF
weather, and on raw day man
with limp, wet duster on and wet
linen trousers sticking to his legs
was something to provoke smile.
He walked into the Superintend-
ent's room and said:
Here / am"
The Superintendent eyed him
from head to foot and said: "Who
are you?"
tom Edison"
"Who the DEVILS Tom Edison?"
The young operator explained
that he had been ordered to report
for duty. and the Superintendent
told him to sit down in the operat-
ing room. His advent here created
much merriment. and the operators
guyed him loud enough for him to
hear them. He didn't care, though.
Several hours later, a New York
sender noted for his swiftness, called
the office, and there was no one to
take him.
swell, let that new fellow try
him, any way" said the Superin-
tendent.
Young Edison sat down. and for
four hours and a-half wrote out
messages in a clear, round hand,
stuck 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 ticked the instrument,
and faster and faster Edison's fin
gers, till the rapidity with which
the messages came tumbling out
and ON the floor attracted the at
tention of other operators, who,
when their work was done, gathered
around to witness the spectacle. At
the close Of four hours and a-half,
and the New York business, there
flashed from New York the salu-
tation: "Hello?"
Hello yourself" ticked back
Edison.
"Who the He'll are you?" ratified
into the office with a big H.
tom Edison was ticked back.
"Shake, Tom Edison," came over
the wires.
with all my heart" was the
reply.
"You are the first man in the
country" 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 a-half.
Pm proud to know YOU"
Mr.. Edison had been experiment.
ing and studying and improving
telegraphy ever since he was nine
teen years old. He patented some
of his inventions. He left the Bos-
ton Office to try and sell his multi
plex system to the Western Union.
He was careless looking young
fellow when he walked into the Of
fee one day in New York and asked
them if they wanted to buy patent.
what is it?" they asked.
"Why, a means of sending two
messages over the same wire in diff
ferent directions at 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 non-
sense as that said one at last.
Mr.. Edison tried to sell it to one
of the rival companies that existed
at the time. They also laughed to
scorn the idea of doing such feat.
"Well," remarked the inventor,
as he turned carelessly away, if you
ever get anything the matter with
your plant that you cant straighten
out yourselves send round for me"
He took a little office and an
nounced himself an electrical and
telegraphic expert. Some time af-
terward the company had trouble
with its Albany wire. The wire
wasn't broken but wouldn't work,
and several days of investigation