The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-08

globes with wires Of light inside Of them
all blazing away though il was the middle
Of the afternoon. These lamps, SAID
Mr.. Mc6uire, "are all made differently
and we are testing them. Everyone Of
them has its biography. IL Is closely
watched from hour 70 hour, and the hrIl-
Hancy and the time Il Will burn without
breaking or wearing out Is carefully noted
Through this in time We hope 70 get the
perfect lamp and the perfect carbon when
Will burn forever. In another room lamps
were being exhausted and filed. In an
other the glass was being blown and, IN a
third found q chemical laboratory de-
voted TO the assaying and reduction OF
metals and here Mr.. Edison Is working
away on the reduction Of iron, silver and
gold. In our conversation he told me OF
the vast iron fields OF New Jersey, out OF
which the companies with which he IS
connected are now making fortunes ana
as soon as he completes MS experiments
in iron he is going 20 devote himself 20 the
more precious metals of silver and gold.
Other rooms were devoted 70 heavy ma
chinery and there is hardly any kind OF
machine from a steam engine to pin that
could not be made in this laboratory. 1t
Is Edison's pet. The inventor is worth
millions but he prefers this to steam
yachts, coaching excursions, polo, and the
amusements Of other mi.lionaires, and his
greatest delight is in his work. During
our talk I asked him how he felt when he
important in invention and he told me 1t
made him happy all over and that he
grasped at Il ike the botanist does at a
new flower. or the bugologist at bug
which he discovers and knows Is new 10
science.
INVENTORS AND PIRATES.
Returning to my interview and the
patent system, Mr.. Edison went on:
1.-THE people suppose that l have made
ont If inv Tho tr1fh
is have never made / cent out Of my
inventions. All have made has been out
of manufacturing. Ny inventions have
not been protected by the patent Office.
The companies with which am connected
have spent millions in trying TO defend
them. | have spent about 500 600 myself
and believe would be $500 90 better off
If had never taken out a patent. What
/ have made is because have understood
the inventions better and have been able
TO manipulate the manufacturing of them
better than the pirates. | could not have
made anything had / not had large
capital back of me and the ordinary in
ventor has no protection whatever. His
certificate of patent is merely certificate
to the poorhouse, and hundreds Of inyen-
tors are ruined. They spend all they have
in getting out their inventions and they
die poor. Let me tell you how it works.
The inventor has a good thing. He takes
out his patent, thinks he is safe and or
ganizes a plant to manufacture it. He
has to have special machinery. and he
makes special experiments, and like as
not il costs him 800 900 before he is ready !
to begin to manufacture. The pirate sees
he has good thing. He decides 10 COM
pete with him, organizes company with |
no responsibility whatever, brides his men |
and starts in opposition. He can in most |
cases now put up for $50 900 what has cost |
the inventor $4,000 and he feels that |
in few years he can make enough TO re- |
tire, having gotten the cream of the inven- |
ton. He begins to manufacture. The in |
ventor prosecutes him, but the court takes |
three years before they will hear his case. |
If they decide against him he carries it to |
the supreme court which is three years |
behindhand, and IL is from six TO twelve !
years before he can get final decision. |
BY this time the pirate has made a fortune |
and the original inventor is in most cases
bankrupt. III the case is decided in his |
favor the pirate is found to be irrespon-
sible and there is no chance for the in
ventor. What the courts should do is to
prevent the pirate from manufacturing
until he can prove that he has a right to
manufacture. The original inventor, the
man who has the papers, the man who |
has spent his money should be given the
the benefit of the doubt. When this is
done our inventors will have some pro-
lection. Then invention will increase in
the United States. The country will Jump
generation in decade and everything
will hum"
GREAT INVENTIONS OF THE FUTURE.
"Do you think, Mr.. Edison" said I,
"that the inventions of the next fifty years
will be equal to those of the last fftyr"
IL see no reason why they should not"
replied Mr.. Edison. at seems to me that
we are at the beginning of inventions. We
are discovering new principles, new powers
and new materials every day, and no one
can predict the possibilities of the future.
Take electricity. When we get electricity
directly from coal. lump as big as this |
tumbler will light and heat a whole house |
for hours, and basketfui would run n |
factory whole day. In the generation of |
steam We only get II per cent. of the |
energy of the coal. In electricity we get
95 per cent. When We get our cleo !
trlcal power direct from coal a few /
hundred pounds will carry Won across the |
Atlantic and a few basketfuls will take A |
railroad train from New York to San |
Francisc. | believe this to be one Of the |
great problems of the future and have no |
doubt but that il will be solved | have |
been working on il for years, but haven't |
got II yet. When Il does come il VIII |
revolutionize everything. 1t will cheaper |
everything and it will be the greatest in
vention OF modern times. As IL is now we |
have 10 burn the coal 10 get the steam and |
thS steam gives Us the power which runs |
the DYNAMO and produces the electricity |
"Nill We ever have flying machines"
Yes; | think So, D" was the reply; ''but |
1t viii not be OIL any Of the plans now pro-
posed. | have different idea i'm regard |
to such matters. but am not ready to ex- |
pertinent with them vet"
How about the making of fuel from
water2"
~ don't believe 1t will ever paw" re-
piled Mr.. Edison. Water il the ashes II !
nature. These IS nothing more like ashes.
1t took an enormous decree of heat 10 /
make the hydrogen and the oxygen COM
hlne 10 make water. and il takes a great
degree Of heat 70 revlyifv them. I don't
believe II viii ever be commercially prout- /
able"
HIS TELEPHONE TO THE sUS.
The conversation here turned to the
telephone, and | asked Mr. T ilson as 70
his telephone TO the sun. This telephone
experiment il the biggest thing of the
kind in nature. There S in the New Jer-
sey mountains vast mass Of iron mile
long and about the same width which runs
straight down into the earth for a number
OF miles, The telephone" said Mr.. Ed
iscn. sis YOU know. made nv running \
wire around the top Of magnetic bar.
AMI this machine when charged with cleo.
trlcuy enables Us 10 register the sounds
which come in contact with il.
We are using this immense natural bar
a iron OF the New Jersey mountains Is
the basis of our telephone. We have
wound miles Of wire about its TOP and
have formed an inductive circuit in
which va will have the most powerful
81 electric currents. We expect through
II 10 hear the noises made on the sun. and
a