The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-11-08

are so delicate that solid walls thirty feet
deep have been built under the slate slabs
supporting them. They rest on solid ma
sonry and are so arranged that nothing
near them can affect their motion either in
sympathy or by vibration. In one room |
found hundreds of these little globes with
wires of lights inside of them all blazing
away though il was the middle Of the after
noon. These Lamps said Mr.. Mcclure,
ARE all made differently and we are testing
them. Everyone of them has its biography.
1t is closely watched from hour to hour,
and the brilliancy and the time it will burn
without breaking or wearing out is care
fully noted. Through this in time we hope
to get the perfect lamp and the perfect car
bon which will burn forever. In another
room lamps were being exhausted and filled.
In another the glass was being blown and
in q third [ found a chemical laboratory de-
voted to the aSsaying and reduction OF met
ais 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, and as soon as he
completes his experiments in iron he is 60
ing to devote himself to the more precious
metals OF silver and gold. Other rooms
were devoted to heavy machinery and there
is hardly any kind of a machine from a
steam engine to pin that could not be
made in this laboratory. 1t is Edlson's pet
The inventor is worth millions but he pre-
fers this to steam yachts, coaching excur-
sions, polo and the amusements of other
millionaires and his greatest delight is in
his work. During our talk asked him how
he felt when he discovered new principle
or something importantin invention and he
told me it made him happy all over and that
he grasped at it like the botanlst does at a
new flower or the bugologist at bug
which he discovers and knows is new to
science.
INVENTORS AND PIRATES.
Returning to my interview and the patent
system MIR. Edison went on:
1.-The people suppose have made money
out of my inventions. The truth is have
never made one cent out of my inventions.
All have made has been out of manufac-
turing. My inventions have not been pro-
tected by the patent Office. The companies
with which l am conn cted have spent mil
lions in trying to defend them. | have
spent about 5000, 900 myself and l believe l
would be S600,0 900 better off if 1 had never
taken out patent. What l have made has
been becauseI have understood the inven-
tons better and have been able to manipu-
late the manufacturing of them better than
the pirates. l could not have made any
thing had / not had large capital back of
me and the ordinary inventor has no pro-
lection whatever His certificate of patent
is merely a certificate to the Door house
and hundreds of inventors 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 good thing. He takes out his patent,
thinks he is safe and organizes a plant to
manufacture it. He has TO have special
machinery and he makes special expert
ments and like as not it costs him $500, DOC
before he is ready to begin to manufacture.
The pirate sees he has a good thing. He
decides to compete with him, organizes 8
company with no responsibility whatever,
brides his men and starts in opposition.
He can in most cases now put up for $50, 00C
what has cost the inventor 100000 and be
feels In few years he can make enough tt
retire having gotten the cream of the in
vention. He begins to manufacture. The
| inventor prosecutes him but the court takes
! three years before they will hear the case
! If they decide against him he carries it Il
the supren court which is three years be-
! hind hand and it is from six to twelve year:
| before he can get final decision. BY thi:
time the pirate has made a fortune and the
original inventor is in most cases bankrupt
II the case is decided in his favor the pirate
is found to be irresponsible and there is NJ
chance for the inventor. What the court
should do is to prevent the pirate from
manufacturing until he can prove that b,
has right to manufacture. The origina
inventor, the man who has the papers, tn,
man who has spent his money should b,
given the benefit of the doubt. When thi
is done our inventors will have some pro
lection. Then invention will increase IL
the United States. The country will jumI
a generation in a decade and everything
will hum.n
| GREAT INVENTIONS OF THE FUTURE.
"Do you think Mr.. Edison,n said "tha
the inventions of the next fifty years vii
be equal to those of the last fifty!"
~ see no reason why they should not
replied Mr.. Edison. cit seems to me tina
we are at the beginning of inventions. w
are discovering new principles, new power
and new materials every day and no on
can predict the possibilities of the future
Take electricity. When we get electricit
directly from coal, lump as big as thi
tumbler will light and heat a whole hous
for hours and a basket full would run a fac
tory a whole day. In the generation @
steam we only get fourteen per cent. of tn
energy of the coal. In electricity we ge
ninetY-six per cent When we get our eleC
trical power direct from coal few hundre
pounds will carry you across the Atlantic
and few basket full will take railroa
train from New York to San Francisco.
believe this to be one of the great problem
of the near future and | have no doubt bu
that 1t will be solved. / have been workin
on it for years but l haven't got it YET
When 1t does come it will revolutioniz
everything. 1t will cheaper everythin
and it will be the greatest invention c
modern times. As it is now we have I
burn the coal to get the steam, and tn
steam gives US the power which runs til
dynamo and produces electricity"
xviii we ever have flying mschinesH'
Eyes, l think SOP was the reply, but
} viii not be on any of the plans now pre-
|, posed. | have different idea in regard I
such matters but am not ready to expert
ment with them yet"
"How about the making Of fuel frol
waters"
II don't believe it will ever pay" reptile
Mr.. Edison. ''KYater is the Gshes Of natur
There is nothing more like ashes. 1t toe
an enormous degree of heat to make II
hydrogen and the oxygen combine to mai
water and takes great degree of heat
; revivify them. l don't believe it will ev,
be commercially profitable"
HIS TELEPHONE TO THE SUN.
} The conversation here turned to the tel
) phone and / asked Mr.. Edison as to his tel
) phone to the sun. This telephone exper