The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-04

| famous Edison from the passengers who were
aboard OF il the chances are that the last man
who would have been thus selected would have
/ been Edison himself. He wore old linen
| duster, aud the day being warm perspiration
/ had left the marks OF his suspenders on it's
back. rather rusty straw hat was on his
head, and ne seemed more like farmer on his
way home from trip to the city than like a
scientist who had read deeper into the mysteries
| OF electricity than any man Of his time
! The train was crowded and the only place that
| Edison could md was one OF those cross seats
| which are placed at the ends of railway cars
| He and Prof. Barker squeezed into 1t, aud d.
son told funny stories in a manner of which he
Is the master, so that It seemed to the pRssen-
| gers that these two men were having a most
| jolly time and were as free from care and earn
! est thought IS children at their play.
| On the following day, Sunday. the only time
| when It was convenient TO display the workings
/ OF this new machine, Edison, Prof. Barker Mr.
Wallace and one or two others went to the shop
The great piece OF machinery was started up.
| The wheel whirled in rapid revolutions and the
/ COMPANY hooked with the delight Of experts
| upon 1t Tor while, but at last some Of them
saw another sight which was far more interest
] ing 70 them. They perceived Edison under the
compete domination OF his genius, no longer a
| tun-lovng, farmer like man, but Seemingly
| something more than human, so wholly was he
| ABSORBED IN this machine, so intently did he
Natch II, so possessed was he by al idea which
the machine had suggested 70 him.
FOR nouns ne watched il, forgetting that auY
one was there. He seemed another man, The
fire of genius was revealed in his glance. and
MS Countenance was scarcely ike the counte-
nance OF Edison as his jov Al friends knew MIN.
put IN some measure revealed the genius that
WAS in him.
AS 1t grew dusk and the machinery was shut
DOWN Edison turned with solemn face to his
friends and said: ~ be ieve that have got the
right idea for dividing The electric current 80 as
70 secure the perfect electric light" IN that
homeiy way he suggested the story that the
great machine had been telling to him all that
afternoon. It was no longer a holiday excur-
A secret nj mai n. hq han laI ~
MIN as ne Thought, and he returned to his home
Ike one who was living in another world, so
ABSORBED was he by those things that were in
Edison said as he parted with his friends that
he should give the next three years of his life to
perfecung tee electric light and he said what
was proved to be the truth. He put nearly
every other matter that he had on hand aside
ana plunged with that enthusiasm and energy
winch Is characteristic Of his genius into his new
neiI. he saw the chance Of furnishing cleo
ulcity Tor hight as easily ga had been en-
ployed heretofore for that purpose, and it did
not take him very long to prove by experiment
that ms theory was correct. Only one obstacle
stood IN his way. He could not find tn perfect
material which would both carry the current
from the wire and permit it to become lila mat
ing. he made experiments costing Thousands
OF dollars. He transacted the works of the
CHEMISTS and the fields Of nature He sent
agents here and there throughout the world
and he at last discovered that a bit of card
ooard charred so that nothing hut the carbon
SACuS SubobahCo EoHldlueu WOnlQ 40 the work,
He discovered, too, that the fiber of a certain
bamboo plant having ductile strength furnished
the hest carbon material. And he sent daring
explorers up the Amazon, into Africa and the
Indies, with the instructions to search for fields
where this bamboo grew. so that the supply
| might always be sufficient. Thus he made
what is called the carbon point, which is the
| little black fiber seen within the incandescent
globe, and thus we have the perfect electric
| light
1t would take many columns to tell all the ex-
| periments which Edison understandings so
| exhaustive that he went without sleep as many
| as sixty consecutive hours
Perhaps Edison mizht have turned to this
| branch of electric development had he not paid
that visit to Ansonia, but it was the accident of
what he thought was merely to be q holiday
trip that did give him the hint, the results OF
which are seen ia every city in the land
or course 1t may be asked what was it that
Edison saw in this great wheel? He alone
| knows. He has never revealed to any one the
visions which were there revealed to him. The
| only comment that he made was the single eX
| clamation to Prof. Barker. II believe that
have got the right idea TOR dividing the electric
current so as TO secure the perfect electric
| light