The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-11-13
Mr.. EDISON'S WORKSHOP.
ms FAMOUS LABORATORY At
LLEWELLTY PARK, NEWJERsEY.
Modern Wonder working-How the Funny
Photograph 10 Made-Whers fncan-
descent Lights Are Equipped.

high, crow dcd with machinery and flank
ed by other brick buildings. also crowded
with machinery, the whole covering eigh
or ten acres OF land and surrounded
by an impossible fence-if such an es
adjustment can be called laboratory
then doubtless Thomas A. Edlson's
workshop on the edge OF Llewellyn Park
In Orange. N. j.. is the most extensive
laboratory in the world. says the New
York Times correspondent.
The Edison laboratory is easily reached
by rail, being within sight Of the Lew
ellyn station in orange, and the Lew
ellyn station is a charming little rural
spot, far from the madding crowd,
with no human being in sight except at
train times. But the door stands accom-
nodaunely open, and when the station
agent, who lives ecross the street, sees
n stranger on the premises, he crosses
over and offers to sell him n ticket. 1t
is easy TO reach the gate of the labora-
tory, but not so easy 10 gain the inside
| The gate is kept closed and locked, and
! the people who are constantly applying
for admission are told, always in the
! politest way and with the deepest regret
on the Fart of the gate-keeper that they
| can not be admitted without a pass from
| Mr. Edison or one OF his superintendent.
! AS these gentlemen are either busy in
! side or absent they are not within reach,
and q pass is hard TO obtain. Even
when provided with pass the usual vsi-
tor sees little Of the establishment be-
yond the dynamos. the monographs and
the stock ROOM for experiments are con-
stantly in progress I'm the many private
rooms, and visitors there would certainly
be troublesome and might be dangerous
Tley took me first to the top story.
where the Photographs are kept, and
whore six or more Of them are constantly
ready for use.
Some things they told me about the
photograph that were hard TO under
stand, and would be still harder to ex-
plain in type. One was the possibility of
catching n sound that is inaudible. IL /
may express it so. and toning the phOnO-
graph up until the ear could appreciate
1t. The wax cylinders they seemed to
hold cheap. for my guide broke several
20 show me their composition. For
ever" was the startling answer when !
asked how long the cylinders would last
This, however, must be taken condition
ally. Although the first impressions made
upon them do not wear out for years,
and although an infnitesimal shaving
may then be taken from the surface and
the cylinders made ready for second use.
still they may melt. They are made
largely Of hardened wax. and tempera-
ture Of 80 or s. degrees Fahrenheit is
likely TO soften and ruin them. For this
reason some doubts were expressed about !
the success Of Professor Gamers efforts |
TO bring some monkey conversations back |
from Africa on photograph cylinders. |
Professor Garner has taken several pho |
nOgraphs with him 10 Africa, but 1t is |
more than likely that the equatorial heat |
there Will ruin his cylinder.
One Of the talking dolls that are com
mon enough now in the toy shops was
produced But this was no ordinary talk
ing doll It's clothing was somewhat dis
arranged and its head looked as though |
an autopsy had been performed upon II.
The cylinder was so arranged that IL
could be turned backward and the doll
made 10 repeat sentences. beginning at
the end and producing every sound fin re-
versed order. The effect was very much
as though some foreign language was
being spoken
From the phonograph-room they took
me down to the department where incan-
descent lamps are made The glass is
blown on the premises, and we saw the
glass; blowers at work, leaving one part
Of the bulb open for the insertion OF the
carbon and the extraction Of the air
In one room they showed me a consign-
ment Of bamboOs from the tropics. to
be used in making the incandesccnt car
bons. In one Of the broad corridors they
took me under many long rows Of electric
lamps suspended from the ceiling, nearly
all burning. There were hundreds Of the
lamps. making the hall as light as day,
and warming it percepubly. These are
all experimental LAMPS, and the trial OF
them they call the survival Of the fit
-est."/ Mr.. Edison is anxious to find some
more durable material for the carbons
han bamboo. and nearly everything that
s suggested is tried. The current is kept
on, and those l>mpS that burn
)ut quickly are taken OFT and the mate
'ial is rejected. Nothing so far has been
'Ound that answers better than bamboo
hough some of the carbons last a long
line
The room in which the air is extracted
rom the glass bulbs is full Of interest I
mi also full Of machinery, for the ma |
hine that does the work occupies almost /
he entire space. leaving only a narrow {
,assageway around the walls. on front .
nd back it is studded with long glass =
ubes like the water-gauge Of a steam \
'oiler but larger and longer. Through
hese tubes a constant stream OF spark a
Ing water seems to be flowing; but what {
GEMS 20 be water is mercury. The I'M !
called bulb Is fitted 10 a part OF the ma !
hine and the current of mercury be- =
onging to one tube flows through IL and y
radually extracts the air, or rather Y
Orces ii ont. At first the mercury run <
ing through the tube is full OF air bub- 5
les, but they gradually diminish and at i
he end of twenty or thirty minutes the l
Mercury runs smooth again. Then the >
If is all out and the bulb is sealed This y
uge machine can operate uDOn about g.
fly bulbs at a time, and il consequently p
as a capacity of one hundred lamps j.
n hour. i
From this place they took me into what y
called the stOck-roOm. which Is quite as "
rye as two ordinary houses. II is lined =
nd filed with thousands of driers. n
lelves. cabinets and closets, containing
very chemical that could by the most re- Al
tote possibility be useful in experiment. u
lg. The stock-room is the pride of the n
establishment. for 1t is believed 10 con- =,
lin the greatest assortment OF chemicals q,
nd electrical requisites in the world. III
alf OF the things will never be used &C
ut they are ready If they should be II
eeded. Mr.. Edison has q habit OF going vi
to the laboratory at night and turning NJ
I the lights to begin the working out OF ~
me new idea. -
LOVERS OF CATS re
'me or the Famous Psopl' Who Have -
I.sfI III