Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-08-25
SECRECY OF EDISON.
HOW 1.-THE WIZARD" GUARDS
AGAINST SHARPERS.


an Unknown COmmodity-IIis
Plans for the Future are known
Only TO Himself.
What has become of Edison? What
has he been doing lately, what is he
doing or what is he about to do?
These are questions which have been
repeatedly asked during the past two
or three years, but never satisfactorily
answered.
Billy Lewis OF Kansas City, an old
and intimate friend OF "The Wharf,"
was in town a few days during the
past week, says the Cincinnati En-
quirer, and enlightened some anxious
inquirers.
Edison is by no means an extin-
guished light" said he. "That brain
of his is as active and fertile as ever.
But lie isn't talking so much about
his plans as was formerly his custom.
He has innumerable 'big things on
hand, and not a few completed; but
the completion of an invention no
longer implies making it known to
the public, according to Edison's new
code. He has had enough of that
For long time it was his custom TO
good naturedly grant interviews, out
lining his plans and ideas. The re-
suit was, in most cases. a hint to imi-
tators and adapters, which enabled
them to compete in the manufacture
OF Edison's inventions as soon as a
model could be obtained. Long and
bitter litigation ensued, which, as q
whole, was disastrous to Edison to the
extent of hundreds of thousands, per-
haps millions OF dollars. The harpies
were prepared for him, and could
manufacture the instruments and ma
chinery almost, if not quite as cheaply
and quickly as he could. He then
found, too, that United States patent
does not protect.
Aside from the cost OF legal pro
ceedings, the sale OF his products was
greatly injured by this underhand ri
valry. In no other country has he
been treated so shabbily as in his ma
tive land. Most foreign governments
stipulated that he manufacture all
parts or his several Inventions I'm their
country before they would grant him
patents, but they protected him when
he did 40. Not so in the United
States. He speaks the truth when he
says that he has never made dollar
cut Of his patents in this country.
Hereafter Mr.. Edison will work
ont his ideas to finish and manufac-
ture an abundant supply OF the goods
before vouchsafing publicity. That is
one reason for his apparent inactivity.
"Another cause of his silence was
his recent experience in. Wall street.
So long as he entrusted the manage
ment of the various branches of his
enterprises to his associates and trusted
lieutenants all went all. But just as
soon as the companies were consoli-
dated and the stock listed ON the ex-
change, the sharpers put the knife
into him and he lost the supreme con-
troll which he had always held over
his own business. The experience was
enough to discourage any man. But
has it not been the common fate of
geniusf
GA few days ago there was not a
happier financial family on earth than
the Edison group. The inventor re-
warded those who had aided and stood
by him in his struggling and obscure
days by presenting each with an in
terest in his particular branch-an
eighth, a sixteenth or a thirty-second,
as the case might be. The work WAS
apportioned off according to the sew
eral specialties Of the men. There
was Ed. Johnson, who was made Busi-
ness Manager and later Vice President.
Charlie Bachelor, who came to this
country to set up the machinery for
the Clark Thread Company in Newark,
N. j., was given charge of the ma
chine works or dynamo manufacturing
plant. The mechanic who first did
the delicate work on Edison's tele-
phone took the responsibility of the
lamp factory. Old man Kreusi, as he
was atfectionately called, was general
factotum, and to him every knotty
problem was referred. When, after a
lengthy consultation, they were all
stuck some one would suggest,
Lets ask Kreusi.' No matter how
difficult the problem, they always got
an answer, and it invariably proved to
be correct.
Edison rewarded these men liber-
ally, for they all had been very poor
with him. The man who first made
his telephone (whose name cannot
recalD lived in dingy little house on
Wooster or Mercer street, in New
York city. The front room was his
workshop and he occupied the rear
rooms with his wife and three children.
His only assistant was boy. Often
times he had to 'scrimp' his own
family in order to pay the boys wages
promptly. But that was characters.
tic. Then, and ever afterward, he
made it a rule of his life that every
employe OF his should receive his
wages in iull on Saturday night, even
though he himself had to so without
money. After Ellison had made a
number of telephones President Orton,
of the Western Union, gave him an
order for 600 OF them, provided they
were delivered ON or before a certain
date. Edison Immediately accepted
| and signed a contract.