The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-02-05

Is it really such possibility as to be
worthy of one Of your campaigns?"
sOh, yes, that thing is possible. Some
day il will be done. Mr.. Edison here
stopped speaking for moment and seemed
to be IN intense thouht. At last he said,
as though utteripg aloud his thoughts,
80 per cent. OF the energy stored up In
coal is now lost. That is an awful waste.
1t goes off in heat from chimneys and
is especially lost in the operation of con-
verting steam into water. If, therefore,
process can be devised by which this
enormous waste is saved, 1t will, OF
course, revolutionize all methods of pro-
ducing power, vastly cheaper them and
of course, be of mighty influence upon
civilization. 1t will do away with steam
engines, boiler and in fact make the use
of steam power as much of a tradition as
the stage coach now is. 1t will enable an
ocean steamer of 20, 0OO- horse power to
cross the ocean in record breaking Tune
and with the expenditure OF $50 tons OF
coal instead of 5000, and, of course, that
would mean a great reduction in freight
and passenger charges. 1t would enOr-
mously reduce the cost of manufacturing
and of traffic and of everything in which
power is necessary 1t would develop the
electric current directly without the inter-
medlar1es of steam boilers and engines, ana
anyone can see that that will reduce the
cost. Coal will be put in receptacle, the
agencies applied which would develop its
energy with only inappreciable loss from
wsstage, and through this energy electric
/ power would be furnished of any degree
desired. Yes, it can be done; some OF the
details have already mastered, think,
or | am sure that know the way to go to
work to master them. believe now that
shall make this my very next campaign;
1 = l. G,,tr ND
may not be very long time. -
"Can you look ahead of this campaign
to others that may follow it?'
Here Edison smiled, as though the ques-
ton seemed an almost absurd one, and his
expression of countenance indicated that
he not only looked ahead as lar as that,
but beyond and beyond, as though he still
had the world to conquer.
Eyes, think it is quite likely that
shall develop a plan for marine signalling.
may do it before l undertake the coal
problem, or I may suspend that for
while and finish the marine signal. do
not think that will take very long. Using
the we'll known principle that water is
far more perfect medium for carrying vi
brations, my idea is to have every vessel
fitted up with certain signalling appa-
ratus, which have pretty well formu-
lated in my mind, part of which con-
have a receiving apparatus, very deli
cate instrument. My experiments sug-
gests to me that it is possible to convey
Ineligible signals through the water for
distance of ten miles and in ell direc-
tions. A code of signals by whistle could
be agreed upon. A vessel is at sea and
desires to communicate in fog or storm,
or even clear weather, with some other
ship seen or unseen, all that it is neces-
sary to do will be to put the signalling
machine in operation, use the code upon
the whistle. Someone upon another YES
sci, or perhaps half dozen, would adj
Just to his ears the delicate receiving in
strument, practically keeping it there
during fog or storm, and he would hear
and report the signal and easily make one
from his own instrument In reply. This
thing / believe TO be perfectly feasible and
capable of commercial development with
in very short time"
When | asked Mr.. Edison why he lived
the year around in the country, so far
away from the commercial associates who
are developing his various business inter-
ests, he said
81 don t like New York, and never go
there or to any city when | can avoid it. |
have not been in the new Edison building
half dozen times since it was finished,
although there is room there reserved
for me. Do you know said he, ''that
l think New York is going to be outstrip-
ped by Chicago in the the next century.
New York will be the Liverpool, but
Chicago the London of this country, l
suspect. I don't think there will be any