The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-05
THOMAS ALvA Ed on.

and in some new forms to much of my in
ventive work. Now. that is what l am;
that is my business"
/ asked Mr.. Edison if he would be will
ing to say what he regarded as his chief
achievements, and he said
That, of course, is one of them" and
he pointed to an incandescent lamp. 1.-THE
lncandescent lamp or light had. of course,
been suggested years ago. My part has
been to make the incandescent light COM
mercially available. My other chief work,
/ presume. is the photograph. Tia, vas
an invention pure and simple; no suGges-
ton, 40 far AS know. OF the possibility of
I reproducing the human voice had ever
been made
Straying away from the theme. as is. of
course, unavoidable in ranid conversation
between friends. | asked Mr.. Edison what
he regarded as the most important inven-
ton or discovery of this generation. out
side of those which had been made in the
field OF electricity.
He rut his hand 10 his head. pulled his
hair, which Is now very gray. down over
his forehead, half closed his eyes and said.
as though speaking to himself:
|. The most important invention, let me
see. Oh, there is no doubt that the Bes-
semer steel process is the most Important,
no doubt whatever; and Bessemer did not
know any more about iron or steel when
he was undertaking mis- work than | did
about electricity.
Ethan you did about electricity?' | in
quired, with surprise.
Yes. | didn't know anything about it
then and don't know now nobody does.
All that We know is that it is vibration.
Bessemer had to work hard for his vic
tory, | tell you, for when he went to the
steelmakers and offered them licenses for
process for making steel by blowing air
through molten iron, to speak in a general
way, they laughed at him, and he actually
had to produce his stee! at first by stealthy
or secret methods. Even the workmen
themselves did not know what they were
doing. But by and by it began to be found
that there was better steel on the mar
ket at q very much cheaper price. and
then Bessemer was on top. Why, heard
the other dav that the ROYALTIES from his
process had amounted to 5000, 600.
You have heard of Tesla's expert
ments and that there is talk of the posi-
Dlhiy OF the production OF hight without
heat; Is there anything in that?" l asked.
Tesla was able by producing peculiar
and very rapid vibration to develop some
extraordinarily brilliant effects. They
were OF the kind that would be pleasing to
people who witnessed them. The princi-
pie involved. however, was known before
Tesla made these brilliant demonstrations.
don't see now that out of them will come
any commercial development. AS for
light without heat, il would be grave
yard light. the dull, dead light of the glow
worm, ana people would not have it. They
like hrIllIancy.'
Now. as 10 your inventive career, Mr..
Bison"
"Oh. that has been A series of cam
paigns. NV first campaign was in deye-
oplng the ticker: that was snort one. and
that was followed by the quadrupiex idea
OF telegraphing. have never allowed N.Y.
sell 10 go Oh on pleasure excursions. SO 70
speak, in my work. Nv idea has been
10 work only upon something which gives
the promise OF commercial DEVELOPMENT.
MY scrappooks are iu!l o. ideas and hints
! that come 10 me. and perhaps some of
them may toe utilized hereafter. but / do
not undertake any serious concentrated
work except with the idea Of commercial
development.
Yet the early impression of YOU used
to be that you had no iondness for money,
no acquisitive passion"
Here Edison threw back his head and
laughed very heartily. recollection
which caused him humorous iov had
come TO him. and he SAID: why, |
didn't use 10 know anything about money
or finances, or that sort OF thing, II I
had what 1 needed ] was satisfied. When
! started out for myself hal factory in
Newark, aud |. of course, hired a book
keeper, because everybody said that was
the thing 10 do. At the end Of the
year the bookkeeper made Up 4 state
ment and showed il to me Ac-
corling 10 il we had made 8. $50 profit
that year. and | felt so happy that |
invited ali hands 20 come out and have
& dinner and blew them Off sp!endidly.
Then | began 10 think about II. IL didn't
seem ~ HE that II was quite right about
that s. coo. | did not know where II WAS
30 | went TO work looking over these
books, and | got somebody who knew
about sach things TO help me, and when
We got II Strengthened out found that in
Stead OF 5000 profit there had been 5000
loss"
Here Mr.. Edison leaned back again in
his chair and laughed with slee that was
suggestive OF boyish merFjment. When he
controlled himself he went on: Il said to