The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-28
THE GREAT INVENTOR.
4 Most Important Interview With
Thomas 4. Edison.

OF memo 4 dIA uIhs EEopn6L-W en-
derful Things to Come The Whole
World Will Be Interested by the Mar
wells He Predicts - Incredible Speed
Possible-Nothing, Apparently, Is I'M
possible, According to the Ideas of
This Wonderful Thinker.
New York, oct. 27-Thomas Alva EdI-
son is the greatest living inventor More
than this. he is the greatest inventor that
ever lived. He is many sided: a man Of
parts. other men have, by individual in
ventions, been revolutionizing powers on
single lines, but Edison has been such a
factor in so many departments, that it is
difficult to point out the direction in which
the influence of his genius ceases to exist.
1t is a mistake to call him the greatest
electrician. He does not claim that honor.
II belongs TO Tesla, who was written OF
last week. but Edison has done it all, or
nearly all, with the aid OF electricity the
development of which science was the
great opportunity which created him. OPP
portuntty is a great creator 1t created
Napoleon. 1t created Washington. 1t
created Wellington, and yet even in de-
f1anee of this, Edison stands forth, for il
mag NC oeAAu AlleN lie AIedl6u llle OBDOI
ity which created him. The key. to his
personality is to be found in one of his
sayings: I'VE don't know a millonth part
of one per cent. about anything" With
this idea in mind added to indomitable
will, and an unquenchable desire for inves-
tigation, we have the man simply and
clearly defined. Above all things, he
knows himself and that is the secret Of
success. Il find" he says, that the con-
ceit of a man is in inverse ratio to the
square of his knowledge" An eminently
scientific exposition of a truly epigram-
attic statement, but it is typical of him and
his method.
oughly than this, look to his inventions.
They clearly outline his life. They are the
best monument he could have. No man
has done more, and probably no man will
do more to better the condition of his gem
GRAFTON than Edison has done to better
the condition of his, and yet he says the
next half century will be fully as fruitful
of results as the last has been. This, COM
ing from a man who has succeeded in
perpetuating the speech of his genera
ton so that is may be heard through all
succeeding time; who has made light
without heat who has made one tele-
graph wire do the work of sixteen--is GER
tainly interesting. 1t places him in the po-
sition of seer-a prophet. Such being the
case 1t is still more interesting to learn
what such an oracle would have to say on
the future of electrical science in general
If you would hear his sermon you must
go to the wilderness. Like the greatest
Oracle of all, he breaches from noun
tain where he has buried himself and
his ideas in great endeavor to conquer
nature with science. It is a half days
journey out of the city, over slow going
railroads, along inland waterways past
fashionable watering places on a large
artificial lake, and up a circuitous noun
tain path to Veritable jumping off place
among the Orange hills. There you will
find him clad in long linen buster and a
dIlapidated straw hat, sitting on a log
perhaps, watching his men work, and
musing. For Edison, contrary to some
stroies about him, lounges around and
takes IL easy at times
1--WE lie around and tell funny sories"
he says, until an idea strikes us. Then
we go to work and carry it out"
This is a sample of the inventors life
at Edison" for that is the name of the
collection of shanties that surround his
works.
The place is a nest of red buildings
clustered around a great hole in the
mountain top. Mr.. Edison went there
three years ago to experiment with his
magnetic ore separator on the iron
strewed mountain rocks. Most Of upper
New Jersey has iron sprinkled through
the soil. 1t is too fine to be mined in the
ordinary way, so out of the brain of the
inventor came the plan for separating
the metal from it's chaff by means of
magnetism. As an experiment II is
stupendous and if it succeeds 1t will add
another mark to the long list which is
already chalked up to his favor But
speak not of It to him; it is a tabooed
subject at present. When it is a success
he will talk of II, but not until then. OF
nfh of afr pa1
quite willing to speak and he is also
ready TO predict something of what the
future of electricity will be.
What will be the next great discov-
cry In electricity" he was asked
well, that" he replied, would be
little difficult to reply to. There are so
many lines and so many of us pursuing
our Investigations on these lines that it
leaves a wide field to chose from The
fellow who solves his particular problem
first can answer ii, but not until the
problem is solved, There are more pos
sibilities in some lines than in others
The experimenters who are striving after
high speed on railroads will, If they sue
coed in their object, become real epoch
makers. The desire to cover distance at
a remarkable speed and get there in no
time is strong, but / think the general
public looks upon 1t in a wrong light
There is practically no limit to the speed
wrong to assume that there is. The only
limit there could be would be the point
at which the engine and cars would break
up or fly to pieces. Viewing it from the
commercial standpoint it will depend on
various external influences. But 1 think
that great speed will finally be attained
and It will be when we are able to obtain
electricity direct from coal.
1.-The discovery of a way of converting
coal directly into electricity, will be the
turning point of all our methods of pro-
pulsion. Naturally steam will be entirely
superseded by the current. There will be
no boilers nor any of the necessary ex-
ternals which go with steam engines. We
are rapidly approaching the time OF the
steam engines end. The large Atlantic
liners are slowly reducing their time on
their trips but that must soon stop. Then
we shah have to wait until coal is turned
directly into electricity. ] believe It will
come and then we will cross the Atlantic
In four days or less. We can get ninety
per cent Of the efficiency Of dyanamo
against six 10 ten per cent. OF an engine.
The difference will be as great or greater
in results, under the looked for regime.
We get 1900 horse power, or whereabouts,
from the liners engine now. When we
80 COO hOrge mower 8 we win narhope