New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-22
AN INVENTORS STORY.

THE LIFE A ar IN ~ or ck Ia0N lAS
Illustrations from drawings and photographs.
T. Y. Crowel x Co.
Ii is reasonable to allot TO Mr. Edison al least
a score Of years in which to develop old ideas
and conceive new ones before he attans the In
activity of old age. But 1t il not necessary 70
await the close of great career before describ-
ing it to the world. There is such eager desire
for information regarding those who achieve that
it is not unreasonable perhaps, to attempt to
satisfy the demand, even though the tale be
somewhat Imperfect, The amazing fecundity Of
Mr. Edison's genius. the great practical value Of
several of his ideas. the peculiar fascination
which attaches to work in the field of electrical
science and the infrequency with which an in
vcntor reaps any large pecunary reward for his
labor combine to excite interest In this In
the handsomely printed and extensively Illus
trated volume before there is no careful
analysis Of character no attempt TO bring into
relief the causes which contributed most to the
success Of the subject Of the book, less Of detail
in the descriptions OF apparatus than some
readers might wish for, and an occasional omis-
sion of dates in connection with interesting cpl
sodes and important events These probably
seemed to the authors Of less account than
abundance of incidents. But the stories, for the
collection OF which they enjoyed exceptional
facilities, are mostly characteristic and hence
worth collecting and preserving.
The intellectual appetite. self-reiiance. pas
sion for experiment and research. quckness to
seize upon and perfect crude idea. originality
Of conception commercial sagacity, magnificent
physical powers and intense devotion 10 every
task he undertakes which have been so mani
fest in his mature life. come out propheticaly in
e ha att EdiSOD'S
boyhood and youth. While yet poor newsboy he
solemnly attempts to read the whole free library
of Detroit through and TO start a newspaper
Of his own; and he accidentally sets fire to his
laboratory an old freight Car. with phosphorus
bought for some chemical investigation. During
the six or seven years preceding the attainment
Of his majority, the young telegraph operators
skul wins him handsome salaries in Louisville.
Cincinnati Memphis and Nashville; he dcvises
an attachment to the office cock which Will
automatically give telegraph signals over a line
the foundation Of our modern fire-alarm and
district-telegraph-cal systems; and besides in
venting an automatic repeater. he discovers a
way TO make two circuits with one submarine
cable
This last performance jus, before he left Mich
gan for Boston Os6s). doubtless led his mind TO
stil more valuable and famous work-thc inven-
telegraphy, by which it has been possible to OBJ
tain from existing wires amount of extra
service that would have otherwise required add
tional plant costing sl5o0O,0Oo. He practically
perfected the duplex during that year spent in
Massachusetts. besides inventng a vote-recorder
Tor legislative bodies AID instrument for
printing stock quotations. This last sold for
$4,000 in New-York. in 1870, laid the foundation
OF mis- fortune. The duplex quickly found a mar
ket, too. and secured him remunerative con-
tract to give the Western Union the first chance
TO buy his further Geographic ideas The quad
ruplex problem not solved until 1874 but in
the mean time he had also designed an automatic
telegraph system. whereby previously and
properly punched strip Of paper was made to
send several thousand words minute. This
chemical-receivng apparatus. which rendered
the relay gnet unnecessary. and other tele-
graphic inventions Of more or less value. now