The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-10-28

) a. EDISON.
the steam engines end The large At
lantic liners are slowly reducing their
time on their trips but that must soon
stop. Then we shall have to wait until
coal is turned directly into electricity.
] believe IL will come and then we viii
cross the Atlantic i'm four days or less.
We can get ninety per cent Of the
efficiency Of a dinama against six 10
ten per cent. an engine. The difference
Will be as great or greater I'm results,
under the looked for regime. We get
fifteen thousand horse power, o.. there
abouts, from the liners engine now
look for '''''
1T is one thing to solve. Let some
fellow follow out this line of research
and get the right reaction and we shall
have a wonderful revolution in many
things. 1t Will lead to treating metals
by electrical reduction. and an enormous
go TO the melting point of nickel for in
stance. but under the new regime we
will get all reactions not now obtainable
and go to the melting point of anything
on earth.
THINKS WE WILL FLY. TOO.
How about the present agitation over
flying machines? DO you think we are
about to accomplish the long desired
feat?
II think that eventually we will fly
But / do not think it will be by the aid
Of electricity I'm the present state of
the science il Is all a question Of power
whether from electricity, or some other
force. We want great horse power and
small weight Of course. | tried expert
ments with combustion engine in which
strips OF gun cotton cloth held between
copper rollers We're exploded by small
electrical spark.
II was very powerful but 1t did not
I "a MI gh
thing / always try TO determine which Is
the best method. Then l try to overcome
the obstacles. In order TO construct
nving machine | thought we needed 10
get the greatest rising power per horse
power In order to find what this was,
If possible. l attached a revolving fan 10
the top Of motor and placed II on
large scales. Loose wires from dynamo
ran to the motor which was started.
The fan whirlcd around and the tendency
was TO lift up. IL did so and raised and
lowered accordingly as the fan ran fast
or slow. Off course | could then weigh
the lifting power exactly Then | found
that different fans had greater or lesser
mower. Two nuskcs were different from
three fiuskes ana three from four ana so
on. | made all sorts of experiments and
then concluded that electricity was not
the right thing.
AS to the various methods that have
been tried, ! am very rai they were
tried for while they are failures every
failure is a step forward. 1t Is the
things that | know won't work that are
the most valuable to me. Some of these
methods have aimed 90 initiate the birds
OF the air. But the birds are especially
adapted to fly. Their bones are hollow
for instance and In other ways they are
suited TO the air The birds utilize the
wind too The wind really does the fly
ing for them and they manipulate the
body So as TO best take advantage of 1t.
In short, they soar With insects 1t Is
different, Take the bee. II Is purely
nall Ia Y,Ff tTft ion
but It makes up for that by their very
! rapid vibration
THE VALUE OF FAILURES.
At this junction Mr.. Edison took oc-
caSion to add something more concern
ing the value Of failures. lie said some
what amhEuously that he was eighty
two years Old New as all the world
knows he is but forty-seven # sounded
odd to say the least. Then he explained.
Judging 10y the standard OF the ordi-
nary mans working day he said, 81
am much older than | look. The average
working day Is eight hours long. For
twcnty-one years l have averaged nine
teen hours per day. Ii makes me eighty
two years old. Most of that time has
been taken up In trying things that
would not work You see my hair is
eeES%| VIII soon De hundred years
TWO THINGS WE CAN'T DO.
Mr. Edison does not think that any
new fuel will be made TO take the place
OF coal Neither does he think we viii
he able TO telephone across the ocean,
REGARDING the first he says.
Coal and wood, the latter to include
growing things, OF course, are the only
unoxidiZed substances on earth. Every
thinr else has been burnt. They cannot
be burned again. We might utilize the
SUM- wind, and the air. but not In a very
radical manner. There is sun engine.
Mouchet built one and so did Ericsson.
Air can be utilized, | should think. The
windmill is very old.
Il don't think We will be able to tele-
phone across the Atlantic. II would be
impossible because OF the electriicaton
of the gutta percha covering OF the ca
bic Every substance Will electriiy some
what. so the difficulty IS not TO be over
come by discarding what is now used
between Valencia and Hearts Content
for instance. the tons OF sutta pefcha
on the cable play large part In IT'S ope-
ration Every bit OF II has 10 be elecirl-
And when the current Is cut on az Val
encia after being operated. II sttll con-
| tinues 10 flow into Hearts CoHtemt I9r
| a comparatively Icing time atterward.
| This ali interferes with the sound waves
! Even IN telcgraphing there Is no real
break between the flashes, and there are
| only ten 10 twelve sound waves per sec
| ond In telephoning there would be two
| or three thousand In the same time. The
| only way 10 get over " would De 10 EN-
! ploy some other force that would not az
feet surrounding matter.
While he spoke hlr. edison took out his
pencil and illustrated his subject by
! drawing lines on an Old piece OF paper
| which lay beside the log on which he was
sitting. He spread the paper over his
knee. you know the alphabet" he ask
ed as he drew Morse characters on the
paper. Nov you see there is an abso-
lutte break between the flashes, represent
ed SO. Ii is plain series OF straight
lines and breaks But the cable current
is represented better by a waving line.
More like this for instance" Mr. Edison
here drew waving, curving line. This
line you see runs up and down unequally.
liz Is the length or value of the curves
that enables the operator 10 detect the
message. | have often watched the ope-
rators at work and l think IL is really
wonderful that they are able 10 select the
message at all l can read the ordinary
line as il runs up and down. but IL Is
crossed ana recrossed by other lines com
ing from earth currents and the thousand
and one sources from which a stray cur
rent gets in and IL is simply impossible
for me TO pick out the real message. Yet