The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-10-30
THINKS OF FLYING
A Most Important Interview with
Thomas a. Edison.
The Future of Electrlcity-The Wizard
Of MenIo Park' Turns Prophet
Wonderful Things to Come
The Marvels He Predicts.
ICOPYRIGUT, l5as.1


Other men have, by individual inven
hons, been revolutionizing powers or
single lines. but Edison has been such
factor in so many departments that il
is difficult to point out the direction in
which the influence Of his genius ceases
10 exist. 1t is a mistake TO call him
the greatest electrician. He does not
claim that honor. 1t belongs to Tesla,
who was written of last week, bat
Edison has done it all, or nearly all,
with the aid of electricity, the develop
ment of which science was the great
opportunity which created him OPP
portunity is great creator. 1t created
Napoleon. 1t created Washington. It
created Wellington, and yet even in
defiance of this, Edison stands forth,
for it may be said that he created the
opportunity which created him. The
key to his personality is to be found in
one of his sayings: I'VE don't know "a
millionth part of one per cent. about
anything" With this idea in mind
added to indomitab bic viii, and an IN
9uenchable desire for investigation, We
have the man simply and clearly de-
fined. Above all things, he knows
himself and that is the secret of his
success Il find" he says, that the
conceit of a man is in inverse ratio to
the square of his knowledge" An emf
nently scientific exposition of truly
epigrammatic statement, but it is typi-
cal of him and his method.
Would you know Edison more thor
oughly than this, look to his inven-
tions. They clearly outline his life.
They are the best monument he could
have. No man has done more, and
probably no man win do more to better
the condition of his generation than
Edison has done to better the condition
of his, and yet he says the next half
century viii be fully as fruitful Of re-
suits as the last has been. This, COM
ing from man who has succeeded in
perpetuating the speech of his genera
ton so that it may be heard through
all succeeding time; who has made
light without heat; who has made one
telegraph wire do the work of sixteen
is certainly interesting. 1t places him
in the position of q seer-a prophet.
Such being the case it is still more in
teresting 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
a mountain where he has buried him
self and his ideas in a great endeavor
to conquer nature with science 1t is
a half days journey out of the city over
slowgoing railroads, along inland
Waterways, past fashionable watering
places on large artificial lake, and up
a circuitous mountain path to verita-
BILE jumping off place among the
Orange hills. There you Will find him
clad In long linen buster and dilapi-
dated straw hat, sitting ON log, per-
haps, watching his men work, and
musing. For Edison, contrary to some
stories about him, lounges around and |
takes It easy at times.
1--WE lie around and tell funny |
STORIES" he says, until an idea strikes |
us Then we go TO work and carry it /
out"
J This is sample of the inventors life
Mt Edison" fer that is the name of the |
collection of -shanties that surrounds |
his works.
The place is a nest of red buildings |
clustered around great hole in the |
mountain top. Mr.. Edison went there |
three years ago to experiment with his /
magnetic ore separator on the iron
NJ "a
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 its
rhaff by means of magnetism. As an
1t is stupcndous, and if it
succeeds il viii add another mark to
the long list which is already chalked
up to his favor. But speak not of it to
him, it is tabooed subject at present.
When it is success he viii talk of il.
hut not until then. OF his other affairs
and inventions he is quite willing to
speak, and he is also ready to predict
of what the future of cleo
tricity viii be.
What will be the next great discov-
cry in electricity" he was asked.
well, that" he replied. would be a
little difficult toreply to. There are SO .
many lines and SO many of us pursuing
our Investigations on these lines that it
leaves wide field to choose from. The
fellow who solves his particular prob
lem first can answer it. but not until
the problem is solved. There are more
possibilities IN some lines than in 9th
ers The experimenters who are striv-
ing after high speed on railroads VIII.
If they succeed in their object. become
real epoch makers The desire TO
cover distance At remarkable
speed and get there in no time
Is strong, but / think the gen
eral public looks upon II in a wrong
hight. There is practically no limit to
the speed that can be attained on d
1t Is wrong 10 assume that
there is, The only limit there could he
would be the point at which the engine
and ears would break ND or fiv to
pieces Viewing it from the CONNER
rial standpoint it will depend on w
rious external influences. But think
that great speed viii finally be at
Lained and il viii be when We are able
to obtain electricity direct from coal.
The discovery Of way Of convert ,
ing coal directly into electricity VIII
De the turning point Of all our meth
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