The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-06-16
INVENTOR C. f. BRUSH
A TALK WITH HIM ABOUT THE Pos
sIBILITIEs OF ELECTRICITY.
Early Devices and Invention of the
Electric Light-His Prophecy and
How Ii Has Been FULFILLED.


the world with it,
These were the words of a big, broad
shouldered young fellow of twenty-eight.
They were uttered about eighteen years
ago 10 an old man who stood in front
of a shop on one of the side streets OF
the city OF Cleveland and looked with
wonder on glass globe in which blazed
a ball of fire, upheld. as it were, he
tween two black carbons the size Of
your little finger. This old man was ~
{. Baldwin, OF Tiffin, generally known
throughout northern Ohio old Uncle
Baldwin and noted for his great COM
mon sense and shrewd business ability.
He had made a fortune out of manu-
featuring churns. and he was now pass
ing through Cleveland on his way 20
visit one of his relatives there He nad
left the depot and was walking through
the streets. 1t was in the early even
ing, and the gas lamps cast their flicker
ing rays upon the pavement In enc
spot, however, there was a glare OF
light which came from this ball OF FIRE
in the glass globe. 1t was before the
days of electric lighting, and old Uncle
Baldwin stopped and gazed at il in
open-mouthed wonder. AS he did SO
this big, broad-shouldered young man
came to the door. His brawny arms
were bare to the elbow. A leather apron
covered his chest and fell TO his knees
His hands were blackened and his face
was smudged with dirt. But his eye
was bright, and his athletic form was
the personificauon of yigor and force.
AS Uncle Baldwin saw him he said:
That is wonderful light. i don't
understand il. What is it? There is lao
pipe for gas. Where is the wick and
where is the oil? Say, what is IL, any
how"
Then came the reply:
That is the light OF the future. That
is electricity. / am going TO light the
world with it,"
The old man. for very sharp old
man he was, became interested at once.
He inquired how the light was produced.
He asked many questions as 10 its cost,
and before he left he had told the young
man that he would take 5000 worth OF
stock In his company, which had been
organized 10 push the invention. He
rather Rugged himself over his invests
ment as he left the young man and his
ball of fire. and when a half hour later
he found himself in the home of his
friends surrounded by some OF the most
prominent people of Cleveland he could
not rest until ne had told OF the won
der he had seen and OF the stock which
he had secured. AS he spoke the crowd
burst into laughter, and Uncle Bald
wins relative, then and now one OF The
most influential men of Cleveland, said:
We'll, well, well. And SO you have
been taken in by that young fellow
Brush and his crazy ideas about cleo
tricity. L have had dozens OF chances
to buy his stock. but L wouldn't give
cent for thousand shares Why,
uncle, the man is crazy. fits ideas are
impracticable and impossible of execu-
ton, and YOU might as well put your
$500 into Lake Erie as TO give 1t To him."
And so the Cleveland man went on. he
cited the noted capitalists OF Cleveland
who would have nothing to do with
Brushs invention, and he finally per-
suaded Uncle Baldwin that he had made
a mistake. The result was he withdrew
his offer. AS he came 10 the door the
young man looked UP from his bench
and said:
Il suppose YOU have come 10 back
out of your proposition as TO that stock
That is the way they all do. But 1 tell
you you are making a great mistake
and you are losing a fortune"
MILLIONS IN ELECTRICITY
1t was not many years before Uncle
Baldwin realized how great fortune
he had lost. Within twelve months
after his refusal the name OF Charles r.
Brush, the great Cleveland electrician,
was on every ones tongue. His light
had been shown at the Franklin Insti-
tute In Philadelphia. 1t had surprised the
scientists of the world lin the great cleo
trical exposition at Paris. and the French
government had decorated him a cheva-
lier of the Legion of Honor for his
achievement. A great company had
been organized to operate ks inventions.
The Brush stock had doubled and quad
rupled over and over again until Uncle
Baldwins $500 worth was OF more value
than all the savings and speculations OF
his lifetime. The prophecy of the young
man had been fulfilled. His light OF
the future had become the light of the
present, and to-day he has lighted the
world with il. The streets OF the big
gest cities of every continent blaze at
midnight through the genius of Charles
f. Brush. / have stood under his arc
lights in Toxic and Osaka. Japan. I
have seen them cast their shadows over
the pig-taiied Cinnamon of Shanghai
and Hong Kong, and / have threaded
my way through some of the streets OF
Calcutta, Cairo and Constantinople by
the Brush light OF electricity. The same
light Eliminates the big cities of South
America and Australia, and Europe and
the United States have turned night into
day through the genius of this man.
His inventions in electric lighting alone
are held by many companies the world
over, are now represented by an aggre-
gate capital OF $500 600 geo. and his in
ventions in other electrical lines have
created a capital OF many millions more.
There are to-day more than 81 900 900 900
invested i'm electrical industries outside
of the telegraph and telephone, and the
electric railways of the world have as
sets amounting 10 more than $500 900 900.
Mr. Brush is the inventor of the storage
battery, and all electric roads which
are run in this way pay him royalty.
He received half "A million dollars in
a single sale of some patents I'm Lon
don, and the rubbing OF his electric
lamp has caused the genii OF electricity
to bring him greater fortune than
that represented by the widest dreams
OF Aladdin The poor young man il
poor TO more The capitalists of Cleve-
land no longer talk about his crazy
ideas OF electricity. He lives among
them, one OF the greatest capitalists OF
them all. His genius has made his city
noted, and the great electric light COM
pany which he founded gives employ
ment 10 hundreds OF families. and it's
influence reaches 10 the ends OF the
earth.
EUCLID-AVENUE PALACE
Still. with all this the world knows
but little about Charles Z. Brush. With
all his genius he is modest in the ex-
treme. He early adopted the policy OF
L. f.fr inf n n Of .ar