The herald., 1896-07-12
EDLSONS NEW ANTI.
CRANK DEVICE

Overcoming and controlling the crank
who enters a banking house with deadly
| purpose, as Semple appeared in the bank
of New Amsterdam, is as simple and
easy thing as eating ones breakfast,
| according to Thomas A. Edison.
| 1t is such simple and comparatively
| trivial matter, in fact, that he does not
| consider 1t worth his while to outline
a plan that will accomplish the result.
As he puts it:
| ANY ordinary electrician can do It,"
| A repetition of such an act. as that
committed by Semple can not only be
| prevented altogether but could be ac-
complished with the expenditure of only
| a small amount of money, time and in
| genuity
THE LATE JAY GoULD'S PLANS
Why" said Mr. Edison to a Sunday
World reporter ut Is such simple mat
ter that any one could do it. In the
| first place it would be well for bankers
| to follow the example of Jay Gould.
| suppose as many cranks called on him
| during the week as bothered any prom
inent man in the country; yet they never
saw him, and he could truthfully say
he never knew they called.
Gould, you know, had a series of
offices, one in the rear of the other.
He was in the third and last office of
all. On the door of the first office he
had his name in large letters. There
was no keyhole in the door and the knob
turned all the way round.
You walked into the Western Union
| building and there you saw Jay Gould"
You went up to the door to open 1t and
the handle kept turning round just as
| long as you had a mind to stand there
and turn 1t. You couldn't push the door
| open, of course, and you could knock all
the skin off your knuckles and Jay Gould
| would never hear you. He was never
bothered by cranks."
Every one is not so situated that
| they can have three offices, one In the
| rear of the other" suggested the re-
| porter.
90, of course not answered Mr. Edi-
son, but every man in such responsi-
| BILE position can protect himself II he
has a mind t. Take the first idea that
suggests itself to anyone-a trap door.
don't mean one of those ordinary, slow
moving trap doors, but one with heavy
! spring attached that goes down whlz
| and Mr. Edisons hand shot downward
so quick that it would scatter every idea
that a crank had in his head.
| "A bank president could have small
| office and every part of that office a
trap. except that portion Of 1t which
| supports his chair and desk. He can
| have a little lever to control the floor
| He might work it by mistake some time
| a
might scare his friend little to be shot
down into the cellar but it wouldn't
| do him any real harm. And when you
! had got your crank down cellar you
could do anything you pleased with
| him."
But you couldn't prevent a>crank
from exploding bomb in the cellar"
ventured the newspaper man.
No." drawled Edison in reply.
"But he Is another kind of fellow, and
we would have to deal differently with
him. You could paralyze him the min
ute he entered the room. The bank
| president could be at4lis desk when the
crank came in. Then when he said:
L want one million dollars in one min
| ute,' all the president would have to
do would be to press little button
beside his desk and the crank would be
paralyzed right where he stood. He
! wouldn't be able to do thing but think
| afterwards what blamed fool he was
to come and try to scare million dol
lars out of that bank president.
THE beauty of it is, you wouldn't
have to kill him, nor do anything to in
jure him. All you would do would be
to paralyze him-freeze him right on the
spot, so to speak. Then he couldn't
shoot off dynamite or hurl bombs, or
cut up any capers Of that kind"
HOW 1T COULD BE DONE
"How would you accomplish that?"
was asked.
Easy enough" answered Edison.
There are forty ways of doing it. Every
| man with turn for mechanics or who
is anything of an electrician could fix
up contrivance that would accomplish
the purpose and that wouldn't cost
much. 1t is such a simple matter that
1 don't care to go into details. Any
electrician can supply you with those,
but you can give that crank such a
freezing he'll think blizzard has
struck him.
All large buildings in which banks are
located are supplied with steam heat
from a plant generally situated In the
building, which plant also runs the
dynamos which supply incandescent
lights. The same current could be used
for the subsection of the crank.
Part of the floor about the entrance
to the bank presidents office could be
charged with a high current of electric
ity when desired. The wires and
other fixtures could be concealed be-
meath the carpet or even in the floor
ing, without difficulty. The entire ar
ransement should b controlled by
button underneath the bankers desk
Even the button might be out ck sigh,
beneath rug or carpet That woulc
be an immense advantage in an emer'
gency.
THE CRANK PARALYZED
If a crank came in with a revolver
in his hand, and said that if the one
whom he was attacking moved hano
he would shoot him, it would be I'M
possible for the banker to press but
, ton on his desk without risking his life
In fact, the very sight of an electric but
ton in the desk would be sufficient tc
arouse the suspicious of the crank. Ever
if he did not suspect that he was to be
frozen to the spot where he stood, he
. | would imagine that the button was te