The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-27
IN GREATER NEW YORK.
HARACTERISTICs or TWO FAM-
Gus INVENTORS.
Crbker's sharks Sensational Experiment
of the Great Tammany Boss ana
Its Surprising Results.

| ever, and Is likely at any Time 10 icNeai
| TO his fellow creatures some strange ana
wonderful invention. the very need for
| which has never ben dreamed OF by any
| one else, yet. which, once on the market
| will be found 10 be just the thing thous-
| ands OF persons have been unc0nsciously
| waiting for. But it is not at all sure that
| Edsons next invention will be either
elaborate or electrical, In spite of the fact
| that the bare mention of his name brings
| 10 mind volts and ohms and amperes.
Several OF Edsons best known inven-
| lions, indeed. have nothing to do with
| the subtle current-notably the phOno-
! graph-and some Of them have been no
| less simple than useful, like tho mmeo-
| graph.
Nikols Tesla, the younger wizard Of the
| wire and the dynamo. Is like Edison IN
| keeping himself constantly busy. Unlike
| Edison. however, Tesla has never made
public a discovery or an invention not
| electrical He disdains to waste time on
| anything less mysterious and elusive, and
| he fully expects yet to perfect number
| of inventions OF much greater value than
! any Of his earlier ones.
Edison has said on many occasions that
he Is an inventor mainly for revenue, but
with Tesla IL is not so. He says he pur
sues science chiefly for the love OF 1t. He
| probably believes himself when he says
| this. and perhaps It is strictly true.
HOW THE INVENTORS DIFFER.
In many other ways the two foremost
electricians Of the day differ radically.
| For instance. although Edison is so en-
| crossed in his work that he sometimes
| remains in his laboratory for weeks with
out going home to sleep. he Is rarely too
busy to be seen by an inquiring newspa-
per man; and, 70 matter how pressed Tor
! time he may be. his greeting is always
unaffected and hearty. II is. In fact, the
| characteristic greeting Of a western man,
| being accompanied by a warm hand clasp
| and often a sounding slap on the back or
| n friendly poke in the ribs You VIII
| never be made to feel IN at case IN his
presence If you really have something IN
| teresting to ask about. and N
YOU are a good listener you are
sure to 90 away filed with IN
formation on dozen points about
which you were not prepared 10 question
| tho wizard at all. ] remember well call
| ing at Edisons laboratory on one occa-
| sion 10 get an interview on "A certain
| topic. He quickly answered all my ques-
| lions. after which he talked for an hour
| OF more on a kindred subject of vastly
| greater Importance than the one asked
| about.
Now. Tesla is not discourteous TO any
one; far from e. but he does not allow
you to forget for a single moment thaC
| he Is an excessively busy man. and al
| though he rarely withholds information,
| he never volunteers an extra word. More
| over. wren the questions are asked and
| ansy cred. II is ten chances 20 one that
he will say:
| Now, you are quite at liberty to pub
| lish all have said but not as coming
from me. | am glad II 1 have been able
10 serve you, but I do not care to be
| quoted in the newspapers
HOW THEY WORK.
There is also a vast difference I'm the
| two mems methods Of work, and Tesla
| is undoubtedly much the more scientific
| of the two He reasons out his course
| as far as possible before he begins
| given set Of experiments. and works ac-
cording to a carefully prepared plan.
/ This. no doubt. is largely due 10 his earlier
training. Tesla took up electricity as
| a systematic study under the direction OF
| experts while still boy, ana MS WORK
has been correspOndingly systematic. Ed
ison. on the other hand, stumbled into an
| electric career as a telegraph operator
| and his inventions have almost all been
made at random. so TO speak-that IS
| they have been the results Of experiments
| made simply TO see what could be FOUND
| and not of systematically directed ehort.
| TesIa's work is like that OF the skilled
| marksman who deliberately takes ann
at a definite target. while Edisons Is
| more Ike that OF the fisherman who puts
out a net for whatever he can eaten.
But ir no particular DO they differ more
! than in looks. Edison seems like typl-
| cal man of business, with tendency 10
| make q joke now and then. lie y
| plump and roly-pOly In appearance ana
| his face is generally wreathed IN Smiles >
| vet there is always a look Of latent seri-
| onsness 60 to sneak. upon his features.
| His hair IS snow white now. and when you
behold him for the first time you cannot
| he sure whether he is older than ne LOOKS
or looks older than he Is. His speech
| like his greeting. is that Of the western
man. M.
| Tesla is tall angular. and nervous. HIS
| face. though that OF a decidedly younger
man than Edison. has a thousand more
| lines and seams and he never makes d
Joke in the American sense OF the WORD
| OF wit of the French or South-of-Europe
sort there is plenty in what he has 10 say
hut genuine American humor IS as scarce
with him as provisions i'm the klondlke III
| mid-wnter.
CRCKER AND THE SHAkhS.
They say that Richard Croker, the gen
| ,lernan who is lust now running the ram
many csmpaign for the mayoralty OF me
! Greater New York, is absolutely deNold
Of phvsicai fear: and they are telling ms
| tale 10 prove II: ~.
some years ago one OF the New York
napers printed an article stating thhl
I an tho stories Of sharks eating or even
! hitting human beings were sheer taxes
\ According to the writer, sharks are &C
tuallv afraid of men. and would SWIM
! away IA CONSERVATION If one were sud-
denly TO appear before them. II was
wonderful how quickly this article brought
replies. and how long the readers or the
| naper continued to discuss the question
| through its columns or course. nobody
| settled the matter As Mr.. Croker. who
| Tor some occult reason became intensely
! interested declard at the time it could be
| settled only by putting a live man IN
front 81 shark and watching the re-
suit He further said that some DAY ne
would find out for himself.
| one winter or two later. Croker decid-
Cd 70 spend a few weeks in Florida. lie
| took ANDY Freedman along with him
! the same Andy Freedman VINO mas oeeh
| eo we'll known OF late through his con-
| nection with baseball. IL may be re-
marked in passing that Croker and Freed
man are close friends In everything Dul
politics Croker never wants Freedman
| about when politics is In hand, but wheh
| the bg boss wants fun. he Is always
anxious to have Freedman win MN, SURE
| 60 he took Freedman along this time.
I 40 y .