The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-19
TuoUAs EOIs6N V1IEa NOW
Leaves His Laboratory in Search of
1.-THE Dust"
From the New York Press.

1.-THE Dust"
From the New York Press.
He is Thomas A. Edison, MINER" now.
His general address is neither Llewelyn
Park nor the laboratory at Orange, but
the iron ore mines at the place which
used to be called Ogden" but which has
been rechrstened Edison" n. j.
oh, yes" he said the other day,"I get
home once in a while. AS a rule / come
down to the laboratory once a Week-on
Mondays" 1t must be said that Orange
and the laboratory are feeling the effects
of Mr. Edison's change of base Of activ-
ity. The Old laboratory, the scene of so
many triumphs, is a lonesome spot now
adays. The working force is small, and
the people of Orange bewail that the glory
has departed from them. But the sun
will shine on them again sooner or later.
1t is impossible to divorce Edison from
his first love, pure electrical science, and
this Irritation with mining is being carried
on becauses he believes that there is
money in ii. AS he himself would say, in
his graphic and direct language, he is
''out for the dust" this time. Edison is
most sanguine as to the success of his
mining mills. in June they will be start
ed up full blast" he said to Press re-
porter. Wen have the largest mill of the
kind in the world
MI IAuioOA tApttiIleu uOW iudSStS Ol
gneiss rock containing crystals of mag
netic iron ore were blasted out and crush
ed, and how the crystals were separated
by a magnetic separator.
Then" he added, the crystals are put
In the form of bricks by the machinery,
and sent to the furnace for the purpose
of being made into pig iron. The process
is simple enough in its results but 1t is
difficult in practice Thirty-one mills
have been started heretofore in the United,
States. Every one of them has been
failure. Oh, know when l started what
had to buck against.
What, in your experience up to date,
is the greatest electrical discovery, leav-
ing aside the telegraph and the tele-
phone?" he asked.
The greatest thing out is the Roent-
gen ray, so far" said Mr. Edison en-
Enthusiastically. 1T is an undoubted bene-
mt TO mankind. Its real, humane and
scientific value has now been demonstrat,
ed repeatedly. The surgeons are all get
ting and using the apparatus, and so are
all the hospitals, and are using them for
practical applications almost every day"
Have you any bran-new electrical in
ventions, or plans for any?"
Yes" was the reply. II have got a
number of things that are new, but that
l am not quite ready to say anything
| about. I'd like to get them all right first
and talk afterward."
what do you think of the talk about a
method of transmitting telegraphlc mes
sages without wires? Is such means of
communication likely to go beyond exper-
imentf Is II practical and practicable?'
Transmitting without wires?" said Mr.
Edison, his blue eyes sparkling. why,
pioneered that business. l was the first
one in this country who ever tried H. We
had Il practically for a number of years
on the Lehigh Valley raiIroad--on the
passenger trains for experiment, and reg
ularly on the construction trains We
were able to jump messages as far as
200 feet. Then the messages would be run
along the wire for fifty miles. In this
way messages were exchanged while the
train was in motion One was sent from
New YORK TO london and return The
static electric wave was what was used.
AS FAR back as 1880 we tried a number
OF experiments in this line at Menlo park
with kites. The scheme / had was to tele-
graph at sea, the idea being to have a
sail or flag, with tinsel woven in il. and TO
connect that down to the deck The object
was TO see how far one could signal at
sea from the top of the mast of a shin to
another ship; but the land experiments
were tried with the kites. We had a fine
wire through the kite string and thin tim
foil on the kite Then. away across on
some hills, we had a man stationed with a
hoop covered with paper I'm metallic foil
We exchanged signals there about one
ana three-quarter miles-that Is the limit
we got without proper apparatus with
apparatus we could possibly have gone
three or four or five miles. At sea, with
powerful apparatus, l could not see why
they should not go fifteen or twenty miles
The electric static charge would run up
ana jump IN all directions. NJ. A. prcece
OF the British post Office telegraph has
been trying some experiments. He has OBJ
tanned better results than / did I also
see that an Italian has been trying Il. His
results were not any better than Mr.
Freezes, II as good"
Mr.. Edison does not believe IN the posi-
bility of telcgraphing without wires 20 A.
limitahle distances. Because" he said
according 90 natural law. there must be
a limit When you go twice as far away
you have got four times the area. When
YOU double the diameter OF the thing YOU
have made four times the area 4 pound of
butter covers 20 much surface spread a
certain thickness II the surface IS dou-
bled In width the butter gets very thin
when you spread it out
Theoretically. II you throw a stone into
the air you disturb the whole world--you
have thrown Il out OF the center OF gray
icy. But practically the effect does not
amount 10 much--is not noticeable And
20 you may send out one OF those electric
waves. ana perhaps u may 10 all over
the world. but practically IL grows so
weak that after certain distance IL be-
comes Ineffective"
There Is a good deal OF food for thought
ana speculation la the fact that this PRO-
team genius Of an Edison b. only 5O wears
old, and that his strength physical ana
mental rs as The strength OF ten" What
new surprises will he give TO the world
before the end of this old nineteenth cen.
tury2