The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-20


went over town locking for Z master
carpenter who would be willing to en-
ploy him at odd hours This pro-
gramme lasted for five years. When
Elisha Gray came up for his diploma
he got it with the highest honors in
his class, and had earned his way by
dint Of hammer and saw. He had also
/ invented about half the new appliances
that were Of use in the laboratory and
class room
Mr.. Cray then had a narrow escape
rem being minister or q farmer. He
liked either calling He planned to go
into theology, when his doctor said it
would be suicidal. He then determined
to follow the work of his parents and
be q farmer. He went upon a rented
farm, and about that time married
Miss NJ. Della Shepard, of Oberlin.
The farming venture did not prove a
success, the genius spending more time
IT rigging out new machines than he
did in planting his crops. He planned
many improvements for reaping, and
spent so much time in doing it that
he never had anything to reap. It was
a season of clouds and failure, but
he managed to get some sunshine by
{ dabbiing in electricity in an upper room
of the farm house.
His First Great Invention.
This was the scene of his first inven-
ton. He managed to devise a seIf-ad-
justing biography relay, and wrote of
his discovery to Arson Stager, who was
then superintendent of the Western
Union Telegraph office at Cleveland
Gen. Stager saw genius in the young
farmer, and at once sent for him to
come and use the cOmpany's wires for
his experiments. This was the begin
ming
Mr.. Gray came, and at once began to
improve the service. In a short time
he had perfected the typewriting tele-
graph, telegraphic switch, the annun-
-eiatuI+ and many other appliances
which still bear his name He fell in
with H. NJ Barton, who has since NOV
ed to Chicago, and organized the West
ern Electric Manufacturing company.
which now employs more than 1000
men. but Prof. Gray has not a cent.
Prof. Gray lacked foresight, as usual
in such cases. He retired, or was re-
tired, from the big company. The re-
tirement was a matter of absolute in
difference to him, although the COM
pany is now an enormous concern. He
went back to his laboratory. The first
thing he did-in 1874-Was to rig up a
machine by which sound-musical
tones-could be transmitted by wire.
The discovery so delighted him that
he called in his friends to show them
the machine. He displayed the inven-
ton to every one who called and went
abroad in that year to make a study Of
acoustics. His queer little appliance
was exhibited on the other side Of the
ocean. 1t took the scientific world by
storm, and in recognition of the merit
of the queer little machine he was
made chevalier in the Legion of
Honor.
And still Prof Gray had not cent.
Then the Telephone.
The machine which carried musical
sound suggested to him that he could
make a speaking telephone. He work
ed on the idea in 1875 and 1876 and sue
ceeded in getting his plan into working
order He thought this was a practi-
cal thing and filed his papers at Wash
ington. a man of the same bent of
mind filed papers for the same thing
about the same time. 1t was never
contested that the two were very diff
ferent. In the papers of the man who
won the long series of law suits, it was
evident that some of the appliances
could not have been described had not
some one seen Prof. Grays specifica-
tons. The suits went against Prof.
Gray, but all the scientific world and
all the scientists today give him the
credit of having invented the telephone
And still he has come to the point
where now he is forced to keep board
ers and run q boarding house.
Prof. Gray insists there is not a man
drawing dividend from the modern
telephone that does not owe him some
thing. There is not a millionaire from
this source that is not his debtor 1t
was enough to discourage the average
nan, but Prof. Gray just let it go. He
never thinks Of it any more unless ask
ed about it. He went to work after the
decisions and has done much more be-
sides. He designed the first system of
underground conduits for telegraph,
telephone and electric light wires He
got practically nothing for this. He
was content in having benefited the hui
man race. He added from time to time
all instrument or two, and then made
a hit with mining machinery. This
earned him the biggest money he ever
had, $780, 00 He spent it as quickly
as he could.
There have been six years of the
hardest and closest work on the telau-
tograph He thinks it is eventually to
be the real thing in biography. This in
vention he has managed to hold-save
the hypothecation Of enough stock to
keep the butcher and the grocer from
the door There are men after the
balance of it-and the men say they
VIII get it for a song when the professor
gets hard up.
Is Now n Pessimfst.
Some of them have dealt with him
in other days. They know when to
catch him. This sort of treatment has
come to make him somewhat of a pes
simist. He is beginning-at sixty
three-to lose faith in the honesty and
integrity of mankind. 1t is telling on
his good nature. and he has Iapsed
into a state of mOroSenesS and discOur-
agement-save for his love of science
1T seems to me-" he said, mournf,Il-
ly, that all the world NOWADAYS
thinks about is dividends, The world
estimates the value of any invention
by the amount of money it will earn.
1t invariably asks the question, viii It
pay% and I can invariably answer the
question that 1t certainly will pay the
inventor. The world is run on & very
clumsy plan. 1t always pays the men
who do not need pay and neglects the
men who are entitled to the earn
ings."
And the gray-haired. ahsent-minded.
neglected. needy member of the trio tn
which Edison and Tesla belong
climbed into the saddle of his bicycJe
and started along the country road 10
his work shop in the basement of the
factory which was built to manufact-
ure the telautograph as soon as prot
Gray gets hard up enough to sell out
his last chance of making enough m
live decently.
Kfondjke Offer.