The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-12-18
CANNOT
make
HIM REST.
Edison Persists In Working, In
Spite Of Tho Urgent Protests
Of Physicians.

New York, Dec lS.--Thonas A. Edison.
condition IS worrying his friends. The IA
NOUS inventor has recently been advised
BY several distinguished physicians to
cease work but nc pays no heed 10 their
counsel lie is engrossed IN the investi.
cation Of several difficult problems and
refuses 20 rest
For q number of years Ar. edison has
been burning the csndle at both ends. "
lie arrives AZ his labora tory IN West
orange, n. j., at O'clock every morning
and leaves only when he has completed
some difficult task which he had set be-
lore him at the beginning OF the day
Sometimes he gets away at o'clock,
hut more often II Is midnight before he
returns home, and often when the prob.
em proves particularly intricate he re-
mains ia his laboratory all nigh; Night
after night he works in this manner. after
everybody else has LEFT except one or two
assistants.
STOMACH is DISORDERED
This sort OF thing has been going Oh
for years Mr.. Edison not only has
taken no account OF sleep. but has for
gotten when meal time comes. The latter
thing is what In the opinion OF his ply
health. Hundreds OF times within the
last few years he has eaten only one
meal day. and this q hasty breakfast
The result Is disorder OF the stomach
which 81 the opinion ot distinguished
medical men can only be rcmedied hy a
long period OF correct living.
Mr. Edison seems 70 be unable 20 adopt
the advice OF thc physicians lie declares
that there a. not4ing serious the matter
urtflt ft,, nd Iut IL f.s
for him 60 drop his work al present
RE IS engrossed In tho perfection of hts
storage battery. which is expected to
rpvolutionize methods of electric propul-
sion
4 large factory Tor the manufacture
ot these batteries u in process OF erec-
iion az Glen Ridge, n. j.. and Mr. Edi-
son Is deyoting nearly all OF his time 20
the development OF the complicated ma
chinery which IS 20 he Installed in tho
new building. Yesterday he was i'm con-
ference with several engineers from Eu.
rope whom he had called here especially
Tor consultation
RE was 80 III on SUNDAY T1TTr ne WIZ
confined 10 his bed. according 90 reports
in the neighborhood But he was
AZ the laboratory at s o'clock yesterday
and at o'clock last night he
and his visitors were still hard AT work
neN n6u not lefl tnef consultation room.
in which, II was reported that important
experiments were being maxsS during the
day. A confidential employee OF Mr.. Edi-
son who understood the strain under
which he was working, said TO a reporter:
EMPLOYEES FEAR FOR HIM.
I'VE are all afraid that some day the
world will suddenly lose Mr. Edison.
Durtng ait the years fa-~- known AiEfa
he has been doing the work OF half %
dozen men, lie is only 81 years old. but
he looks 81. He thinks OF nothing except
the development OF wonderful ideas re-
garding the possibilities in the use of
electricity which are constantly occurring |
10 him.
Hundreds OF his friends and many ot |
the leading physicians OF the country |
have have urged him TO take a rest for |
the sake of his health but he turns n |
deaf ear 80 all such appeals. He is de- |
termined To work out as many as possi- |
bile of the problems which are vexinR his |
mind and ! have no doubt that ne will |
keep AZ it until the end Some times I |
fear we shall leave him alone here at |
night. as we often do. and when We come |
IN the morning find him lying helpless /
oyer some delicate mechanism to which |
he has devoted his last hours. Mr.. Edi-
son II suffering from general neglect of |
bis phyicsl welfare" !"