The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-11
EDISON SURE
0F HIS BATTERY
He Says 1t VIII be on Market
This Year.
HIS IDEA OF MARC0Nl
Says That Wireless Telegra-
ply VIII be Perfected
HIS IDEA OF MARC0NI

opening of the new year, Thomas A. Eol-
son says:
Ii is to be a wonderful year, more won
derful than any of the last fifteen years
OF great activity in all the highways OF
science.
The eyes of the greatest of inventors
snarkled as he told of the wonders that
are to be, in the glowing parlor OF his
home in the Usage Hills, after an Edi-
non DAYS work of thirteen hours, with
luncheon eaten from his office table
he ran bIithely down the stairs as
though just starting his mornings task.
His white hair stood out in confusion
and his wrinkled gray suit hung loosely
and carelessly about his figure Inc
DAVIS work that had exhausted halt a
dozen assistants had scarcely told on
him at all.
There was boyish Vigor and energy in
his smooth, rudy face in spite of his
fifty-five years. His kindly eyes shone
with a genial benevoence.
II never prophesy," he said, good-hum-
predly, when asked to tell The World
what great things he expected to see ac-
compEshed in the year that began last
week. II would rather announce facts
after they are accomplished
III ought TO be a wonderful year" he
said a few minutes later, his eyes kind
lining. under the spur of questions about
things in which he is deeply interested
as a student. There never was so much
activity in all branches of science 1t
began fifteen years ago and it has been
growing constantly.
For myself l am going to begin
line of work that is radical departure
from anything that I ever have done.
have spent all my life at practical work,
IN the application of science to indus
try.
In May-I've a lot of work to do before
fhen-Im going to engage for two years
in some scientific experiments that
have kept waiting for leisure time. I'm
going TO experiment and see what 1 can
find. My experiments will have no prac-
teal object in view. I'm just going to
glide by the by-ways.
Then the inventor announced what his
new years gift to the world was TO be
the storage battery on which he had
worked night and day for four years.
The market. We have begun to make
them for sale and they will be offered
on the market soon. lie tried them on
three runahouts here for several months
and one Of our machines had done as
high as eighty-six miles on one charge.
'Oh. it isn't perfect yet; you know We
reyer get those things exactly perfect,
bur it works. and anybody can han
die IT,
1t solve sthe traction problem. 1 have
not tried to adopt if for use in any other
vay-traction was the great thing 1 had
in mind. New York's freight is moved
BY big trucks that are too slow.
The horse is going-he is too slow.
Everything must be fast these days.
Why. doesn't it astonish yo uthe rate
at which one of those Wall street fell
lows live? Why, even the telegraph is
getttin gtoo slow.
DO you believe wireless telegraphy
WIZ be perfected for commercial uses in
1882"
1T is certain to be perfected the in
ventor answered confidently Maybe not
next year in its entirety. but it is bound
10 come. 1t takes years to work those
things out in thei "details. but it will
be done. YOU may be assured. for they've
got the right man working at il.
'Marconi is a practical man and 1 have
watched his work with interest
Have YOU read the statement of the !
English officer of one of the cable COM
panies that wireless telegraph can never
insure privacy; that any message can be
tapped?'
'Oh. / know what he said. That's as
far as lie can see. Somebody else may
see further. That may be true tonight |
but only for tonight. Tomorrow some
fellow may have discovered some other |
little fact. some little things that will
lea TO a whole train of things that
nobody can see now. We discover those |
things one at a time.
NO man knows more than the mil |
honth part of l per cent what there /
Is TO know. \ little thing that the |
oiscoVerer can see no use for-like Far
rady's little discovery that led TO the |
dynamo-starts the practical men to work |
and soon they have found a practical /
application for it.
The wonderful Becauerel rays may |
lead TO some great thing. We don't know |
yet what. but something. l feel sure
VIII 1903 bring us the flying ma |
chine
] never take much interest in flying /
machines. They are not commercial. l 1
never could see much in them IN prac- /
tical way. and / have not bothered to I
read what is being done about them. I
don't see the use"
VIII the ocean telephone be perfected /
tn 1902"
Maybe IL VIII. but il isn't commercial I
either. You can't talk more than $50
words a minute over II. and the cable 4
VIII carry one hundred words 4 minute.
You've set lots of telephones right in 4
your own Office. Why don't you use them 4
for the short circuits around, through
Jersey. 10 Washington, Philadelphia and
THE Ike. Because they don't artieulate 1
distinctly"
The inventors eyes sparkled with new 4
interest when he wa sled from flying I
machines and ocean telephony TO the /
Eodern discoveries in surgery and treat I.
nent Of diseases.
1T is wonderful time for the men in !
terested in surgery. in antiseptics ard in
the study of bacteria and the causes OF
diseases I read al lthey are doing with
great Interest," is meat TO me
They have done marvellous things in
the last Few years-;hay are working
on still more marvellous ones
Medicine is playing out All these /
discoveries Of bacteria prove that il is /
al wrong and that we've been taking a 1
million tons OF stuff or a wrong theory /