The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-14

A long, high walled room, paneled and
wainscoted with light wood; green hang
ings at occasional alooves, many windows.
the ligh from which Is tempered 10 mellow
atmosphere, comfortable chairs free from
the intrusion Of other visitors, portraits
Of celebrated men, the most conspicuous
one Of President Roosevelt with his menaoing
smile; a statue holding aloft an incandesoent
bulb In lieu Of torch, long, low bookshelves
filed with many scientific volumes,
huge clock which stares from the opposite
wall. That Is the reception room Of Thomas
Edison.
Perhaps it Is because many OF the volumes
on the bookshelves are upside down, or
because the electric clock marks FIVE min
utes past when Il IA really II, that tho
visitors are conscious Of a sense Of serenity
which certainly the name Of Edison does
not evoke, a name linked with all sorts and
kinds OF noise making machines, nerve
Tacdng experiments.
VIII the Wizard surprise in like mAnneri
Almost as soon as the question is formed
the door has opened 30 admit some one. who
advances leisurely, as a victim might adj
vance 10 the electric chair Of his own making.
He has not been announced, and the
picture memory Is VIGOROUSLY weak, but
his clothes betray him. No one but a
genius would dare to faunt such indif-
ference, and II face could be called COM
Portable TO match the clothes, then that
word might describe Edison's. It's ex-
preston Is one Of dndliness and power,
the eyes are the gray blue OF the ex-
plorer In the desert, whether OF sand
OF science, there are many wrinkles about
thsm. wrinkles which denote humor,
humanity and herculean effort, the fea-
lures large and strong, the hair sparse
and white, gradually reoedlng before
the dome Of thought. The color Of the
face shows the effect OF a shut in life.
In his chair he sits relaxed, and when
be is thinking, seems 10 look within rather
than 10 the outer world A slight deafness
helps TO this appearance Of abstraction
Il am working at present on the motor
battery for automobiles. My idea Is to
make it possible for a tonneau car for four
persons TO 90 without reohargng for a
hundred miles. We can do that now With
heavy trucks, but the motor is too heavy
for the auto for travelling. The practical
limit at present IL fifty miles for the ton
nOau'
And you win limit the distance for the
perfected auto Of the future 70 q hundred
tn{lesi'
There Ia no limit to anything In this
world would not venture to say that
the automobile OF the future might not 90
any distance This Ia merely the next step.
DO ride much In them myself A
great deal, partly for pleasure and partly
for experimental purposes. have eight,
one with tonneau for four with q limit Of
fifty miles, the smaller ones with q seventy
five mile limit. depending on the make.
have gasoline and steam motors also, which
use 10 note experiments, for those are the
ones I must beat and will. The electric
auto IL the auto Of the future; Il L. bound !
TO be, for II Ia the surest and the simplest, |
There is nothing to an electric auto but a
couple Of chains and a motor II is really
the ideal machine II we can only get the
motor down Light enough
The corners Of the Wizards eyes wrinkle,
and with a chuokle he changes the converse
ton from the scientific into the personal
last Sunday I was near Plainhsld With
enc Of my new motors. having . fine time
speeding along, when suddenly, about q
quarter Of a mile ahead Of me, saw a man
In . machine rise up. wave his hands fran
tioa1y and yell Look out for the polioel'
80, Of course, I slowed down The Joke Of
10 tslthat the Plain6eld police, after erecting
. Sign 70 warn motor cars 70 keep within
the Speed hutt, had fired a stop watch to
The dgn, and then, by a series Of Telephones
placed every quarter of mile, had devised
. system byWhoh, a. soon as q car passed
the SiEn, the watch marked the time. which
was telephoned ahead to the nSxt quarter,
and 70 on, 10 that II was very easy to find
OUt the enact speed.
Then they stationed themselves along
ths route In plain clothes, waiting 10 grab
the vnWNryS 6ut the unwary caught on and
simply yelled 70 each otheTI and the word
Went back along = line Of a hundred