The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1905-07-14
THOMAS EDISOa AND THE JaPS
THE GREAT INVENTOR WANTS
THEM IN HIS LABORATORY.
Hunting for Radium in the Mines and
Mountains, But Finds
Little OF It

Thomas A Edison has been deYOt- /
ing his days for some time past to /
a keen search for radium. the newly /
discovered metal which promises such 1
wonderful results In healing the sick, /
making the blind to see and curing |
malignant cancers.
In an interview with a representa-
tive Of the New York World at MenlO
Park few days ago MI Edison said:
Il have hunted for this new sub
stance in a thousand places and
chemically examined no end Of speci-
mems Of ore from different mines and
mountains, but thus far have not sue
ceeded in finding it in any quantity.
I have, however, reached some de-
cided conclusions on the subject.
''Radium is similar to 8-rays in its
power to pass through substances,
and its effects are apparently as in
furious to Investigators. This is es-
peciaIly true Of the X-rays. Ny wife
is unwilling to have me experiment
with them any more. One Of my
eyes was drawn out Of focus, and my
stomach was more or less affected, so
that I was seriOsuly Inconvenience
in my laboratory work. Besides this,
my assistant died about a year ago
from the effects Of their baneful in
fuence, and now his brother, another
assistant, is suffering from a red dis
celebration Of the flesh on his breast
and arms, although he has not been
making any X-ray experiments for a
year. Strange the injury from their
influence should only manifest itself
twelve months after laboratory inves-
| legations ceased!"
| What have you under way now %
/ inquired the representative. do you
| believe with Tesla that we shall be
/ able to talk around the world one Of
| these days?"
NO" answered the wizard, II do
not look for developments in that
line The wonderful thing that viii
be more and more developed is wire
less teleraphy. Marconi is all right
and IS bound sooner or later to per
| feet his system. He has just been
/ married, and is not working as hard
at present, as he did at first But
he viii come out all right, and We
| shall have the oceans bridged by wire
less telegraphy. That was a remark
| able performance the other day when
! the steamship Campania was never
| out Of communication with one side
or the other Of the Atlantic ocean It
shows what we are coming to.
| Gables viii not be superseded.
Business will only be increased for
both wireless and cable companies,
| just as telegraph and telephone sup
plement each other.
| The Japs are making splendid use
/ Of wireless biography in the present
| war with Russia They are a won
derful little people and are up to
date in everything. They Will revolu-
| tiOnize things in the Orient when
China to be more like the western
nations.
II admire the Japs because they
are up to date I don't believe in war
and am a man Of peace. The only
| kind Of war that interests me is one
4 between the great rcaptains Of in
dustry, in which the one with the
| biggest brain wins every time The
Japss when once peace is declared
viii enter upon an industrial cam
/ paign and buy all improved labor
saving machinery they can Then
they viii make things lively for US.
The machine nations will lead the
world and decide the issues between
the other countries"
What do you mean by machine
nations"
! Why replied the wizard, those
| that use labOr-saving machinery. In
the last analysis the three or four
great nations Of the world will be
/ those that are up to date in making
and manufacturing goods cheaper
and better than any one else, and that
are more intelligent and wideawake
/ Commerce will be the great thing,
| after all, which nations viii strive
after"
Coming back to wireless teIe-
| graphy again cannot the message be
/ intercepted by Outsiders?''
There is not the least danger from
/ that >" said the wizard in reply. ANY
/ important message by cable or over
land even now is sent by code, and
/ that is what viii be done when wire
/ less messages are sent When you
| forward a cable message from New
! York to London, il goes through the
hands Of four or five operators. And
/ the way you protect your secret is by
using code words. The same thing can
/ be done with wireless messages. The
Japs certainly understand this game
to perfection, for they seemed to be
posted on every move Of the enemy
on land or sea-
Electricity is still in its infancy,
and you viii find that the Japs viii
employ it to still great uses am
not in the least alarmed at the yellow
peril I wish had a lot Of Japs in
my laboratory.
Speaking Of telegraph" continu-
ed the wizard, the general superin-
I tendent Of the Lackawanna railroad
was here yesterday and told me a
very interesting thing. At the recent
railroad congress in Washington, out
Of the seventy-fve officials at one Of
the banquets given fOrty-three OF
them Cor over half were old oper-
ators And they were very proud Of
the fact that they had risen from the
ranks Not a few OF the most prom
inent men in the United States have
been knights OF the key All Of
which goes to show that an operator
may have big future ahead OF him"
know Mr.. Edison is very busy
with some interesting experiments
and has 1900 cells at work IN trucks
and delivery wagons throughout the
country. The results obtained from
actual work he viii finally embody in
the perfected bafferv