New-York tribune., 1908-02-02
TOOK HIM FOR ANOTHER BARBER.

| Steve had recovered from this and be-
ginning to look and feel like himself more.
when he was again detailed to escort q visitor
! through the works. This man also silent
| and undemonstrative. Consequently, Steve
| rather hastily concluded that he had another
| barber to entertain The quiet visitor showed
| little surprise or appreciation of the many
| rnarkable machines, and Steve" was aggrteved-
For the honor of the works he determined to de-
velop little enthusiasm in the taciturn visitor.
He began to color his descriptions Of the won
| oerful inventions for utilizing electricity. He
pointed out dynamo which he said was SO
/ powerful that IT never had been and never could
/ be operated its full capacity, owing to the
/ utter impossblity Of controlling the current
/ He gave dissertation the incandescent lamp
and its manufacture, asserting that its discov-
/ cry was due to the accidental observation of q
/ lightning fash playing a two-pronged fork
( IN pickle bottle. Waxing eloquent he stretched
/ out his right and exclaimed:
/ And SO that estimable boon to mankind the
incandescent lamp, was bornr'
AT this moment the visitor stepped up to q
workman who winding coils slapped him
the back and said:
Hello, Dan"
The man thus addressed started. looked up,
and his face flushed with surprise and pleasure
as he grasped the outstretched hand
GOD bless my soul! It's my old bossw he
exclaimed. Mr.. Edison. how are you?"
Steve staggered back and sat down on q
casting He tried to think it over; to recollect
some Of the stuff he had been telling, but his
mind was blur. One thing only stood out dis
tinctly He had told the Wizard OF Menlo
Park" the inventor OF the incandescent lamp,
/ that II the evolution Of a pickle bottle and
q two-pronged fork Then he disappeared.
EDISON GETS EVEN.
A week or two later he received from Mr.. Edi-
son book on electrical wonders, written for
Juveniles. on the iyleaf of which was a pen
drawing OF a fork in a pickle bottle and below
the inscription:
"And SO that inestinlable boon TO mankind.
the tncandescent lamp. born!"
One Of the qualifications of a good newspaper
is a little knowledge about everything
There are a few. however. who have yet
mastered ell Of the details Of the phenomena
and possibilities Of electricity. Occasionally
Of these receives an assignment" to procure |
interview with Mr.. Edison. The Wizard Of |
Electricity is always kindly disposed toward !
newspaper men, and when he discovered that /
one who had been sent to obtain interview |
having difficulty in understanding all Of the |
technicalites OF electrical science, he put his /
visitor at by rernarking that he knew much |
more about electricity than many who call at !
the laboratory Then he asked II he had ever |
told him the story about the fireman he had |
once met In Canada
In a certain Canadian town. said Mr. Edi-
SON where l was running q telegraph Office In |
my youth g factory, with fine engine
house was being put UP. I visited this factory
day the engine. The engineer was
out and the fireman. new hand. showed me
about AS we stood admiring the engine to-
gether, I said
What horsepower has this engine?
tHThe fireman gave q loud laugh Horse
power!' he exclaimed Why, man. don't you
know that this machine goes by stean?'"
On one occasion Mr. Edison was asked by &
visitor to name his principal inventions. With
characteristic reluctance he replied: We'll, first
and foremost the idea OF the electric lighting
station; then, let me see, what have inven-edf
Oh there was the rriueograph and also the
electric pen. and the carbon telephone and the
incandescent lamp and its accessories. and the
ouadruplex telegraph and the automatic teie-
graph and the phonograph and the ktnetoscope
and-and-oh I don't know, q whole lot OF other
things"