The Washington herald., 1912-11-10
LOCKED IN WITH EDISON.
Kept Five Men at Work Day and
NiRht Fourteen Days.

Frrfn the New York Glob-
In the northeast corner Of the EdisorS
shops at West Orange. n. J., there Is q
long. low. y-windowei room known a. j.
the perfecting laboratory. From this room
there stepped-or. should 1t be said, star.
gered-the other afternoon six men They
were grimy men: their clothes sodden with
oil: their eyes bleared and sunken: the sag
OF the last stage OF WEAKNESS In their
shoulders: the shuttle of exhaustion in
their feet
One Of these men was Thomas A. Ear.
son. the inventor. The others were five
of his skilled workmen. Fourteen days be-
fore they had followed him into that lons.
low. many -windowed room. They had ex.
opected they would come out the same
day: he. too. had expected they would
come out then, But something had gone
wrong with the last touch he was putting
on his new disk phonograph. and II had
taken Just fourteen days to set 1t Alright.
During those fourteen days neither tho
inventor nor his workmen had left the
room: neither he nor they had eaten
cooked food None had slept more than
three hours a day-sleeping IN shifts; mono
had shaved, none had washed and. when
they came out at last, the new disk phonos
graph was completed
The five workmen skunk exhausted to
their homes hardly a block from the plant.
but to which they. even though 50 near,
had been unable to 60, and there thsy
dropped down to sleep.
Mr.. Edison walked quietly over to irf9
house. When he emerged an hour later he
had shaken the print Of weariness like q
mask. He was smiling and fresh and
clear-cyed. despite his sixty-five years. and
the fact that he had but forty-two hours
sleep in fourteen days, instead OF tho III
that the average man Is supposed to get,
and the reporters to whom he told of his
admiration for the Bull Moose party little
dreamed that they were talking to an old
man who had just accomplished q feat
which had exhausted five husky me-
chanics.
Mr. Edison. smiling. told the Newspaper
men that he had been doing some little
housecleaning in the shops. It was not
until recently that the nature Of this
housecleaning became known.
While he and his five workers were SAD.
ping the vitality of life I'm the laboratory
the inventor did not allow any Of the men
even time enough to go to their homes
for q moment. He sent messengers 10
their wives telling them they were ens
gagged and might not be free for Q lonH
time.
No food was cooked In the laboratorA
1t would have been easy for the inventor
to have meals sent in to himself and hlD
son. but he believed that hot food and too
much eating interfered with the progress
of his work. Canned foods and those Of
the concentrated variety provided the dieS
both for himself and the others.
All Of the men were smooth-shaveA
when they went in. When they came out
each had a ragged beard. Fellow-worEs
men who passed them outside said that
they did not recognise them. SO greatly
had the work and lack Of sleep affected
them.
Out at the Edison plant they say thaA
workmen do not object to spending sleeps
less weeks with the inventor when hfD
work calls. They declare he never forgeta
TO reward such work.
1t was not until recently that Mr.. Edison
yawned and declared he had begun 10
feel sleepy" Then he went out and start~
ed a force Of men to work preparing big
touring car for a long trip. Others stocked
the car with a camping outfit includin9
oil stove. tent and blankets and food.
He had his secretary. Miller g. Hutch,
son. stock the tonneau Of the car with ens
gineering books and in a few hours waa
ready to start on hide away" trip.
Il don't believe he has decided yet where
he Is going" said Mr.. Hutchinson. 'Ha
goes when he wants to and stops whero
the spirit moves him. 1t may be New Jsf~
sey. It may be New York. II may be-who
knows? He's tired now and he's going %
IL mot ofh MOI .