Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-12-10

tory, in fact, they eeem so to me
although the events all happened less
than forty years ago, In the years 1871
to 1880.
The occurrences OF which shall
speak, lie in my mind as a splendid
drama, in which II was my great privilege
to play a part. | shall try to put my
self back into that wonderful play, and
| tell you its story from the same atti-
tide OF mind ] had then-the point Of
view of mere boy Just out of his ap-
premiership as an Observation-Disclosures,
intensely interested in his work, and full
OF boyish hope and enthusiasm. There
fore, as II must be largely a personal
many rs and 'mv's' and to be indulgent
II ] show how proud and glad am that
l was chosen by the fates TO he tho asso-
ciate Of Alexander Graham Bell TO work
side by side with him day and night.
through all these wonderful happenings
that have meant so much to the world
81 realize now what a lucky boy was,
when at thirteen wears Of age had to
leave school and go to work for my Nv
ing, although I didn't think 80 at the
time. There's a tide in the affairs OF
men You know, and that was the be-
ginning OF its flood In my life, for after
trying several NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., book
| keeping, carpenterinR, etc, and finding
them all unattractive, I Mt last found
lust the job that suited me in the cleo
trica workshop of Charles Williams. at
100 Court street, Boston--one Of the best
men | have ever known
1T was while working on some torpedo
, apparatus for Moses G. Farmer at New
port that I met Bell That apparatus
Will always be connected in my mind
with the telephone, for one day when
was hard at work on It, tall, slender.
quick-motioncd man with pale face,
black side whskers and dropping mus
tachc big nose and high slopnE fore
head crowned with bushy. jet-black hair,
came rushing out Of the Office and over
to my work bench It was Alexander
Graham Bell FIc was bringing to me
piece of mechanism which I had made
for him under instructions from the Of
flee. It had not been made as he had
directed. and he had broken down the
rudimentary discipline Of the shop In COM
ing directly 10 me to get It altered. II
harmonic telegraph an invention Of his
with which he was then endeavoring to
win fame and fortune. 1t was simple
affair by means Of which, utilizing the
law of sympathetic vibration, ~ expected
to send six or eight Morse MESA ges on
single wire at the same time, without
interference.
Most of Bells early experimenting on
'hc harmonic telegraph was done in
Salem at the home Of Mrs George Sand
crs, whore he resided for several wears
having charge of the instruction Of her
deaf nephew. The present V NJ c. a.
building is on the site Of that house.
would occasionally work with Bel.
there. but most of his experimenting in
which took part was done in Boston
Mr. Bell was very apt to do his expert
menting at night, for he was busy dur
Ing the day at the Boston University,
where lie WAS professor Of vocal ply
siology especially teaching his fathers
system Of visible speech. ny which a
deaf mute might learn to talk-uuitn
significant of what Bell was soon to do
in making mute metal talk For this
reason | would often remain at the shop
during the evening to help him test some
Improvement he had had me make on
the instruments.
zone evening when we were resting
from our struggles with the apparatus.
Bell said to mo: Watson want to
tell YOU Of another idea | have. which
think will surprise you listened
suspect. somewhat lancuidly. for 7 must
have been working that day about six
a. l.
terval and Bell had already given me
during the weeks we had worked to-
gcther more new ideas on great va
riety OF subjects, including visible speech
rlocution and flying machines than my
brain could asslmiate. But when he
went on to say that he had an idea by
which he believed ii would be possible
70 talk by telegraph, my nervous system
got such a shock that the tired feelings
vanished ! have never forgotten his
exact words; they have run in my mind
ever since like mathema teal formula.
IT, he said, 4 could make a current OF
electricity vary In intensity, precisely as
the air varies in density during the pro-
duction OF sound, I should be able to
transmit speech telegraphically' He then
sketched for me an instrument that he
thought would do this. and we discussed
the possibility ~ constructing one. ri
did not make it; 1t was altogether too
costly and the chances Of its working too
uncertain to impress his financial back
ers-Gardner e. Hubbard and Thoma
Sar'crs-who were insisting that the
Wis St thing for Rel to do was to per-
fc"' the harmonic telegraph: then he
would have money and leenrc enough to |
,H''d air castles like the telephone
At about this time Professor Bells !
financial problems had begun to press
Hard for solution. We We're very much |
Disappointed because the president of the |
Western Union Telegraph company had !
refused, somewhat contemporary, Mr. !
Hubbard s offer TO sell MIN all the Boil |
patents for the exorhitant sum of 800 % |
O1. It was an especially hard blow to |
me, for while the negotiations were pend |
ing | had had visions of a sumptuous |
office in the Western Union building in |
New York, which I was expecting to oc- |
cupy as superintendent OF the telephone
department OF the great telegraph COM
pany. However, we recovered even from |
that facer. Two years later the West
ern Union would gladly have bought |
those patents for s25, 10000.
This was the beginning OF the great |
wave Of telephone activity. not only in
electrical and mechanical invention. but
also In business and operative organiza-
tion, which has been increasing in its