The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-02-11
Edison Holds Birth
day With Hoover,
Ford and FirestOne
(Cortinuei from page one,

TOrQ ana T1reSCOnc
Continued from page onel
he said. I'VE have found among 9th.
er things that there are from 1900 to
Loo rubber producing plants In the
United States and that golden rod,
which grows wild throughout the ma
ton. Is one Of the best producers.
Mr.. Ford has given me the use Of
22.OO0 acres Of his land in Georgia
and we're going to plant 1t to rubber
producing plants, then breed them
and make them work"
MIR. Hooyer's party, consisting Of
MI. and Mrs. Hoover, their son Her
bert Jr., Mr.. and Mrs. Edgar Ricard
and Mr.. and Mrs. Jeremiah Milbank.
went with the three famous friends
and Mrs. Edison and fArs. Firestone
to the Edison home.
After q short visit In the house.
they entered automobiles and toured
Fort Myers. stopping for two minutes
At each OF the city's schools to enable
school children to give their con-
gratulationS to Mr.. Edison and their
greeting to MIR. Hoover. The presi-
dent-elect and the inventor rode in
the first automobile In the parade. In
cars Immediately following were 9th.
er members Of the birthday party.
| Hold Birthday Luncheon
AT the conclusion Of the parade the
party returned to the Edison home
where the inventors birthday lunch
con was held. The feature of the
luncheon was large pound -cake. Mr..
Edison's favorite, with white icing and
surmounted by q single green candle.
| Mr.. Ford came to the new office
building early to give birthday greet
ings to his friend and stayed in the
building for some time while Mr.. Ed
ason was answering the questions sub
mitted to him. MIR. and Mrs. Fire
stone came to the estate while photo
graphers were taking pictures of Mr..
Edison.
Edison's birthday is always an
event. Reporters and cameramen
besiege him. take as many pictures
as he will allow and ply him with
questions on everything under the
sun. Always recognized as q man of
surprising intellect. he is now, in his
old age, accepted also as something
Of an oracle.
On his birthday, too, people like
to look back over his long career. His
l1fe-story always bears re-telling. It
Is immensely interesting. The story
OF what he did, and how he did it, is
one Of the most absorbing stories
America has produced.
Sold News ~ Boy
Milan. O.. was Edison's birthplace.
The year was 1847. The nation then
was . quiet country: agriculture was
its mainstay. and the industrial revo-
luton had hardly begun to be felt.
The streets Of big cities were lighted
by gas: In smaller towns they were
not lighted at all. Electricity was
only q pulling natural phenomenon.
It was . pre-Edison country, vastly
different from today.
When Edison was z his family
moved to Port Huron. Mich: and
there, five years later, he started out
to make his way In the world. A
job as newsboy on a Grand Trunk
railroad train was his first job-not.
perhaps, q very promising beginning.
But it served.
Already he had given evidence of
q keen natural curiosity. His mother.
going to the cellar one day, found
him at . long table covered with bot
ties. most Of which were labeled "poi-
son." He had rugged up q laboratory.
OF sorts, and was going to make some
experiments. When he went to work
on the railroad he moved his labora-
tory to the baggage car and messed
around gatly In 1t at every spare mo-
ment.
Electricity Fascinated Him
Electricity fascinated him from the
beginning. The telegraph was then
coming into general use, and he
longed to learn about 1t. Chance
gave him his opening.
\ In 1862 young Edison rescued the
daughter Of the Mt. Clemens station
master from under the wheels Of a
train. The station master, full Of
gratitude, asked the boy what he
could do to repay him.
u want to be telegrapher." Edi-
son replied.
SO q telegrapher he became. and
for five years he worked in that Job.
All the time he was studying electric
ity. and tiukering with embryonic in
ventions.
Then he moved to Boston, where
he secured his first patent-on an
electrical vote-recording machine.
But the device, while . successful In
vention. was commercial failure:
and Ia 1850 Edison. then q, moved to
New York. slightly discouraged.
There he had better success. He
devised m electrical stock ticker.
patented tt-and sold the rights for
$4,000.
Mary Had . Little Lamb
With this money he determined to
do what he had always longed to do
-cstablish himself In an independent
laboratory and devote all Of his time
to research. He moved to Newark,
N. J.. built . workshop, and started
on the long path that was to yield
some Of the worlds most useful In
ventions.
The first few years were uuspectac-
ular. Edison helped perfect the first
practical typewriter. and developed q
carbon transmitter Tor telephones;
but It WAS not until 1879. when he
moved his shop to Menlo Park, n. j..
that rial success began to come.
After . number Of experiments. he
devised . little machine With . wax
cylinder. needle and sensitive dia-
phragm. Into the ..unnel that led 70
the diaphragm he spoke the words.
MARY had ! little lamb" Then he.
changed the machine around, put Ia
= diffGEent kind o9 needle. and turned
. lever. Gut of the tunnel came his