The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-10-08
Edison Shows
 Great Strength
(Continued from Page 1)

her voice, it can penetrate his deaf ness where other sounds fail. Dur ing the course of the day or night, his children may tiptoe into the room, but as they fear to disturb him, they stay downstairs for the most part.
 Six telephones, are there, and they ring almost constantly. Henry Ford calls from Detroit. He is anxious as to the condition of his old crony. The other phone rings. It is White House secretary. President Hoover is eager to know Edison's condition. Another phone. It Is the president of some cor poration or a United States senator or an international celebrity, but 1t is just as likely to be a neighbor or former Edison servant.
 Once a day a mall truck deposits a heavy bag at the side door. It contains hundreds of letters that convey the sympathies of the great. the near-great, and the unknown in all parts of the world.
 A secretary, assisted by an of- ficial of the Thomas A. Edison in- dustries. opens this mail. The of ficial and the secretary are con- stantly on duty to shield the Edi- son family during the emergency.
 The Edison garage, a two-story stone structure wreathed with ivy. Is some hundred yards fom the house. damned in amongst a dozen cars, including two of the ancient electric runabouts in which MT. Edison was so often pictured a decade ago, are telephones and telegraph instruments manned by reporters and their operators. One thinks of the days when Edison was an operator. Emergency tele- phone crews scurrying about in- stalling still more instruments. Twenty-some odd men sit around on running boards at a crude table awaiting the final word from the big house. Messenger boys run in and out with coffee and sandwiches. The air is blue with cigaret smoke.
 The Edison family finds it difficult to understand. One of Edson's sons- in-law passes the garage and looks in, startled and bewildered. Are all these telephones necessary? Why so many men? Wouldn't one be enough?"
 One of the reporters explains: Tt isn't an ordinary man who Is dying in the big house. Therefore. the reporters. the telephones, and the telegraph"
 West Orange, N. J., Oct S.-(UP) The brilliant mind of Thomas A. Edison. whose many inventions have been of lasting benefit to man. kind, is gradually slipping into a coma from which his physician says It will not emerge.
 Death is expected at almost any time.
 Virtually all ranks of people have showed their interest in the condition of the aged inventor. A message signed "An Average Citi- gen." representing the feeling of many, was received at the Edison estate last night.
 T am only one of the millions who have enjoyed and benefited oy the many gifts God gave you to develop for man." the message said. Your ingenious mind, de- termination an dhonesty will for ever live as partons for the future advancement of civilization. Kind est regards" It came from Pitts burg.
 When Dr Howe left the Edison home at 10:45 a. m., he said that outwardly there appeared to be no change in Edison's condition, but that he must be weaker.
 The inventors case is proving one Of the most difficult to predict, he said. Ordinarily. Dr Howe said, he could foretell from patients 's condition about when they might slip into the coma from which there Is no return. but in Edison's $ case his trmendous vitality and the stubbornness with which he is nghtfng off his illness makes pre- diction impossible.
 Edison talks very little and con- unued to spend most of his time in a'iisht sleep. Last night he did not take his usual glass of milk. This morning he had small breakfast of stewed fruit.