The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-11-02

william Joseph Hammer. his scientific
associate and lifelong friend.
BY WILLIS ]. BALLINGER
As Told BY William Joseph Hammg. Life
long Friend Of Edison.
Copyright. 1891. NEA Service. Incl
When the World wal broke out,
Edison was approaching the bibli-
Cal allotment of three-score years
and ten.
His life's work had been prac-
tically accomplished. Yet, while
young men offered their bodies for
tnelr country, this man old in years
volunteered a mind still young in
creative capacity.
Edison was elected the honorary
head Of the naval advisory board.
His contributions during the World
war were numerous and remark
able.
Our collision with Germany had
cut Dur industries off from many
chemicals. Particularly were we
short of carbolic acid, of which Edi-
son was the largest user in the
United States.
PhenOl Was Tied Up
Edison found how to produce it
alphabetically, but he needed phenol
Tor this purpose. He secured the
cooperation of other interests. i'm
proved his process and turned out
1000 pounds of carbolic acid a day
In 1915, from the phenol.
But this used up great quantities
OF phenol, and a shortage of phenol
meant considerable suffering. In
the first place it is an Ingredient
Of aspirin.
1t threatened to cut us off from
the consolation of music, for phenol
Is used in making phonographic
records.
More imperative still, the chemi-
a is vital to the making Of picric
acid, which is used for filling bombs.
Made Good as Chemist
With accustomed energy, the
wizard of electricity turned chem
1st with tremendous success. He
developed on a large scale the man
utacture of phenol and, less than a
year after America entered the war,
there were fifteen phenol plants
turning out g. ALAG, 499 pounds of the
substance, valued at over $23, OOO.-
900.
There arose the great wal prob
lem OF rubber. How were we 60
ing to shoe our ambulances? How
were we going to find a substitute
that has qualifications throughout
u industrial life and which is,
also, a wal necessity?
The United States consumes
three-tourths of the worlds rubber
output and grows none of it. Here
was a pretty problem, indeed. And
1t was one that taxed the genius of
the grand old man to the limit.
Wanted s Per Cent Yield
I'VE see him rearing golden rod
fourteen feet high. We see him
getting a sap yield from his giant
golden rod plant of 6 per cent.
when I get 8 per cent yield, the
rubber problem is solved" he NUT
tered de~term1nedly.
The world generally regards Edi-
sons incandeScent lamp as his great
est accomplishment. His favorite
invention was the photograph.
The Jumbo" dynamo certainly
bafled him nor than any of his
successful inventions. Up to the
time of the Jumbo" a dynamo
could be lifted about by several men.
Tdfcn1 VrAIxvOAI sLs--
thirty tons, which drove a six-ton
armature $50 revolutions a minute
by mean of a direct connected
steam engine.
Ran Ragged by Jumbo"
The dynamo is a device for trans
lating the mechanical energy of a
steam engine into electric energy.
The most efficient dynamo in the
world at that time was the Gram
me-" which had only an efficiency
of Al per cent, whereas the Edison
dynamo translated 90 per cent of
the steam power into electricity.
The Jumbo dynamo solved the
problem of economically generating
electricity on a huge scale.
This invention ran Edison and
his associates ragged" The ter
rife strain of the centrifugal forces
on the armature was so great that
it often caused the copper bar wind
ings to fly off and strike into the
magnets.
Finally Made to Behave
Or occasion the connecting
rod of the engine was thrown across
the room. Edison had to gold
plate all contacts, as the heat
caused oxidation. Day after day,
night after night, a crew of perspir-
ing men put up with the whims of
Lady Dynamo until finally she was
made to behave herself.
Edison's discovery of the principle
of the photograph was once de-
scribed to Hammer by the inventor.
zone day." Edison said, At was
talking into a phone diaphragm, at
the back Of which was attached a
needle.
IT was feeling the power of the
sound waves on the needle when,
ell of a sudden, I raised by voice
to a shout, and the needle stuck SO
WEHWW