The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-10-24


ventor.
BY WILLIAM JOSEPH HAMMER
NOted Scientist and Lifelong Associate
Of Thomas A. Edison, as Told to
Willis J. BaIlinger.)
Copyright, 1881. NEA Service. Incl
DEER in on Thomas A. Edison in
Il 1879 on the second floor of that
humble little frame building at
Menlo Park, N. j.
If you associate appearance with
greatness you are going to be
shocked.
You will behold a man whose
clothes are pressed rarely. He often
sleeps for two weeks at a time in
the laboratory, though his house is
only a stones throw away. Hi shair
generally is tousled. His shirt usu-
ally is open. He rarely wears a tie.
On his head is a battered straw hat.
When he sleeps he curls up on a
laboratory table with a book for a
pillow.
He firmly believes that five hours
sleep Is ample for the industrious
man.
AS a boss" he knows nothing
about the modern art of differen-
tiating himself from his hirelings.
He does hauling when there is haul
ing to do. He works the presses. He
cleans out his own bottles. He
presses no buttons nor waits to be
waited on.
And this was Edison practically
all his life.
VXTHEN he married for the Sec
w ond time his personal appear
ance perked up. He married Nina
Miller, the daughter of Meyer Mil
Ter, the originator of the Chautau-
qua assemblies and a man of wealth.
His daughter vas a cultured lady.
Up to this time Edison never had
on a full dress suit, nor worn a plug
hat, or for that matter eve seen a
cutaway.
After his marriage to Miss Miller
revolution began in many Of his
habits. His shoes were Shined, his
pants pressed and his collar began
to associate with a tie.
While he never achieved any de-
gree of dappernesS, he did progress
beyond the point Of untidiness. Fun
damentally, however, the change
was only skin deep.
To his last hours Edison had an
intense dislike Of putting on dog"
Major Benton, a close friend of
Edison's in his later days, tells about
his deeply rooted affection for the
transformations.
n n
the story-grab a look at
IL the man:
Edison is riding on a train. He
now is world-famous and has begun
10 be surrounded by subordinateS
who seek to cultivate in him a man
ner suiting to his reputation.
Edison has seated himself in the
smoker and is busy talking with the
conductors.
The Negro porter hovers delight
eddy in the background. Edison is
chatting like any denizen of Squash
Hollow at the store round table and
swapping viewpoints.
A member of his encourage ap-
pears and suggests that he go in the
car and take possession of his pri-
vate quarters and Subtly insinuateS
that as a great man Edison must
be protected from chance acquaint-
anceS.
Edison replies: aren't these peo-
pie good enough? They suit me-"
He stays in the smoker.
THE tousled-haired Edison dur
Il ing the early days at Menlo
Park. while not yet known as the
Wizard of Electricity, still was a
figure of consequence.
A few years before he had made
an inglorious entrance into New
York city wearing a much frayed
linen buster and a straw hat
much chewed about the edges. AS
ne expressed the situation later
he didn't have enough money in his
pocket to buy even a chew of to-
bacco."
He drifted then into the quar-
tiers of the Gold and Stock Com
pany, where news about stocks
vas collected and dispatched over
telegraph wires to the outside
world and found a great crowd
thronged about the Company'S
cumbersome ticker which had
broken down. He repaired it and
won a job.
He did not like apparatus which
needed repairs.
He devised his famous Gold and
Stock indicator, which, with very
few notifications, still is in active
use. For this invention he was
given a check for $4,000.
EDISON said that up to that time
II he didn't know what a check
was intended for. Some one told
him to take it to a bank.
When he showed it to the cashier
it was handed back to him. He
imagined Immediately that some
one had been fooling him about
getting any money with a piece of
paper.
Going back to the company'S Of
fees he was told that he had to in
dorse the check, And when he
finally presented the check in
proper form and the cashier handed
him $4,000 in bills over the counter,
the astonished Edison, fearing that
the magic spell might be broken,
stuffed the bills frantically under
his hat and in his shirt and pants
and fled.
= = q
THEN came in rat-tat-tat sue
l. cesSion his ingenious method
Of sending first two and then fouI
fo1onronh v-,nrr1~.- -. -