Smyrna times., 1936-11-12
Convention of Edison PARTY


cred at the opening convention of
the Edison Party, by Betty Gra-
ham, chairman:
Members of the Edison party,
we meet here to-day to nominate
candidate for President and Vice
President for our party. 1 know
of no better way to tell you what
to do than to give you an account
of the life of this great American
inventor, Thomas A. Edison.
Mr.. Edison was born in Milan
Ohio, on February IL, 1847. His
ancestors came to America from
Holland in 1870. In 1854 Edison
became a trainboy on the Grand
Truck Railway at the age Of
twelve. While serving in the ca
pacity he set up small hand
press in corner of the baggage
car. With this equipment he pub
lished The Grand Truck Herald.
This little weekly was one of the
few if not the only newspaper ever
regularly printed on moving
train. The future inventor was
also carrying on chemical expert
ments. One day some of the chem
icals were Spilled and set fire to the
baggage car. The conductor put
the fellow off with all his chemicals
so this ended the newspaper.
One day in Michigan an infant
son of station agent strayed out
to the tracks. A train was com
ing. Young Edison leaped to the
rescue. In reward this boys faith
er said he would teach him the art
of sending and receiving telegraph
messages. He soon became a rapid
and accurate operator In 1864 he
was working in Indianapolis. It
was there that he perfected an
automatic telegraph repeater.
Among the contributions of Edi-
son to the telegraph along may be
listed the automatic repeater, four
and six telegraphy, the printing
telegraph, the telescribe, wireless
telegraphy to and from moving
trains and the electric value which
is the basis of all wireless teleg-
raphy.
In 1877 he conceived the idea of
the phonograph. The first phon-
ograph model was built at cost of
SIS. 1t was cylinder covered
with tinfoil and was turned by
hand crank. For fifty-two years
Edison continued to improve that
invention.
The year his first invention of
the phonograph, Edison began his
experiments with the incandescent
electric lamp. About April, 1879,
Edison made his first important
discovery in this field. He found
out that if piece of platinum wire
were put in a glass globe which
was completely sealed and ex-
hausted of air and an electric cur
rent passed through the wire it .
would glow and thus give a light. /
Edison had worked out about three .
thousand theories in the invention
of the electric lamp. Edison's ex-
periments were finally succeeded +
October 21, 1879, the first practical
incandescant lamp was completed.
The first electric control system
in the world was started on Sep
tember 4, 1882. There were "a
customers. In 1929 there were
over 23,00O,000 purchasers of cleo
trio current in the United States.
Mention should also be made of the
dynamo which Edison designed and
in 1881 This dynamo
and engine was the greatest that
had been up to that time. 1t weigh
ed u tons and for many years it
was one of the wonders of the {
scientific world.
Another invention of Edison'S is
the storage battery. Prior to his {
work the only type of the storage
ANSSay WdS lie OtIt
Iead plates and sulpheric acid. Edi-
son was working in virgin terri
tory. In the year 1887 Edison first ,
gave serious attention to the idea ;
Of creating a practical way of talk
ng moving pictures.
Alexander Graham Bell invented i,
he telephone but Edison added T
many practical improvements to it. {
His work with the carbon trans :
nitter, which made the telephone
commercial success, led Edison to {
he invention of the microphone. 4
{ his instrument catches the faint r
'st sounds and makes possible our f
'adio broadcast.
Another very delicate instrument r
invented by Edison in this period }
S called the tasimeter. 1t is a de- 2
nee for registering the most min s
lite degrees of heat. o
In 1915 Edison became the presi- i
lent of the United States Navy