Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1947-01-24
WNU Features.

y During his lifetime Thoma
A. Edison found time to roc
around in about everybody
backyard, doping out a gadge
: or a machine or a formul;
that would help his neighbor
He was crammed with idea
about many things, some O
which, as everybody knows
brought him enduring fame
There were some, however
that his "a years did not give
him time to perfect.
AS the Tooth anniversary OF hi
birth, on February II, 1847, ap
proaches, there are probably very
few people who know that Edison
once won patent on flying ma
chine" Back in 1910, he doped Out
an idea on helicopter, in which
field he thought the future Of avi-
alton lay. On another occasion he
was granted patent on a method
Of preserving fruit, and when he
died he was working on formula
for extraction OF rubber from the
lowly goldenrod.
Wizard Was Human.
Edison once even worked on an
insecticide, and this experience
shows human side that bellies any
suggestion that he had a magic
thumb" in the inventive business.
He was just coming into fame as
the Wizard Of Menlo Park" when
he was approached by neighbour
Ing farmer whose principal crop
was threatened with destruction by
m invasion Of potato bugs. The
year was 1873, Tom was 81, and he
already had to his credit such in
ventions as the photograph and
'core Of telegraph patents. The
armer allowed as how an up-and-
coming young inventor ought to be
lble to find 4 way to kill off the
potato bugs.
Accepting the challenge. although
le knew relatively nothing about
Jugs and plants, Edison collected
Iuart bottle full Of potato bugs and
ct forth to compound lethal po-
lon. Testing every chemical in his
laboratory. he hit upon bisulphide
carbon as sure-fire potato bug
iller. brilliantly. he and the farm
r sprinkled the infested potato
ines and waited to tabulate the re-
llts.
The bugs died like flies-but
20 did the potato vines; and Edi-
son had to pay the farmer $500
damages for, - he put 1t, mot
experimenting properly"
He never again made the mis-
Ike Of not experimenting enough.
some Of his inventions
'ok him years to perfect, and be-
luse Of his patience the world has
.come q much better place In
hich to live. His invention of the
ectric light made necessary a sys-
"a Of electrical distribution which
ought not only light but also .
ores Of electrical gadgets to the .
I'm home as well as city resi- b
nee. His photograph put the best Il
lsic into the home, and his numer- Il
8 other inventions, including the t
oton picture, made life easier, "
're comfortable and entertaining. t.
Worked Too Well. +
There was one other of Edison's o
cations which backflred, but 1t u
snt because he hadn't perfected 9
This one, on the contrary, a
rked too well. At one time he o.
5 working as night telegraph OPP =
tor In the Grand Truck railroad &c
ton at Stratford Junction, Can C
l. One of the requirements Of the :! =,
was that Edison. then II, must u
ok in on the wire every half Sc
r by sending the signal In III
rse code to the train dispatcher
a nearby station.
Olson deplored this arrangement
ause 1t prevented him from
ching up on the sleep he wasn't
ding during the daytime, which
spent in study and experimental
! So he rugged up device for
sending out the sig
6. He hooked up the instru-
It to the Office clock so that ev-
30 minutes the signal went out 1u
? the wire, thus reassuring the
atcher that Edison was on the
whereas, in fact, he was sound Sc
ep. do
This ruse was successful dit
It'll one night the train dis the
'tcher tried vainly to contact the
dison on the wire during one wo
his catnaps. Alarmed by the Z
aspect that the Stratf0rd juno Idle
N telegraph Office was I'M mi
AIMED, the dispatcher made or,
} way to Edison's Office on . vel
ndcar. He arrived just In time ton
find Edison blissfully sleep ans
! while the young inventors Z
lchine obediently dotted-and- her
shed the prescribed signal. nra
e next day Edison started Ian
ng for another job, but the ex- ach
nent proved of incalculable lie.
} because it started him on q s