The phonoscope (Nov 1896-Dec 1899)

The Phonoscope (Copyrighted, 1896) A Monthly Journal Devoted to Scientific and Amusement Inventions Appertaining to Sound and Sight Vol. I XEbomas H. Eblson is a flIMnev now He is "Thomas A. Edison, miner," now. His general address is neither Llewellyn Park nor the laboratory at Orange, but the iron ore mines at the place which used to be called "Ogden," but which has been rechristened "Edison," N. J. "Oh, yes," he said the other day, "I get home once in a while. As a rule, I come down to the laboratory once a week — on Mondays." It must be said that Orange and the laboratory are feeling the effects of Mr. Edison's change of base of activity. The old laboratory, the scene of so many triumphs, is a lonesome spot nowadays. The working force is small and the people of Orange bewail that the glory is departed from them. But the sun will shine on them again, sooner or later. It is impossible to divorce Edison from his first love, pure electrical science, and this flirtation with mining is being carried on because he believes that there is money in it. As he himself would say, in his graphic and direct lauguage, he is ' 'out for the dust" this time. Edison is most sanguine as to the success of his mining mills. "In June they will be started up full blast," "We'll have the largest mill of the kind in the world." Mr. Edison explained how masses of gneiss rock containing crystals of magnetic iron ore were blasted out and crushed, and how the crystals were separated by a magnetic separator. "Then," he added, "the crystals are put in the form of bricks by the machinery, and sent to the furnace for the purpose of being made into pig-iron. The process is simple enough in its results, but it is difficult in practice. Thirty-one mills have been started heretofore in the United States. Every one of them has been a failure. Oh, I knew when I started what I had to buck against. "I am in splendid health and am cheerful, I am a good McKinley Republican, and I believe that prosperity is going to come back to the country, but it is going to come slowly and not in a night. These are not the days of miracles. The cheapening process has wiped out so much capital that it is going to take capital some time to get its second wind. People used to have money — the surplus of their business earnings — to invest in new enterprises, but that was all done away with in the Free Trade regime. There was no surplus to invest, and therefore there was no new investment, and new enterprises were likely to die a-borning. "Now, I tell you that there is one sure standard of prosperity. When the laboring man — I mean the wage earner, because we are all laboring men — is prosperous, then we are all prosperous. If any man is going to make money when the wage earner ain't making good wages, I'd like to see him, and I'd like to know how to do it. ' ' Mr. Edison was brought back from sound politics and experimental mining and milling to electricity. "What, in your experience up to date, is the greatest electrical discovery, leaving aside the telegraph and telephone?" "The greatest thing out is the Routgen ray, so far," said Mr. Edison enthusiastically. "It is an undoubted benefit to mankind. Its real, humane and scientific value has now been demonstrated NEW YORK, APRIL, 1897 repeatedly. The surgeons are all getting and using the apparatus, and so are all the hospitals, and are using them for practical applications almost every day." ' 'Have you any brand-new electrical inventions, or plans for any?" "Yes," was the reply. "I have got a number of things that are new, but that I am not quite ready to say anything about. I'd like to get them all right first and talk afterward." "What do you think of the talk about a method of transmitting telegraphic messages without wires ? Is such a means of communication likely to go beyond experiment? Is it practical and practicable ?' ' "Transmitting without wires ?" .said Mr. Edison, his blue eyes sparkling. "Why, I pioneered that business. I was the first one in this country who ever tried it. We had it practically for a number of years on the Lehigh Valley Railroad— on the passenger trains for experiment and regularly on the construction trains. We were able to ' jump ' messages as far as two hundred feet. Then thev messages would be run along the wire for fifty miles. Tn this way messages were exchanged while the train was in motion. One was sent from New York to London and return. The static electric wave was what was used. "As far back as 1880 we tried a number of experiments in this line at Menlo Park with kites. The scheme I had was to telegraph at sea, the idea being to have a sail or flag, with tinsel woven in it. and to connect that down to the deck. The object was to see how far one could signal at sea from the top of the mast of a ship to another ship ; but the land experiments were tried with the kites. We had a fine wire through the kite string and thin tinfoil on the kite. Then, away across on some hills, we had a man stationed with a hoop covered with paper in metallic foil. We exchanged signals there about one and three-quarter miles — that is the limit we got without proper apparatus. With apparatus we could possibly have gone three or four or five miles. At sea, with powerful apparatus, I could not see wiry they should not go fiifteen or twenty miles. The electric static charge would run up and jmnp in all directions. M. A. Preece of the British Post Office telegraph has been trying some experiments. He has obtained better results than I did. I also see that an Italian has been trying it. His results were not any better than Mr. Preece's, if as good." Mr. Edison does not believe in the possibility of telegraphing without wires to illimitate distances. "Because," he said, according to natural law, there must be a limit. When you go twice as far away you have got four times the area. When you double the diameter of the thing you have made four times the area. A pound of butter covers so much surface spread a certain thickness. It the surface is doubled in width the butter gets very thin when you spread it out. "Theoretically, if you throw a stone into the air you disturb the whole world — you have thrown it out of the centre of gravity. But practically the effect does not amount to much — is not noticeable. And so you may send out one of those electric waves, and perhaps it may go all over the world, but practically it grows so weak that after a certain distance it becomes ineffective. ' ' No. 51| There is a good deal of food for thought and speculation in the fact that this Protean genius of an Edison is only fifty years old, and that his strength, physical and mental, "is as the strength of ten." What new enterprises will he give to the world before the end of this old nineteenth century ? — N. Y. Press. *H>a£ Spar Six IRounbs for the Iktnetoscope Jem Mace and the representatives of John L. Sullivan met at the Hotel Reynolds in Boston, Mass., last night to arrange a limited round contest, to take place either in that city or in New York. The outlook for their meeting there did not seem bright, so a suggestion was made that Mace and Sullivan agree to box six rounds in private before the kinetoscope or some other picture motion machine for the best financial inducements offered. Mace readily agreed to this proposition, and, unless something unforseen happens, the probabilities are that these two most famous pugilists of modern times will be matched to box under conditions that will bring them bigger financial results than if the original idea of a joint benefit had been carried out. During the course of the conversation relating to this matter a telegram received from E. C. Rivers, president of the California A. C. asking for terms for a ten-round contest between Sullivan and Slavin, the contest to take place in San Francisco in July or August, Frank Dunn, Sullivan's manager, refused to consider the proposition, because the plans he has arranged for the "big fellow" would be interfered with. ' T do not consider Slavin a good drawing card, ' ' said Sullivan's manager, "and therefore will pay no attention to the offer. We expect to be in England at the time mentioned, and the only thing that will cause us to change our plans .is the fact that Fitzsimmons has accepted the challenge we have ^issued on behalf of Sullivan. There seems to be a popular misconception that this challenge has been issued and the money posted to 'boost' Sullivan. Anybody who thinks that way can win our money. Sullivan can whip Fitzsimmons, and I am willing to bet from $5,000 to $10,000 that he can do so." At this point a well-known real estate dealer said that he would bet $10,000 that Fitz would defeat Sullivan. Like a flash .Sullivan's manager laid down a crisp $1,000 bill and invited the gentleman to cover it. The Fitzsimmons adherent said that he did not carry so much money around with him, and the matter was dropped. That the Sullivan people are in earnest cannot be doubted for a moment. Their money is up in responsible hands, and they feel nettled over Julian's statement that Fitz can defeat their favorite in ten rounds. "If Fitz can defeat Sullivan he can win a million dollars," was the way a well-known hotel keeper put it. Mace left for New York at midnight to see Dan Creedon about the latter's proposed English trip.