Edison Tells of Intended Vacation
CCopyrtght. 1903, by Allen V. Gillespie.)
I I spotted suit and an old slouch
I A M dnvn nil hifl
aim , v
forehead, straightened up from a
dilapidated little table over
which he bad ben beading, threw stub
of a pencil down on a yellow pad of
paper, and settled back In an arm rhalr.
"At last," he said "I've finished work on
my storage battery and now I'm going to
take a rest."
He gazed thoughtfully out of a window
of his laboratory office for a moment.
"For I'm tired very tired," he added
simply. "I'm all worn out."
Next second his eyes twinkled merrily.
"Yes, I've planned for a great vacation."
briskly and enthusiastically, "and It will
begin after I'Ve spent a few weeks In
Florida, where I'm going in a few days.
And the best part of it all is tbls It will
last two years."
Mr. Edison rubbed his bands In antici
patory Joy.
"I'm going to have a fine time splen
did time during these two years. I'm Just
going to rest. Yes, sir, that's what I'm
going to do, and I'll tell you how I'm
going to do It. Up In my bouse across
the street I've a big book of over 400 pages
filled with notes that I've Jotted down from
time to time during the last fifteen or
twenty years. They relate to things that
I've observed while working out my va
rious Inventions, and I've simply put them
down and done nothing with them because
I've not had time to Investigate these va
rious incidental phenomena. Now, how
ever, I'm tired thoroughly tired and I've
made up my mind to drop industrial sci
ence for two whole years and rest myself
by taking up pure science by Investigat
ing the thousand and one properties of
metals and chemicals that I've got notes
about. In my book.
"Strenuous vacation? Not a bit of It.
All I'm going to do is what every pure sci
entist does the fellow who finds out the
actions of metals and hemlcals under dir
ferent conditions and in various combina
tions by experimenting, but who does not
apply the results industrially.
"Guided by my notes, I'm going to mix
things In laboratory mortars and chemists'
tubes and what not and vatch for results.
That's all pure science does. It never
thinks things out, like industrial science.
It Just blunders, stumbles against discov
eries, while industrial science is tho regi'U,
In greater part, of concentrated and con
secutive thought.
"It will be fun and maybe I'll find out
something worth while who can tell? Any
way, I'm looking forward to a real good
time, and, I believe, that by hustling a lit
tle I'll be able to investigate everything
that I've notes about in my book."
What his notes relate to Mr. Edison will
not disclose, except to say that one of his
Investigations will be conducted toward
finding a wood that will be a good substl
. tute for coal, when that fuel becomes more
scarce and a great deal more expensive
than at present.
"I firmly believe," said Mr. Edison, "that
the time will come when we In this coun
try will secure mott of our heat from wood
In some form or other. The wood that will
be used will come largely from tropical
South America, where sprouts spring into
full-grown trees in three or four years.
Then the vast Amaronlan forests will be
worked and nourished on a scientific basis
by capitalistic syndicates and the world's
fuel supply thus conserved for all time.
And science will find a way to make tho
' wood almost, if not as good, for heating
purposes as coal. Perhaps It will be used
something after the manner of chroal I
believe that charcoal will some day be
pretty generally used In the place of. coal.
"But don't think that we'll live to see
all this. The coal supply in this country is
The Great Western Stove company
133, live stories high, on Harney street,
Into same. The above cot shows the
7K V" '?'
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L.
ST. VALENTINE'S MESSENGER Photo by a Staff Artist.
fr greater than most people imagine. Im
mense deposits In the Hudson bay region
arc waiting to be opened, and great lignite
beds are stiH unworked. Only rftcr these
and the present mines are worked out will
people turn to the forests of tropical South
America for their fuel. When that will
be, time alone can tell perhaps not be
fore the days of our grandchildren's grand
children. But sooner or later It wIUcome,
and It won't do any harm for me to follow
up certain observations about tropical wood
bb a fuel that I jotted down in ray book
years ago. It'll all be a rart of my rest,
you know, nod recreation means pleasure,
doesn't it?"
Mr. Edison thinks that the growing of
wood for fuel on land In temperate Amer
ica would not prove remunerative enough
for serious unlertaking.
"There are thousands of acres of now
uncultivated land in this country admirably
adapted for such a purpose," he said, "but
the scheme Is impracticable for the simple
reason that our climate is not tropical
enough to Insure quick growth to the trees.
After an acre was once cleared of wood, it
would take sprouts six or eight or ten
years to attain sufficient size for fuel pur
poses. This fact alone militates against
such a plan to provide a substitute for
coal.
"Some enterprising fellow, though, could
make a small fortune by securing control of
several thousand acres of land of this de
scription already wooded and harvesting
the crop. I have about 25,000 acres of
stunted woodland up in the Orange moun
tains, and I've figured out that each acre
Is capable of supplying the. fuel cqutva
lent of a ton of coal. Just now in my lab
oratories I'rrt burning a lot of this wood,
thus outwitting the men who these days
are getting two or three times the usual
price for coal.
"The scheme to secure heat by boring
down to the earth's center alto appeals to
me as being Impracticable, except Id vol
has Jnst completed Its new building, 6x
between Ninth and Tenth, and have moved
structure. John Latenser was the architect.
i. I'M-- ' - "
canic regions. There the earth's crust Is
thin and the molten matter comparatively
near the surfnee; hence, It could be easily
reached and obtained by mrana of pipes
sunk down to It and utilized for manufac
turing and heating purposes. In the non
volcanic regions, the crust is too thick
and the molten interior to fur distant that
to reach It by boring would be a too prob
lematical undertaking for Invested capital.
And that part cf the world is non-volcanic
where heat is needed for bodily comfort
and fuel consuming industries thrive.
"But while many men are busying them
selves with these and other schemes to se
cure heat, on the other band. If the signs
of the times count for anything, I be
lieve that the next few years will w.iness
a great development of hitherto unworked
coal fields by big manufacturers. Tho late
coal strike has proved to them that they
must have their own mines and In this way
be independent of outside operalots and in
sure against enforced closing down of their
mills for lack of fuel.
"I happen to know of several owners
of industrial establishments who are al
ready seeking to secure and work coal
lands, and these men assure me that many
cf their rivals are aiming in the same
direction."
Here Mr. Edison reverted to his vaca-
tion.
"Now that I'm about to take a rest and
am beginning to get a true perspective of
the laBt twenty years of my life, I begin to
realize more than ever before how very
little I know how verv little I have ac
complished. Why, wltn all my work In
electricity I don't know what electricity
is. True, I've thought out several inven
tions and made my brain and body weary
thereby, and I've got my name noised
about, but what have I done what do I
know after all? Why, simply this very
little, hardly anything, when we think of
the things still to be done and still to
be learned of the forces all round us
The George H. Lee 'company broke
44x132, three stories high, on Harney
John Latenser is the architect.
that we don't understand In the least, that
we scarcely dream of.
"Yes, sir; that's gospel truth. But say,"
Mr. Edison's eyes laughed merrily they
are eyes that never lose their sparkle and,
fire, no matter how tired tho rest of
their possessor's body may be "perhapa
I'll learn a little bit of tho unknown dur
ing my two years' vacation. Anyway, I'm
going to work hard to do so, and I'm going
to have a fine rest."
i Prepared for Him
"What have you to say for yourself?" ex
claimed the angry father as the prodigal
put In his long-deferred appearance.
"I knew you'd ask that." the young fel
low replied. "You thought you'd have ma
at a disadvantage. You remembered that I
wasn't anything of a talker. But I'm pre
pared for you, father. ,If 1 can't say any
thing for myself I've got somebody here
who can do the talking for me. Come In,
Gladys. Father, this Is your new daughter-in-law."
His voice dropped to a hoarse
whisper as he Impressively added, "And
she's a professional elocutionist, as you'll
mighty soon find out." Cleveland Plala -Dealer.
Exterminate Gypsy Moth
The gypsy moth fight seems to be on once
more, Bays the Springfield Republican. Tha
gypsy moth committee of the State Board of
Agriculture In Its report declares that tho
moth was under control when the policy
of extermination was abandoned. It holla
that at present the abandonment has re
sulted In Immense los and In the Im
pending danger that everything in the east
ern part of the state will bo eaten up.
Now comes the mayor of Maiden and peti
tions that the work be taken up once mora
and that the state pay $100,000 for the be
ginning. An Editor's Journal
The woes of a Hlllvllle editor aro summed
up In tne following memoranda:
"Monday Struck on the left ear with a
rock, thrown by unknown party.
"Tuesday Mayor threatened to horse
whip us, but we were on the roof when he
called.
"Wednesday Received one dollar on sub
scription and paid out six on tho grocery
bill.
"Thursday We have been officially In
formed that there Is some chance of our
being appointed postmaster before the noxt
president Is elected." Atlanta Journal.
A Young Old Man
"I have had oil the experience I want In
politics," said Senator Jones of Nevada,
"and I think I had better begin and make
some money by giving my entire time to
business."
This is the declaration of a man 70 years
old, who will retire from the senate with
the termination of the present congress,
and Is next to the oldest senator in con
tinuous service in congress.
What a text for some of our young men
who feel old at 60 and whose minds dwell
largely on pensions. Boston Globe.
Got the Worst of It
A prominent Philadelphia clergyman telle
this story on himself: "It was Sunday
morning, and I had started for church. The
family were preparing to follow, when tho
youngest, a D-year-old, protested, 'Id) not
want to go to church.'
" 'I don't feel much like It myself, Fred,
this morning,' replied bis mother, 'but wo
must go. Father has to go has rodi al
ready, and he has to preach.' " PblladeU
phla Ledger.
grousd this week for their new building,
street, between Eleventh and Twelfth.