Edison’s Autobiographical Notes
In 1908 and 1909 Edison wrote a series of autobiographical notes whose origin and nature are described in the first appendices of Volumes One and Two.1 Six of the documents contain sections related to events of the period of Volume Four; those sections are published here.2 Edison sometimes referred in the same paragraph to the periods covered by more than a single volume; such notes will be reprinted as appropriate. Each document has been designated by a letter and each paragraph sequentially numbered.
A. BOOK NO. 1
The following is from a typescript prepared by William Meadowcroft from an 11 September 1908 notebook written by Edison; see Volume One, p. 628. Five of the thirty-five paragraphs in the notebook pertain to the period of Volume Four.
Notes of T. A. Edison
[1] In 1878 I went with a number of astronomers to Rawlings, Wyoming Territory, to observe the eclipse of the sun and incidently test an instrument which I had devised called aPage 856 “Tasimeter.” There were astronomers from nearly every nation; we had a special car. The country at that time was rather new, game was in great abundance and could be seen all day long from the car window, especially antelope. We arrived at Rawlings about 4 p.m.— Rawlings had a small machine shop and round house and it was at this point where Locomotives were changed for the next section. The hotel was a very small one and by doubling up we were barely accommodated. My room mate was E. M.a Fox, correspondent of the N. Y. Herald. After we retired and were asleep a thundering knock on the door awakened us; upon opening the door a tall handsome man with flowing hair dressed in western style entered the room; his eyes were bloodshot and he was somewhat inebriated. He introduced himself as “Texas Jack” (Joe Chromondo) and said he wanted to see Edison as he had read about me in the newspapers. Both Fox and myself were rather scared and didn’t know what was to be the result of this interview. The landlord requested him not to make so much noise and was thrown into the hall; Jack explained that he had just come in with a party who had been hunting and that he felt fine; he explained that he was the boss pistol shot of the West, that it was he that taught the celebrated Dr. Carver how to shoot and then suddenly pointing to a weather vane on the freight depot, pulled out a Colt, revolved and fired through the window hitting the vane. The shot awakened all the people and they rushed in to see who was killed, it was only after I told him I was tired and would see him in the morning, that he left; both Fox and myself were so nervous that we did not sleep any that night. We were told in the morning that Jack was a pretty good fellow and was not one of the “badmen” of which they had a good supply. They had one in the jail, and Fox and I went over to see him. A few days before he had held up a Union Pacific train and robbed all the passengers. In the jail was a half-bred horse-thief. We interviewed the bad man through bars as big as railroad rails. He looked like a bad man, the edge of his ears all around came to an edge and was serrated. His eyes were nearly white and appeared as if made of glass and set in wrong like the life size figures of indians in the Smithsonian Institute. His face was also extremely irregular, he wouldn’t answer a single question. I learned afterwards that he got seven years in prison while the horse-thief was hanged. As horses ran wild and there was no protection, it meant death to steal one.
[2] The first thing the astronomers did was to determine with precision their exact locality upon the earth; a number of observations were made and Watson of Ann Arbor with twoPage 857 others worked all night computing until they agreed; they said they were not in error more than 100 feet and that the station was 12 miles out of the position given on the maps. It seemed to take an immense amount of mathematics. I preserved one of the sheets which looked like the time table of a Chinese Railroad. The instruments of the various parties were then set up in various parts of the little town and got ready for the eclipse which was to occur in 3 or 4 days. Two days before the event we all got together and obtaining an engine and car went 12 miles further west to visit the U.S. Government astronomers at a place called “Separation,” the apex of the Great Divide, where the waters run east to the Atlantic and west to the Pacific. Fox and I took our Winchester rifles with an idea of doing a little shooting. After calling on the Government people we started to interview the Telegraph Operators at this most desolate and lonely spot. After talking over old acquaintances I asked him if there was any game around; he said plenty of jack rabbits. These jack rabbits are a very peculiar species; they have ears about 6 inches long and very slender legs, about three times as long as an ordinary rabbit, and travel at a great speed by a series of jumps, each about 30 feet long, as near as I could judge. The local people call them narrow gauge mules. Asking the operator the best direction he pointed west and noticing a rabbit in a clear space in the sage bushes, said there is one now— I advanced cautiously to within 150 feet and shot; the rabbit paid no attention, I then advanced to within 100 feet and shot again; the rabbit still immovable. On looking around the whole crowd at the station were looking and I then knew the rabbit was stuffed. However, we did shoot a number of live ones until Fox run short of cartridges; his rifle had a different bore than mine, and he could not use mine, of which I had plenty. On returning to the station, I passed away the time shooting at cans set on a pile of ties, finally the operator said to Fox, I have a fine Springfield musket, suppose you try it—so Fox took the musket and fired. It knocked him nearly over. It seems the musket had been run over by a hand car which slightly bent the long barrel, but not sufficiently for an amateur like Fox to notice. After Fox had his shoulder treated with arnica, etc. at the Government Hospital tent, we returned to Rawlings.
[3] I had my apparatus in a small yard enclosed by a board fence 6 feet high; at one end there was a house for hens I noticed that they all went to roost just before totality. At the same time a slight wind arose and at the moment of totality the atmosphere was filled with thistle down and other lightPage 858 articles. I noticed one feather whose weight was at least 150 miligrams rise perpendicularly to the top of the fence where it floated away on the wind. My apparatus was entirely too sensitive and I got no results.
[4] The eclipse being over, Professor Barker, professor of physics of the University of Pennsylvania, Major Thornburg, several soldiers and a number of railroad officials and myself, went hunting about 100 miles south of the railroad in the Ute Indian country. A few months after this Major Thornburg and 30 soldiers were ambushed near our camp by the Utes and all were killed.
[5] Before coming out on this expedition, Mr. Gould who then controlled the Union Pacific and for whom I had done some work in connection with the Telegraph Companies in which he was interested, gave me a letter to the various superintendents requesting that I be permitted to ride on the cow catcher of the locomotive at my own risk— In those days the schedule time was very slow, being only 20 miles per hour. The different engineers gave me a small cushion and every day I rode in this manner from Omaha to the Sacramento Valley, except through the snow shed on the summit of the Sierra, without dust or anything to obstruct the view-—only once was I in danger when the locomotive struck an animal about the size of a small cub bear, which I think was a badger. This animal struck the front of the locomotive just under the headlight with great violence and was then thrown off by the rebound. I was sitting to one side grasping the angle brace so no harm was done.
TD (transcript), NjWOE, Meadowcroft. Because this transcription of Edison’s manuscript is presented only as a reference text, typographical errors have not been reproduced or noted. aInterlined above in unknown hand.
B. FIRST BATCH
The following is from a typescript that Edison revised (“Pencil indicates Mr. Edison’s revision” is written on the front); see Volume One, p. 646. Three of its eighty-one paragraphs deal with the period covered by this volume.
Noise on the New York Elevated.
[4] When the Elevated Railroad in New York, up Sixth Avenue, was opened about 1878, there was a great public clamorPage 859 about the noise, and injunctions were threatened. The management engaged me to make a report on the cause of the noises. I constructed an instrument that would record the sound and set out to make a preliminary report, but I found that they never intended to do anything, but let the people complain. I quita
Exhibiting the Phonograph.
[23] When I got out the first tin foil phonograph I took it down to Washington at the instigation of Mr. W.Ub H. Painter. I was taken over to a relative of Mr. Blaine—Miss Gail Abigailc Dodge, a celebrated woman—in a private house. In those days there were two little things we used to recite to the phonograph. “Mary had a litle lamb;” and “There was a little girl who had a little curl.” There was a crush of persons coming in and hearing it and going out, for 6 or 7 hours. Finally Rosco Conkling came in. It will be remembered that he was always caricatured with a little curl plastered down on his forehead. As I faced the phonograph against the wall, I could not see my visitors. When Conkling came in the first thing I did was to recite about the little girl with the curl. Everybody tittered. Rosco flushed up and became mad and walked out— for which I was not to blame.
[24] At 11 o’clock at night I and the phonograph with Mr. Painter were taken up to the White House and were ushered into a room. We found there President Hayes, Carl Schurtz, who was playing the piano, and several members of the cabinet. I set the apparatus going and kept on with it until 12:30. When I was going to take the phonograph away, President Hayes on the impulse said: “Wait a moment,” and went upstairs. In 20 minutes he came down with Mrs. Hayes and three other ladies. They heard it and I did not get away until 3 o’clock in the morning.
TD (transcript), NjWOE, Meadowcroft. a‘but.. . complain” canceled and “I quit” interlined above, both in pencil. b“W” canceled and “U” interlined above, both in pencil. c“Gail” canceled and “Abigail” interlined above, both in pencil.
C. SECOND BATCH
The following is from a typescript that Edison revised; see Volume One, p. 646. One of its twenty-four paragraphs deals with the period covered by this volume.Page 860
[16]a It appeared that he [James Adams] had once been a slaver, and altogether he was a rather tough character. Having no other man I could spare at that time I sent him over with my carbon transmitter telephone to exhibit it in England. It was exhibited before the Post Office authorities. Professor Hughes spent an afternoon in examining the apparatus and in about a week came out with his microphone, which was absolutely nothing more or less than my exact invention. But no mention was made of the fact that just previously he had seen the whole of my apparatus. Adams stayed over in Europe connected with the telephone for several years and finally died of too much whiskey—but not of heart disease. This shows that whiskey is the more dangerous of the two.
TD (transcript), NjWOE, Meadowcroft. aThis is the second paragraph following the heading “The Sailor in Search of a Job.”
D. BOOK NO. 2
This undated notebook contains a mix of narratives, questions, and notes in Edison’s hand; see Volume One, p. 648. Fourteen items pertain to the period covered by this volume; item 225 was previously published in Volume Three.
[38] Eclipse sun— Fox Herald Texas Jack— stuff rabbit— Bent gun armies govt hospital 400 bullets, antelope— fell off horse shot doe— Pass from Jay Gould— riding Cow catcher nearly knocked off by a badgera
[132] 100 000 telephone—6000 yrly— 100 000 for Chalk relay—6000 yrly Gould always sour.—
[225] When TCM 1st met u fall 1877 u wr rather deaf whats true story of beginning of this deafness its attributed to injury to ear drum by angry Conductor train official in 1877 it didnt interfere in any way with, work on telephone or phonogh nor with tests for Elevated RR stoping noise.b
[230] Do u rember anythg abt the telephone line frm Cheevers ofs 203 Bdwy. & Hilbourne Roosevelts organ fac TCM remembers seeing you & E H Johnson trying it more than once in 1878 it must hav bn 1 of 11st Lines on Manhattan
[231] Do u remembr anythg of phonogh Exhibit at Union Sq on Bdwy East side it was 1st in NY wasnt it E H Johnson organized it
[232] Did Bergman do any work in those early days outsidePage 861 of phonogh Do u rember how they grew into biz You had Newark & Menlo Park going at same time The point is interesting as illustration of versatility & wide points of interest; even at age of 30b
[234] Any recollection of G P Lowrey & getting Capital—Did he come in before the days of Lighting, was he the channel to Villard—b
[256] NY J P Morgan came to lab—
[258] Elevated RR test of noise appease clamour saw didnt intend do anything quit—
[286] Mr Orton—test telephone young Phelps catch Brooklyn ferry Vanderbilt—c
[287] Vanderbilt
[290] Frank Thompson visit Menlo—thought never be used on RR
[292] Exhibt phono. Blaines neice Mr Conklin—was little girl etc up to White House show presdt Shurz—& Hayes and others Mrs H got up 130 am came downc
[396] WHV wouldnt go into Elec without he had control—a
AD, NjWOE, Lab., N-09-06-27. aParagraph canceled with large “X”. bFollowed by centered horizontal lines. cParagraph overwritten with checkmark.
E. NOTES
Taken from a notebook that has five pages in Edison’s hand, these “Notes” are numbered consecutively from 1 to 33.
[3] 3= JPM came to Lab—a
[6] 6 Apparatus Record noise elevated RR popular clamour, made prelimb report & quit saw they never intended do anythinga
[32] 32 Exhibited phono to Blains neice abigil gale Dodge, Conklin—White House 11:30 pm—12:30 Mrs Hayes Schurz played pianoc
[33] 33 Mr Orton—test telephone, Young Phelps catch Brooklyn Ferrya
AD, NjWOE, Lab. N-09-06-27. aParagraph overwritten with check mark. bInterlined above. cParagraph overwritten with check mark; colons addded to time.Page 862
G. MR. EDISON’S NOTES
The following is a transcription of relevant portions of a typescript titled “Mr. Edison’s notes in Book No. 2,” probably prepared by William Meadowcroft in 1908 or 1909. See Volume Two, p. 781. Eight of its thirty-eight sections deal with the period of Volume Four; section 18 was previously published in Volume Three.
[18] Tests were made between N.Y. and Phila. Also between N.Y. and Washington, using regular W.U. wires. The noises were so great that not a word could be heard with the Bell receiver when used as a transmitter between N.Y. and Newark. Mr. Orton and W. H. Vanderbilt, and the Board of Directors witnessed and took part in the tests. The W.U. then started in to put them on private lines. Mr. Theodore Puskas of Budapest, Hungary was the first man to suggest a telephone exchange and soon after exchanges were established. The telephone department was put in the hands of Hamilton McKay Twombly, Vanderbilt’s ablest son-in-law, who made a success of it. The Bell Company in Boston, also started an exchange, and the fight was on the W.U. pirating the Bell receiver and the Boston Co. pirating the W.U. transmitter. About this time, I wanted to be taken care of. I threw out hints of this desire. Then Mr. Orton sent for me. He had learned that inventors didn’t do business by the regular process and concluded he would close it right up. He asked me how much I wanted. I had made up my mind that it certainly was worth $25,000, if it ever amounted to anything for central station work, so that was the sum I had made up my mind to stick to and get obstinate; still it had been an easy job and only required a few months and I felt a little shaky and uncertain. So I asked him to make me an offer. He promptly said he would give me $100,000. All right I said, it’s yours on one condition and that is that you do not pay it all at once, but pay it to me at the rate of $6,000. per year for 17 years—the life of the patent. He seemed only too pleased to do this and it was closed. My ambition was about four sizes too large for my business capacity and I knew that I would soon spend this money experimenting if I got it all at once, so I fixed it so I couldn’t. I saved 17 years of worry by this stroke.
[27] I immediately started making several large and better ones [phonographs], which I exhibited at Menlo Park to crowds. The P.R.R. ran special trains. Washington peoplePage 863 telegraphed me to come on. I took a phonograph to Washington and exhibited it in the rooms of Blaine’s niece, members of Congress and the notable people of the city came all day long until late in the evening. I made one break. I recited Mary, etc. and another ditty. There was a little girl and she had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead, and when she was good she was very very good but when she was bad she was horrid. It will be remembered that Senator Roscoe Conklin, then very prominent, had a curl on his forehead and all the caricaturists developed it abnormally. He was very sensitive about the subject. When he came in he was introduced, but being rather deaf I didn’t catch his name, but sat down and started the curl ditty. Everybody tittered and I was told Mr. Conklin was displeased. About 11 o’clock at night, word was received from President Hayes that he would be very much pleased if I would come up to the White House. I was taken there and found Mr. Hayes and several others waiting. Among them, I remember Carl Shurz, who was playing the piano when I entered the room. The exhibition continued till about 12.30 a.m., when Mrs. Hayes and several other ladies who had been made to get up and dress, appeared. I left at 2.30 a.m.
[28] For a long time some people thought there was trickery. One morning at Menlo Park a gentleman came to the Laboratory and asked to see the Phonograph. It was Bishop Vincent who with Lewis Miller, was the founders of Chatauqua. I exhibited it and then he asked if he could speak a few words. I put on a fresh foil and told him to go ahead. He commenced to recite biblical names with immense rapidity. On reproducing it, he said, I am satisfied now, there isn’t a man in the U.S. who could recite those names with the same rapidity.
[29] After my return from the Eclipse of the sun (you have this I think) I went with Prof. Barker, Prof, of Physics in the University of Pa. and Chandler, Prof, of Chemistry in Columbia College, to see Mr. Wallace, a large manufacturer of brass at Ansonia, Conn. Wallace at this time was experimenting on series arc lighting. Just at that time I wanted to take up something new and Prof. Barker suggested that I go to work and see if I could sub-divide the electric light so it could be got in small units, like gas.
[30] On my return home, I started my usual course of collecting every kind of data about gas, bought all the transactions of the gas engineer societies, etc. All the back volumes of gas journals etc. Having gotten all the data and investigatedPage 864 gas jet distribution in N. Y. by actual observations, I made up my mind that the solution of the problem of the sub-division of the electric light could be solved and made commercial.
[31] At Menlo Park while working on the phonograph, I made an arrangement with Col. Gouraud of London, to make a telephone to be used in starting the industry in England and the Continent. A large number were made and sent to Gouraud, who started to put up a telephone exchange. When he had proceeded a little way, he was threatened with a law suit by the owners of the Bell patent. The Bell Company were starting an exchange themselves. He cabled me that the law suit would prevent him from obtaining further money to carry out the enterprise. He would stop unless I could evade the patent on the Bell instrument. I cabled I thought I could do so and went right to work. I again had recourse to the phenomenon discovered by me years previous that the friction of a rubbing electrode passing over a moist chalk surface had its friction varied by electricity. I devised a telephone receiver which was afterwards known as the loud speaking telephone or chalk receiver. There was no magnet, simply a diaphragm and a small cylinder of compressed chalk, about the size of a thimble, an arm connected to the center of the diaphragm, extended outwardly and rested on the chalk cylinder and was pressed against it with a pressure equal to that which would be due to a weight of about 6 lbs. The chalk was rotated by hand. The volume of sound was very great, a person talking into a carbon transmitter in NY. had his voice so amplified that he could be heard 1500 feet away in an open field at Menlo Park. This great excess of power was due to the fact that the power came from the person turning the handle, the voice instead of furnishing all the power, as with the present receiver, merely controlled the power, just as an engineer working a valve could control a powerful engine. I made six of these receivers and sent them in charge of an expert on the first steamer. They were received and tested, and shortly afterwards shipped one hundred or more. At the same time I was ordered to send twenty young men after teaching them to become expert. I set up an exchange around the Laboratory of ten instruments. I would then go out and get each one out of order in every conceivable way. A man would be sent to each to find the trouble. When he could find the trouble ten consecutive times, using five minutes each, he was sent to London. About 60 men were used to get 20. Before all had arrived, the Bell Company seeing that we could not be stopped, enteredPage 865 into negotiations for consolidation. One day I received a cable from Gouraud offering $30,000 for my interest. I cabled back that I would accept. When the draft came, I was astonished to find that it was for £30,000. when I thought it was dollars.
[34] In 1878, at Menlo Park I got up a device which I called a megaphone. It consisted of two large funnels of the best shape, determined experimentally. These were connected together and to a listening tube, the ends of which were inserted in the ear; with this instrument talking could be heard a distance of 3 miles.
[38] At Menlo Park one cold winter night there came into the Laboratory a strange man in a most pitiful condition. He was nearly frozen and he asked if he might sit by the stove; in a few moments he asked for the head man and I was brought forward. He had a head of abnormal size with highly intellectual features and a very small and emaciated body. He said he was suffering very much and asked if I had any morphine. As I had about everything in chemistry that could be bought I told him I had. He requested that I give him some so I got the morphine sulphate; he poured out enough to kill two men, when I told him that we didn’t keep a hotel for suicides and he better cut the quantity down. He then bared his legs and arms and they were literally pitted with scars, due to the use of hyperdermic syringes. He said he had taken it for years and it required a big dose to have any effect. I let him go ahead in a short while he seemed like another man and commenced to tell stories, and there was about 50 of us sat around listening until morning. He was a man of great intelligence and education. He said he was a Jew, but there was no distinctive feature to verify this assertion. He continued to stay around until he finished every combination of morphine with an acid that I had, probably 10 oz. all told. Then he asked if he could have strychnine. I had an ounce of the sulphate. He took enough to kill a horse and asserted it had as good effect as morphine. When this was gone the only thing I had left was a chunk of crude opium, perhaps two or three pounds. He chewed this up and disappeared. I was greatly disappointed because I would have laid in another stock of morphine to keep him at the Laboratory. About a week afterwards he was found dead in a barn at Perth Amboy.
TD (transcript), NjWOE, Meadowcroft. Because this transcription of Edison’s manuscript is presented only as a reference text, typographical errors have not been reproduced or noted.
1. General considerations are presented in TAEB 1:627-28 and specific information on six of the autobiographical documents, designated A-F, follows there, A seventh autobiographical document, G, is described in TAEB 2:777, 781.
2. The autobiographical document designated F does not refer to the period of this volume.
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