heroes of the telegraph-第35部分

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of　the　circuit。　Edison　fulfilled　the　regulation　by　inventing　a　simple　device　which　transmitted　the　required　signals。　　It　consisted　of　a　wheel　with　the　characters　cut　on　the　rim；　and　connected　with　the　circuit　in　such　a　way　that　the　night　watchman；　by　turning　the　wheel；　could　transmit　the　signals　while　Edison　slept　or　studied。

His　employment　at　Stratford　came　to　a　grievous　end。　　One　night　he　received　a　service　message　ordering　a　certain　train　to　stop；　and　before　showing　it　to　the　conductor　he；　perhaps　for　greater　certainty；　　repeated　it　back　again。　　When　he　rushed　out　of　the　office　to　deliver　it　the　train　was　gone；　and　a　collision　seemed　inevitable；　but；　fortunately；　the　opposing　trains　met　on　a　straight　portion　of　the　track；　and　the　accident　was　avoided。　　The　superintendent　of　the　railway　threatened　to　prosecute　Edison；　who　was　thoroughly　frightened；　and　returned　home　without　his　baggage。

During　this　vacation　at　Port　Huron　his　ingenuity　showed　itself　in　a　more　creditable　guise。　　An　'ice…jam'　　occurred　on　the　St。　Clair；　and　broke　the　　telegraph　cable　between　Port　Huron　and　Sarnia；　on　the　opposite　shore。　　Communication　was　therefore　interrupted　until　Edison　mounted　a　locomotive　and　sounded　the　whistle　in　short　and　long　calls　according　to　the　well…known　'Morse；'　or　telegraphic　code。　　After　a　time　the　reporter　at　Sarnia　caught　the　idea；　and　messages　were　exchanged　by　the　new　system。

His　next　situation　was　at　Adrian；　in　Michigan；　where　he　fitted　up　a　small　shop；　and　employed　his　spare　time　in　repairing　telegraph　apparatus　and　making　crude　experiments。　　One　day　he　violated　the　rules　of　the　office　by　monopolising　the　use　of　the　line　on　the　strength　of　having　a　message　from　the　superintendent；　and　was　discharged。

He　was　next　engaged　at　Fort　Wayne；　and　behaved　so　well　that　he　was　promoted　to　a　station　at　Indianapolis。　　While　there　he　invented　an　'automatic　repeater；'　by　which　a　message　is　received　on　one　line　and　simultaneously　transmitted　on　another　without　the　assistance　of　an　operator。　　Like　other　young　operators；　he　was　ambitious　to　send　or　receive　the　night　reports　for　the　press；　which　demand　the　highest　speed　and　accuracy　of　sending。　　But　although　he　tried　to　overcome　his　faults　by　the　device　of　employing　an　auxiliary　receiver　working　at　a　slower　rate　than　the　direct　one；　he　was　found　incompetent；　and　transferred　to　a　day　wire　at　Cincinnati。　　Determined　to　excel；　however；　he　took　shift　for　the　night　men　as　often　as　he　could；　and　after　several　months；　when　a　delegation　of　Cleveland　operators　came　to　organise　a　branch　of　the　Telegraphers'　Union；　and　the　night　men　were　out　on　'strike；'　he　received　the　press　reports　as　well　as　he　was　able；　working　all　the　night。　　For　this　feat　his　salary　was　raised　next　day　from　sixty…five　to　one　hundred　and　five　dollars；　and　he　was　appointed　to　the　Louisville　circuit；　one　of　the　most　desirable　in　the　office。　　The　clerk　at　Louisville　was　Bob　Martin；　one　of　the　most　expert　telegraphists　in　America；　and　Edison　soon　became　a　first…class　operator。

In　1864；　tempted　by　a　better　salary；　he　removed　to　Memphis；　where　he　found　an　opportunity　of　introducing　his　automatic　repeater；　thus　enabling　Louisville　to　communicate　with　New　Orleans　without　an　intermediary　clerk。　　For　this　innovation　he　was　complimented　；　but　nothing　more。　　He　embraced　the　subject　of　duplex　telegraphy；　or　the　simultaneous　transmission　of　two　messages　on　the　same　wire；　one　from　each　end；　but　his　efforts　met　with　no　encouragement。　　Men　of　routine　are　apt　to　look　with　disfavour　on　men　of　originality；　they　do　not　wish　to　be　disturbed　from　the　official　groove　；　and　if　they　are　not　jealous　of　improvement；　they　have　often　a　narrow…minded　contempt　or　suspicion　of　the　servant　who　is　given　to　invention；　thinking　him　an　oddity　who　is　wasting　time　which　might　be　better　employed　in　the　usual　way。　　A　telegraph　operator；　in　their　eyes；　has　no　business　to　invent。　　His　place　is　to　sit　at　his　instrument　and　send　or　receive　the　messages　as　fast　as　he　can；　without　troubling　his　mind　with　inventions　or　anything　else。　When　his　shift　is　over　he　can　amuse　himself　as　he　likes；　provided　he　is　always　fit　for　work。　　Genius　is　not　wanted。

The　clerks　themselves；　reckless　of　a　culture　which　is　not　required；　and　having　a　good　string　to　their　bow　in　the　matter　of　livelihood；　namely；　the　mechanical　art　of　signalling；　are　prone　to　lead　a　careless；　gay；　and　superficial　life；　roving　from　town　to　town　throughout：　　the　length　and　breadth　of　the　States。　　But　for　his　genius　and　aspirations；　Edison　might　have　yielded　to　the　seductions　of　this　happy…go…lucky；　free；　and　frivolous　existence。　　Dissolute　comrades　at　Memphis　won　upon　his　good　nature；　but　though　he　lent　them　money；　he　remained　abstemious；　working　hard；　and　spending　his　leisure　upon　books　and　experiments。　To　them　he　appeared　an　extraordinary　fellow；　and　so　far　from　sympathising　with　his　inventions；　they　dubbed　him　'Luny；'　and　regarded　him　as　daft。

What　with　the　money　he　had　lent；　or　spent　on　books　or　apparatus；　when　the　Memphis　lines　were　transferred　from　the　Government　to　a　private　company　and　Edison　was　discharged；　he　found　himself　without　a　dollar。　Transported　to　Decatur；　he　walked　to　Nashville；　where　he　found　another　operator；　William　Foley；　in　the　like　straits；　and　they　went　in　company　to　Louisville。　　Foley's　reputation　as　an　operator　was　none　of　the　best；　but　on　his　recommendation　Edison　obtained　a　situation；　and　supported　Foley　until　he　too　got　employment。

The　squalid　office　was　infested　with　rats；　and　its　discipline　was　lax；　in　all　save　speed　and　quality　of　work；　and　some　of　his　companions　were　of　a　dissipated　stamp。　　To　add　to　his　discomforts；　the　line　he　worked　was　old　and　defective；　but　he　improved　the　signals　by　adjusting　three　sets　of　instruments；　and　utilising　them　for　three　different　states　of　the　line。　　During　nearly　two　years　of　drudgery　under　these　depressing　circumstances；　Edison's　prospects　of　becoming　an　inventor　seemed　further　off　than　ever。　　Perhaps　he　began　to　fear　that　stern　necessity　would　grind　him　down；　and　keep　him　struggling　for　a　livelihood。　　None　of　his　improvements　had　brought　him　any　advantage。　His　efforts　to　invent　had　been　ridiculed　and　　discountenanced。　　Nobody　had　recognised　his　talent；　at　least　as　a　thing　of　value　and　worthy　of　encouragement；　let　alone　support。　　All　his　promotion　had　come　from　trying　to　excel　in　his　routine　work。　　Perhaps　he　lost　faith　in　himself；　or　it　may　be　that　the　glowing　accounts　he　received　of　South　America　induced　him　to　seek　his　fortune　there。　　At　all　events　he　caught　the　'craze'　for　emigration　that　swept　the　Southern　States　on　the　conclusion　of　the　Civil　War；　and　resolved　to　emigrate　with　two　companions；　Keen　and　Warren。

But　on　their　arriving　at　New　Orleans　the　vessel　had　sailed。　　In　this　predicament　Edison　fell　in　with　a　travelled　Spaniard；　who　depicted　the　inferiority　of　other　countries；　and　especially　of　South　America；　in　such　vivid　colours；　that　he　changed　his　intention　and　returned　home　to　Michigan。　　After　a　pleasant　holiday　with　his　friends　he　resumed　his　occupation　in　the　Louisville　office。

Contact　with　home　seems　to　have　charged　him　with　fresh　courage。　　He　wrote　a　work　on　electricity；　which　for　lack　of　means　was　never　published；　and　improved　his　penmanship　until　he　could　write　a　fair　round　backhand　at　the　rate　of　forty…five　words　a　minutethat　is　to　say；　the　utmost　that　an　operator　can　send　by　the　Morse　code。　　The　style　was　chosen　for　its　clearness；　each　letter　being　distinctly　formed；　with　little　or　no　shading。

His　comrades　were　no　better　than　before。　　On　returning　from　his　work　in　the　small　hours；　Edison　would　sometimes　find　two　or　three　of　them　asleep　in　his　bed　with　their　boots　on；　and　have　to　shift　them　to　the　floor　in　order　that　he　might　'turn　in。'

A　new　office　was　opened；　but　strict　orders　were　issued　that　nobody　was　to　interfere　with　the　instruments　and　their　connections。　　He　could　not　resist　the　infringement　of　this　rule；　however；　and　continued　his　experiments。

In　drawing　some　vitriol　one　night；　he　upset　the　carboy；　and　the　acid　eating　its　way　through　the　floor；　played　havoc　with　the　furniture　of　a　luxurious　bank　in　the　flat　below。　　He　was　discharged　for　this；　but　soon　obtained　another　engagement　as　a　press　operator　in　Cincinnati。　　He　spent　his　leisure　in　the　Mechanics'　Library；　studying　works　on　electricity　and　general　science。　　He　also　developed　his　ideas　on　the　duplex　system；　and　if　they　were　not　carried　out；　they　at　least　directed　him　to　the　quadruplex　system　with　which　his　name　was　afterwards　associated。

These　attempts　to　improve　his　time　seem　to　have　made　him　unpopular；　for　after　a　short　term　in　Cincinnati；　he　returned　to　Port　Huron。　　A　friend；　Mr。　F。　Adams；　operator　in　the　Boston　office　of　the　Western　Union　Telegraph　Company；　recommended　Edison　to　his　manager；　Mr。　G。　F。　Milliken；　as　a　good　man　to　work　the　New　York　wire；　and　the　berth　was　offered　to　Edison　by　telegraph。　　He　accepted；　and　left　at　once　for　Boston　by　the　Grand　Trunk　Railway；　but　the　train　was　snowed　up　for　two　days　near　the　bluffs　of　the　St。　Lawrence。　　The　consequence　might　have　been　serious　had　provisions　not　been　found　by　a　party　of　foragers。

Mr。　Milliken　was　the　first　of　Edison's　masters；　and　perhaps　his　fellows；　who　appreciated　him。　　Me