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WHITBY FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 17,PG National Electrical Week -Feb iL- 17, 197 TFhomas A. Edison 1847-1929ý quirk of fate made him an American Early in December 1837, Sain Edison, the laid lord of the taveril in Vienna, Ontario, took down bis firearm from the wall and set off for Toronto to joiti William Lyon Mackenzie ini bis rebellion. Were it flot for that impulsive move, bis son, famed inventor Thomas Alva Edison, would have beemi born in Canada anîd Canadians could their own. But Sain Edisen camne t'rem a "scrappy" famnily. His t'ather, Saim Sr., hiad terned a Cana- dian militia cemnpany te tigit the Aniericaus in the Wur et 1812. His grundfather. Johni Edison, an Arnericun et' Dutcb descent. huad been levaI te the Britislh side iii tbe War et ludependence and t'or bis pains lie and bis t'arily were transperted te Neya Scetia in 1783. lInI181I I,.the Edisen tainilx', new numibcring 11), were t ired of tbe hardsbips and dînp oet Nova Scetia and. led b\ eld Johni. sturted on tbe long trek te a 600-acre tract et land granted te thei in Vipper Canada on tlhe Otter River, abeut twe miles frein Lake Er ie. During Mackenizie's agita- tions in 183Ï7. the Viennui tuvern \vus u gutbering place for local rudiculs and Sain Edison was del'initelv "a gin the govertitnerît." But partway te Toronte, Edisen leurned that tlhe re- beilion xvas areudy a miilitury failure. He quickly chunged his plan. deubled back te Viennu., gathered u few be- lengings and. leaving is fin- ily te spend Christmnas lene. said a quick geedbye. He fiben walked and rau 80 miles iii 'Aý days te cross the frezen St. Clair River, keeping alieud cf Sir Bond Head's tnen wbo wanted te bring hiin te a ccc unt. Sam Edison, senior, dis- rnissed the incident with a "~Weil, Saininy's long legs saved birni that tinme!" Ten years later, Sain Jr.. now reunited witb bis 'ainily, ewned a lumber business in Milan, Ohio. ln the eurly hcurs of a snewy Februury I1, I1847, the faînily gairned anether neînber, a baby boy witb a very large bead wbemn tbe decter was afraid nigbt bave brain fever. Tbe parents frankly wcndered wbetber lie was defective. They named birn Thomas Alva. During Tom's early years. bis father and scboolteacbers, Rev. and Mrs. Engies, bad a very icw opinion cf the boy's mental abilities. They frequen- dlaimi this legendary geius as tly thrashied hîn in an cffort te get yeung Tonm te Iearni. Themas Alva Edisen hud little interest in second-band knowledebtthad an insati- able curiesity fer findiug out tbiugs fer imiiself. Spelliuig and uritlnetic -ne. tîtut was for lesser peeple te do, but suiclb xperimieu s as tilliug lbis frieud Michael Oates with Seidlitz pewder (un etferves- cent laxative) te sec wbiether lie weuld lieut -new that was soeleting Werth knewinig! When lie was 1 I , Teiand Michiael wen t in te tlie ina rket gurdeîî business. 'Tat suin- mer,'disen luter su id. "\we nietited ailIoet t we er t lîrc buLnd red del la rs.- I t wu s t vpi- cul et- whut \Vus te ceîie .a nerchant prince wvhe kept verv slepl)p celns Tîe le 1v)%iig year, Lein waus \verkiiît) lItim ne as a newsboy en a t ruainibe tween Perti1lîrîrn und 1Detroit. 8v Ille tilie lie wvus I5 l1e \xvaS puibliSbing bis ewn newspuper I rein t lie baggage car et' ftic traitn. 'ie Weekly Hierald ceni- tuined suIcb vords as '*villian"*, "eoppisitien- und *"shuLre" und thie gramunar was in keeping Witbl the pUblication's spelling. Fascina ted witlî mncbanîics, yeun g 'Fein Edison bung areuind the telegrapb otfices. Wblicb were eqUipp)ed witb a variety et' elec{ricul inistruI- nents. In 1 862, lie liad tbe geed I uck t e save the lit'e et' the baby Soni et the stat i- miaster ut Mt.('lemiens wbei buad struyed ie othe putb eot' a relling bexcar. In gratituide. the futlier. Mr. Mackenzie, tuugbit bim te becemne a telegraphier. Edison urrived l'or bis first lesson witlb bis ewn neut set et' inistruIen CtS Whicb lie lîad inude in a gunisiiithi's slep in De treit. Altheughi lie quickly be- carne an excellent eperuter, bie was uppurently quite uinsatis- factery as un empleyee. [le ceuld find lots ef work, fer many ef the regular eperaters hud been censcripted as tele- graphiers in tlic arînies of tbie Civil War. Once be got a jeb, it seemed be wus more inter- ested in tiukering and tryiîlg te ii-prove the equipment - Photo courtesy of Thomas Alva Edison Foundation tlîan in seniding and receiviug Morse code. Tomi Edison as a result was frequeutly fired and wamîdered l'rom tcwn te, te wn. lu May I1864, lic won a Electricity travels at speed of light When you flip a switch te turn on a iight, the TV, or tbe hair dryer, tbe electric switch bair dryer, the electrical ener- gy needed te eperate this equipmnent bas cerne a long way before it enters your borne tbrough the utility's meter, perbiaps severul lîum- dred miles, and it bas travelled ut the speed cf liglit. The ciectrical energy cornes from înany genera tors in pow- er iîouses tiroughout the country,,because the output cf the stations is symcrcuized and fed into a cemmen peol or grid. The generuters cari pro- duce power up te 18,000 volts. Froîiithe generutimîg station tbe power is trans- ferîned te a nîncl higiier voltage, lu Canîada tbis cculd bc 735,000 volts. This is the higbest voltage ini the wcrld aînd was piemîeered iii Canada by Hydre Quebec. -Btmik power is' carricd more cconomically over long dis- tances ut a Iiier voltage be- cause of thîe reduction cf "hue lesses" wlicl iin a very non-tecîîiîcal (and soînewliat inaccurate) way ceuld bce de- scribed as evaperatieîî. Wieîi the poer linos reacli the city, the iigl-vltage is reduced te a iewer level anîd is sent te distribution stations througiîeut the city wbere it is aguin reduced to 2,300 te .6,900 volts te "bc fcd (lut alomîg the streets. Transforin- G'oiiiued on Page 10 pest as a dispatclîer/telegrapli- er ut Stratferd Jumction, On- tari(), on the 7 p.în. te 7 a. n. shif't. lunmietine, be bad iin- vcnted a machine which would send a signal indicuting that lie was uwake and alcrt while ini reality be was takimîg a lit tIc cat uap. A Iew mun-mns witbi the ati- tliorities ef' the Grand Trunk Ruilway amnd ani om-the-carpet visit te the office of thîe gen- erul manager in Toronto and Tbeiiîas Alvu Edison decided th-at Canada wasm't for iîn after ail. lie re turîîed te the United States. Edisoni was îîvariably uni- tidy, peerly dressed, freqtment- ly huîîgry aînd t'temî bemîeless. ilis smiall earnimîgs were spent on clectricul parts amnd books. It xvasn't uncenmniomil'or Ihlmi te sleep ou thî euor of'a fmieud's rocmn 'or in a quiet cerner ut a railread station. lu June 1868 Thîe Journal ef the Telegruphi reported that Mr. Thomnas Edisotn of thc Westernî Union Office, Bos- ton, hiad invented a "mode cf transmission both ways oni a single wire which is simple, imteresting and ingenious." Thie following year. Edison devised ami apparu tus which would synchiromîize the tele- graphi printing inachines of period, which frequently gar- bled the message. He theuglit his inventioni niglit be wertbi $5.000 but whiem lie elfeéred itl'for sale hie asked "Hew wouid $40,000 strike ye'?" At least, tlîis was Edisen's story in later years, but tiiere is evidemîce tlîat the figure was actually $30,000- which is flot surprising ini Edison also added that this was the first tiîne lu bis life lie liad ever received a cheque and the first time lie ever went inside a bank. His commercial star now rose te keep company with the bright star of invention and in 1871 lie opened a factory in Newark, N.J. to fi an order for i1,200 stock tick- ers for Western Union. The follewing year lie in- vented au automatic telegrapli which ceuid haudie i1,000 words per nminute (manually the speed wus about 40). lu I1875, lie introduced the riineegrapli and in tlhe space ef feur years lie wus granted 200 patents. By 1 876, the dernand tor inventive talents was se great thiat lie built, equipped and sîaffed a factory at Menlo C'ontinued on Page 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . ..Aàa. . .jj a44 4&0 qý1 A # # , à b f 4 à 0 à 6 4 9 & a 4 a 4 1 à à à à 1