Whitby Free Press, 8 Feb 1973, p. 9

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WHITBY FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1973, PýAGE 9 EDISON Conndfrorn Page 7 Park, N.J. for flie sole pur- pose of produeing iniventions. Il would be iuterestiiîg 10 kiiow what flie taîl grey- haired nian supervisitîg tie ereetion of'thie buildintg tihouglit oft he yoing genrtius wiio was enîplloyitîg hiîm. Ih wvas no otiier tihaitSaýitii Edi- soit, (lhelaler wlio tltougit imi stupid as a youtg LAad î wlo irequenîly lhad ilîraslied jiiii npublic. l'le ilivetîtor worked biis staffl'releitîlessly. bu tlite led tlieiu îlot drove tlteîîu. If lite 'Old Mati" (lie wvas 21» was on le sointeiiig. tliey could expect te work itiglîl anîd day, be cursed anîd cajoled. But die staff accepted the work load williitglv. beiîîg iîîtected by lus enthîusiasiîî. Edisoîî's mietiîods were la- boiîous. St iii slîunniiîg rnatlte- inatîcs, lie preterred 10 test lus ideas by trial anîd error, anîd by a process of eliiiia tio)n. His 'iîîaîcial systent. too, was unîique anîd liapitazard. Mhen lie setl up lis Elecîric [am.iip Comîpainy across tite îracks 'rontî the ienio Park invent iion lac lory, tite coui- pany declared a dividend everx' Saiurday uiglît during a poker gaine. Part of' Edisoii's salar-y xvas a weekly box of' cigars. L-egeiîdlhas it tdia tlie it- veiuted diue incanîdescent i ainp. He didi't. At leasi five Ipeop)le hiad inîroduced dit'f'erenî ît'pes before Edison,. iicludiitg a young Torotnto inedical stu- dent t îaîed Hentry Woodward wliose paienti Edisont laler puir' ciîased. Bu t Edisoiu 's lailîp. witlî a filamneitî, or burner. of No. 9 Ceaies cottoru covered witlî laîîp bl.ack, cettld slay aglew for- 40 Itours and tit was the best that hiad been developed up te thiat linte. Wlîten dernonslratiîtg bis bulb, Edison would show, ai*- ter a wlile, Iliat by turnirig a screw the liglît weuld dinli and go out.le knlew [liai if ,le didî'îtdite laitp wonild burn out anywav. NVhile developinglItde iin- canîdescen t lainp, lEdisont worked to reduce the tierce glare of tie existing arc lighîts. xitht Itie hope Onat îliey cotild bc adapîed for home uise. 1lis visiotn included htoines stlp- plied itlii lectricity geiter- aîed fronti a ceittrai stationt of dyntanmos. lie saw the lhoitie of the future equLipped Wiîlt fansel c m okers. irons got tltepublicity lie was look- ing for, and gradually the fi- nancial backing. On Septeîîî- ber 4, 1881 Edison began to illuminate parts of New York froin a generating station of Pearl Street. The systern ecm- ployed direct current and the wires were placed under- ground. The mnoncy mioguls were now attraeted to the utility business by Edison's success. Man ufacturers of dlec- trical apparatus gobbled each other up, there were bitter court battiesover patents, tnid financial barons nîanipulated financial barons mnaniptilated the industry rutlîlessly. Unorthodox tliough his business arrangements were. the "Wizard of Menllo Park" remained the central figure. His empire sprei.1d.around thie world. -It embraced the tele- phiote, phionographi, telegraphi, lighîting anid distribution sys- teins and flicmnîufacture of' apparatus associated with tlic various branchies offlic industry. 111 1 883 tîte onice iungry telegraphist froni St ratflord Junictioiî was back iii Caniadai personally supervising îinstal1- la tion ot'an incandescenit ligh t- ing systieni iii tflie Caniada Cot toit C'onîipany's jplant at (Cornw ~all, O)nt airio, thle fiirst indusirial pliant to be lit 'i ike dite iiielloxv stiiset olaiî Italiani atiîîn i!" Power waýs supplied by six "Loiîg Waisted N¶ay Ariiîs" as Edison's dynamios were nickniaiîed, driven by a water wlîeel iin tie nearby St. Lwrenîce River. Tlie systein used 13,000 volts of direct curreiît. .Edison just missed out oit anotiier and euîirely separale fortune. 11i1I1901 lie eutered a iiitîiig veit itire a! Falcon- bridge, Ontario in ie i ope of' obtaiing nickel and cobalt ['or itis electrical equipinerit Pie riiîeslta 't sî rtck quick-- saîîd and wvas ;ibanldon)ed. Ani- ollîi 40-leet anid il wotîld hiave cul i it o a ricli ve iiioft copper a nd nickel ore. Edison1 woul d have becomne a iniing ni illIionia ire lia d lie PC r sîsucd a littie longer. Ili his lifetittie E'dison xvas granted 1 300 patenits. lic was tie t'atbiei ooftdie motion pic- turc caiera aîîd owned die copy'rigli t 10 dite firsi îlot ion picture imade, -Thie Record of* a Suiecze" st arriîîg mu assistait t îîaiiîed Oit. One sîtecie antd tlite shiow was over! -lliente tcrwo vein tin a îcilit ý One ot' tueninost importantl clenent sini the design of' your homne's lectrical systeni i.s the provision of' clect rical oit le ts. 'Fie ou t iets 11ILStIîot bc nore t han twclvc lcet apart anid rio point aloig the loor- fine shoulidlbe more tiian six l'cet hirman outiet in anly ro001 oft thle lousc except ot'his and kindred enterprises, conpaîîy anitalganiations, and a litnie whieeiing and deaing, led t0 the Consolidation ot, Edison's in terests iii l thce di- son General Eiectric (Coi- pany, later îîaned General EIec trîc. Mien Edison died ini 1929, titere was a suggestioni that lioniage bc paid to h inî by turning ot ail the power iin the Unîited States lor one m inîute. It cou ild n t be do ne. Close thle indust ry lie hiad done so miucît to create tor 00 seconds? "iîe coLiIutry woul d bc in chaos. It 's doutu twliîetlber L -*ci sonI Wouid have wanted the liglits dimnîciid anyway. F i sitn's rango t 'inventive g1en ,iu ts wa s e xt raoi()r d i iia ry. Niodern living wouild bc liard to) coitcelv wi1 hou t oui ltav- ing liglit ati tue Ilick ot ' a swvicltorî dcct rici ty 10 011cr' aie our ntacintiry anid turn Ol 1*ii tauttiliai dcii ical ap- pl1idaitces. 'vVhat better reason . tîen, 10 dedicate the \veek oi'Fd1Wî son' sbir tii 1-c ruaîry 1I11I 7. as National 1*l.ecti-ic Week. bathroorns. Consider, for instance, biow nt.aiy omalets are needed iin a miaster bedroomn furnislied witlî twin beds thiat are equipped wîlî electrical b la îke Is.1 On [lie riigbit table be- twecn lte beds, thiere is an electrie clcck, a table lanîp and radio. Tiiese l'ive appli- ances require atIclast tltree receptacles aloîg thie lîcad- board walI. Dowitsta irs in the kitchien, Iatîndry, antd basemient work- slicp, iridividual 2-40-volt cir- cuits are reqtîired l'or eachi mtajor appl iaîîce ranîge, clothies drycr, waîeitr heater, soine windcw air ct)nditionting uuîits, and a variety of' station- ary power tbols. Separate circuits are also required w to aidle appliances in kitliens, lauîîdry mooinîs an d breakf'ast moinîs. 'l'le above reqtîiremieuî s are utiaud.itory rrîles iin lte('anai- dî.in Elecîrical ('ode anîd re- present abstlule minimum re- qutirenueîîis. TI ey do not re- presen i adequate wiring prac- lices rier allow f'or future expansioni. A well-desiguîed honme equipped l'or motdern con- yen ienIceS 11uuSt be suIppiied SIMAPSONS-SEAR:S witli outiets welI in exeess of' thiese nminimnum rcquirements. Flow many swiches, and wlîat kiîîd of switelîes are needcd ini a mîodern home? Tlîre-way aîîd four-way switlbes are uîeeded 10 con- [roI rooni hfilts from two or miore locationîs. I( you can't turîl a light on when you enîter a dark area- or caitturn 011e off wien you Ibave a liglîted area- ycur iioiiîe is 'uniderswitclied.' Il you have eîîouglt switlhes iin aIlthie necessary locations, tiiîgs are less likely 10 go bunip ii thie niglît-like Dad tripping over the kids' toys. lii: [R ND YSJ'ORLE IN TIN: OSHA [VA CENTRE Adding up homels power ueeds- A NATIONAL ELECTRIC WEEK SAFETY MESSAGE] &1JSIMPSONS-SEARS .can give you a liand your living room, kitchen, bedroom, bath ronmrecreation _ room, garden... OSElectrîcally1

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