Edison and Bell Together

Both Were Conspicuous at the Electrical Exposition Last Night.

FIRST MEETING IN TEN YEARS.

The Great Inventor From Menlo Park Intended to Make Experiments With the X Rays, but He Could Not Get His Apparatus in Shape — Bell Talks About Electrical Inventions — A Brooklyn Night at the Show.

The National Electrical exposition closed its first week last night in the Grand Central palace, New York. The great building was crowded and additional interest was lent to the proceedings from the fact that Thomas A. Edison himself was present. The famous inventor told the Eagle reporter last night that it was his intention to make some experiments with the X rays. His plant in the exposition wasn't in readiness, however, and the experiments along that line were postponed till to-morrow night.

There is to be a Brooklyn night at the exposition, but the date has not been arranged. The exposition closes on May 30, and it is the intention to invite public school pupils, probably next week, and give them the run of the exposition at half price that is charged just now for admission.

Last night an interesting experiment was made under the X rays. A prisoner was brought to the exposition from Bellevue hospital, escorted by policemen. He had a bullet somewhere in his right arm. Max Osterberg took the man in hand and in fifteen minutes he located the bullet, to everybody's satisfaction. The patient was then taken back to the hospital.

Professor Alexander Graham Bell of Washington, inventor of the telephone system which bears his name, reached New York yesterday morning on his way to his country home on Cape Breton Island, N. S. By appointment he met Vice President Frank W. Hawley at the Gilsey house and attended the electrical exposition, spending most of the afternoon in the building. He was accompanied by Herbert Laws Webb of the Bell company. They entered the exposition by a private entrance and at once proceeded to the model of the Niagara power plant, which was put in motion by live current from Niagara. After carefully inspecting the mechanism, workings of the Penstock, Turbine wheals, Turbine shafts, be examined critically into Tesla's two phase motor which was in operation beside the model. This seemed to the great inventor one of the most interesting exhibits in the exposition and he was not a little surprised not to find more of the models and inventions of Mr. Tesla.

He was escorted to the Erlo canal which was electrically operated by current from Niagara for Professor Boll's special benefit. He then went to the loan exhibit, where he saw his first long distance telephone, over which is hanging a large photograph of the first experiment in sending a telephonic message from New York to Chicago, with Professor Bell seated at the instrument in the foreground.

He next carefully examined the large models of the Niagara power plant, which stands next to his famous telephone, where are also located sections of the great tunnel used in the generation of power which is being transmitted to New York. He examined carefully the original models of his telephone, which is in the loan exhibit of the patent office, and furnished to the loan exhibit many Valuable data thereto. "There is one," he maid, "that I had forgotten all about, which really embodies quite as many ideas as any model of which I have been the inventor. I haven't seen that before in ten years and had really forgotten it."

Then he critically inspected the exhibits of Professor Morse and inquired earnestly into the health of Mrs. Morse and family, in whom he seemed greatly interested. He examined many of the exhibits, manifesting no little interest in a clock exhibit used in registering the time of service in manufacturing establishments. Before leaving the exposition, in company with Mr. Hawley he visited Thomas A. Edison's laboratory, and there for the first time in ten yearn shook the hand of the great inventor. They chatted together for half an hour of their various experiences and, after a cordial greeting, Mr. Bell left for the train which is to take him to his country home at Nova Scotia.

Before leaving he expressed a desire that Dr. Depew's message around the world, which will be sent to Canso, be there transcribed and sent to him over his private line, some fifteen miles in length. To this Mr. Hawley cordially assented. Before leaving the exposition Mr. Bell went to the Niagara model and placed to his ears two receivers, over which the roar of the great cataract at Niagara was distinctly heard. He listened to the roar of the falls for at least ten minutes and expressed great satisfaction at the marked efficiency of the telephone service as manifested by this wonderful demonstration. He was photographed many times by artists of various journals as he proceeded through the building and was the recipient of marked attention on all sides. The receivers used by Mr. Bell were immediately disconnected and placed in the loan exhibit, properly labelled.

In response to the inquiry of the representative of the Eagle Professor Bell said: "I consider this electrical exposition from a practical standpoint the best that has yet been given. Of course the entire electrical show at the world fair was superior to this in some respects, but the difficulty there was that the electrical appliances were too much scattered. The main electrical features of the world fair were not in the electrical building at all, but were scattered through the various departments."

When asked his opinion of the future of the telephone business, Professor Bell said: "The industry, if it may be so called, of telephonic communication, is in its essence a monopoly and necessarily so. Two telephone exchanges in one city cannot exist for long. There must be one exchange only."

Asked to give his views on the future development of the art Professor Bell said: "This is a subject on which no man can speak without careful consideration. The man who would say that certain things were impossible by-to-morrow might be proven to be entirely wrong. For instance, who would have said a year ago that it was within the bounds of possibility to transmit electrical energy a distance of 450 miles and yet that is one of the accomplished facts as shown by this New York show.

"If I were to give my views on the possibilities of future development I would probably be considered a visionary crank, as they are more optimistic than anything I have ever seen in print, but I prefer to keep them to myself. While I may never say in public, if told you so." I shall at least have the satisfaction in my own mind of having foreseen the development in the application of electrical current to the amelioration of the harsher conditions of life than have ever been outlined by any of the most visionary writers."

After Professor Bell had carefully scrutinized Mr. Tesla's two phase mater he turned to Mr. Hawley and said, "I want to congratulate you upon the success of the long distance current from Niagara. You have advocated that publicly for years and this is the first demonstration that has ever been made of the possibilities in that direction."

On the invitation of Mr. Hawley, Mr. Edison authorized the announcement that he would receive at the instrument the message which will be sent around the world by Dr. Chauncey M. Depew on Saturday evening next. In reply to theinvitation, Mr. Edison said, "I will sit at that table and will receive that message of Dr. Depew's If I live."

President Chandler of the Postal Telegraph company will operate the key at the sending station.

In reference to preparations being most for the sending of Chauncey M. Depew a massage around the world on Saturday evening next, Vice President Hawley, the noted advocate of long distance electrical transmission, who is in charge of the experiment, said to-day:

"Yes, the arrangements are substantially completed for this circuit. Some little difficulty was experienced in bringing into line the government systems in the far East, but these difficulties have been surmounted and there is little doubt of the experiment being most gratifying in its results. I shall make A preliminary test of the whole line next Saturday afternoon."