Nikola Tesla Books
libraries, reading everything that came into my hands, from Newton's "Principia" all the way to the novels of Paul de Kock; yet I felt that a large part of my life had passed in vain. It was not long before I realized, however, that I had nevertheless done the best that could be done. Within a few weeks I gained Edison's full confidence. This happened in the following way: The steamship "Oregon" was at that time the fastest passenger ship, and it so happened that both dynamo machines that produced the lighting were damaged in such a way that the ship suffered considerable delays during its voyage. The machines were installed so that it was impossible to reach them, because all the surrounding space was utilized in such a manner that the machines could not be removed. The situation was very serious, and Edison was greatly disturbed. Toward evening I took the necessary instruments with me and went to the ship, where I remained overnight. The dynamo machines were in very poor condition and damaged in two places. With the help of my men I succeeded in repairing them. When, at about five o'clock in the morning, I was returning to work along Fifth Avenue, I happened to meet Edison and Batchelor with several other gentlemen, who were leaving the laboratories together with Edison to go to their homes. "That is our Parisian, who roams about at night," Edison remarked. When I replied that I was coming from the "Oregon" and that I had repaired both machines, he merely looked at me and walked on without a word. When he had gone some distance, I heard him say to Batchelor: "Batchelor, that really is a capable man," and from that time on I had full freedom of action. For almost an entire year my working hours were from eleven-thirty in the forenoon until five o'clock in the morning, day after day without exception. Edison said to me: "I have had many assistants who worked hard, but I have never had one like you." During that time I rebuilt twenty-four different types of machines, which were intended to replace the old ones. The foreman promised me fifty thousand dollars if I completed that work; later I realized that it had been nothing but a crude joke. This disappointed me painfully, and I left my position.
When Tesla left Edison, he founded the "Tesla Electric Light Company," which in 1886 installed Tesla's arc lamps with automatic regulation on some streets of New York. The task of that company was to enable Tesla to reach his goal as quickly as possible. For some time he was in poor financial
