Beiyang 1917

Thomas Alva Edison (thomas alva edison, 1847-1931) was the greatest inventor and entrepreneur of his generation, and possessed numerous important invention patents. He was awarded the title of "Wizard of Menlo Park" by the world media. He is He was the first inventor in the world to use the principles of mass production and his industrial research laboratory to produce an invention.

Edison had more than 2000 inventions in his life, including the phonograph, movie camera, and tungsten light bulb, which had a great impact on the world.In the end, most of the countless companies he created were merged into the General Electric Company of the United States. The headquarters of General Electric is now located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

Edison had just passed his 70th birthday, but he was still in good spirits. That night he happened to be working on a key military project with his engineers in the General Electric laboratory. In fact, if it wasn’t for the General Electric laboratory Project, Edison would not have stayed so long in New York.

Since his marriage to his second wife, Mina Miller, in 1886, Edison has spent most of his time at "Granmont," a large estate in Orange Valley, New Jersey, where his personal experiments are still indispensable. room.

It was the mechanical device on the torpedo that made Edison and the assistants in the laboratory of the General Electric Company rack their brains. The invention of the steam torpedo in 1904 made the torpedo the most powerful naval weapon after the artillery after entering World War I.

The problem that Edison and General Electric Company had to solve was the misfiring problem of the military trigger torpedo. The trigger torpedo hit the target, so that the fuze installed in the front tentacles of the torpedo was activated. When the impact force was too large, it often caused the firing pin and The guide rail was deformed, and the primer could not be fired smoothly, resulting in a dud.

Edison, who had been sleeping and forgetting to eat and drink with the engineer for almost a week, had a lot of white hair on his head, but he still couldn't do anything to break through.

The concierge in the hall below called up, and a young man wanted to find Mr. Thomas Edison, saying that he had something important!

The person who answered the phone was Charles Edison who had spent a week with his father in the laboratory. Charles was the second son of Edison and his second wife, and he had just graduated from college.Also worked as an intern in a laboratory at General Electric Company.

This guy's temper is as hot as his father's. The young man who was tossed by the experiment for a week was almost crazy. At this moment, he couldn't help but shout at the telephone pickup that his father improved and invented,

"Bastard! Didn't I take care of you a long time ago, whether it's on or off work! When Mr. Edison is in the laboratory, no one should disturb you! It's your old William on duty tonight? Don't you want to continue working in General Electric?! Hurry up and send him away, if you have anything to do, come back at work tomorrow!"

Although the young man has a grumpy temper, he still manages things quite well. After the death of Edison in his previous life, it was this Charles who took over the General Electric Company among the six children. This guy even ran for governor in the future. He is considered to be the most successful among Edison's many children. One of them, but he is only in his twenties at this time, naturally he hasn't cultivated to that level yet.

Edison didn't even hear the phone call Charles went to answer. This one of the greatest inventors in human history was basically deaf to external things when he was thinking. Of course, the long-term deafness of hearing also affected his concentration. objective existence.

Charles dropped the phone and turned around before walking a few steps when the phone rang persistently again. This young man who looked exactly like his father exploded in anger, rushed to grab the microphone and shouted:

"William, are you crazy? Aren't you afraid to pack up and go home tomorrow?"

A strange youth's voice came from the receiver,

"I don't care who you are, if I don't see Mr. Edison tonight, it's not old William the porter who will be fired tomorrow, but you sir! I have something important to talk to Mr. Edison! Must see tonight himself!"

The English on the receiver was fluent and proficient, and the tone was full of confidence and arrogance. Charles was furious when he heard it, and instinctively wanted to throw the phone, but the young man's voice came from the receiver again,

"Mr. Charles, I advise you not to drop the phone. I know that Mr. Edison and his assistants are worrying about the torpedo problem. I have a prescription for him here!"

"How do you know about torpedoes? Don't think that knowing what my father is researching is enough to bluff people. There are too many people who know about torpedoes! Anyone can brag!"

Charles was obviously a bit bluffing. Since the other party came here at this time, he probably didn't come here indiscriminately. It's just that Charles didn't want to be overwhelmed by the other party. After all, he is also Edison's son with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering!

The young man in the receiver was obviously a little impatient, "If you don't believe me, it won't be the same for anyone who invented my torpedo mechanism!" The other party hung up the phone with a snap!

Charles is holding a microphone and can't recover. This guy even knows about the mechanical device?At this time, Edison finally noticed the strangeness here, and walked over with a tired face and asked,

"Who is looking for me? Why did you get bitten by the tongue Charles?"

Charles stammered, "Father, a strange young man came to the concierge and said that he wanted to talk to you personally about the invention of the torpedo mechanism. His tone was shocking. Before I said no, he dropped the phone! "

ah?Edison, who was at a loss for what to do about the torpedo mechanism, was taken aback when he heard this. He rushed over and grabbed the phone and shook the handle, "Switchboard! Get me the concierge, hurry up!"

The phone was connected quickly, and Edison asked in a repeated voice, "I'm Thomas Edison, who is on duty at the porter, stop the young man who called just now!"

There was a burst of hearty laughter on the phone, and a young man said in fluent English,

"Dear Mr. Edison, don't worry. I'm still here. My lord Wang Geng just thought of an invention related to the torpedo mechanism. I dare to rush over to you at night. Is it convenient for you to see me?"

"Wang Geng? Chinese? It's convenient, I'll ask Charles to pick you up! You don't want to go anywhere! Hmm! That's it!" Edison hung up the phone, turned around and said to his son suspiciously,

"This young man is actually a Chinese, don't worry, Charles, please hurry up and invite him up, it's too messy here, go to the meeting room on the third floor! I'll wait for you in the meeting room, by the way, you can rent out the gate for him The fare of the car is paid first!"

"Taxi fare? Wang Geng?" Charles naturally obeyed his father's orders, and hurried out of the laboratory, wondering why the name sounded so familiar!It seems to have seen it in the newspaper?

Edison washed his hands, and while instructing the laboratory assistants to continue the experiment, he took off his white coat and put on his coat, and came to the conference room on the third floor.

Soon, Charles led a young Chinese man in a windbreaker and hat into the room.

"Hello, you must be the respected great inventor Mr. Edison. My name is Wang Geng. I am a Chinese student studying abroad. I am now in the third grade at the West Point Military Academy and will graduate this summer!" The tall and handsome Chinese youth took off his hat and extended his hand friendly !

The 70-year-old Edison in front of him has been one of Wang Geng's idols since he was a child. Regardless of his knowledge and character, his contribution to mankind is enough to offset all moral flaws. What Wang Geng remembers most is that Edison promised in his previous life that if Edison will reward Nikola Tesla with $[-] for his work on improving DC generators.

And when Tesla almost redesigned and completed the dynamo a year later, Edison went so far as to say that it was American humor.That was in 1919 in the previous life, that is to say, this story had not happened yet, and Wang Geng did not want Tesla's tragedy to happen to him.

So Wang Geng's plan tonight is not to see the rabbits and not to scatter the eagles. It was just a trivial matter to ask Edison to pay the fare for him just now.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wang Geng. You look so young. I don't see many Chinese youths. Most of them are very smart, but it is rare to speak English as well as you. Charles is much older than you. How old are you, but rough like a high school student!" Edison gave up his seat while glaring at his boy.

"Coffee or tea?" Edison asked with a smile, "I spend all my time in the laboratory, so there are fewer pours in the conference room! Do you smoke?" The old man opened the cigarette can from the tea table to give the Chinese youth a cigarette ,

"Aha, thank you. Tea and coffee don't matter. If you want to stay up late, you need to have this!" Wang Geng's eyes lit up, he was not at all polite, and he smoked a cigarette directly from the camel cigarette jar in Edison's hand Come out, while smiling.

Here, Charles also came back to his senses at this moment, and hurriedly lit a match to light cigarettes for his father and the Chinese guests.

"Charles, please bring us two cups of coffee!" Edison waved his hand as he looked at the beautiful Chinese youth who was taking a long puff of cigarette.

Charles nodded, and gently took the door out. When there were guests present, in front of his 70-year-old majestic father, the children of the Edison family were still very law-abiding and did not dare to be presumptuous.

"So, Mr. Wang Geng, you said that you want to talk to me about the invention of the torpedo mechanism?" Edison looked at Wang Geng impatiently and said.