What London Talks About—Edison’s Fame Abroad.
LONDON, England, Oct. 23.—The city is a perplexed community. It is a prey to rumor, a martyr to depression. The strength of the banks is shown by the fact that not one of them has yet made signs of distress, in spite of damaging reports of all kinds. Mercantile failures are taking place here and there, under the pressure of the times; but the panic continues to have far less serious effect than was anticipated. The stock markets are weak, it is true. Securities of nearly every description are going down. Bank shares must necessarily fall. But it is some satisfaction to feel that the immediate depression is chiefly traceable to the influence of the Glasgow disaster… The arrest of the Directors for fraud will probably lead to a further depression of bank shares seeing that the prosecution of the prisoners will lead to an exposure of transactions which will shake the faith of even the firmest supporters of banking investments…. The result, it is feared, may be almost as serious to some people as the gas panic, which does not abate, though doubt is beginning to be thrown on the truth of the Edison discovery. It is pointed out by Engineering that although Mr. Adams, the American inventor’s agent in London, has repeated in a letter to the Times the essence of the alleged interview of the New-York Sun, yet the announcement of the great discovery has not been made direct by Mr. Edison himself. Engineering is inclined to accept with great hesitation and with much reserve the Sun “interview,” which comes to us in “that most unreliable of all public announcements.” A dialogue with Mr. Edison should have an interviewer with scientific knowledge. Until more thoroughly well-authenticated accounts of Mr. Edison’s fresh additions to modern discovery reach London, the leading scientists shake their heads; though the name of Edison is one which commands respect and has won the admiration of the highest scientific circles in this metropolis. I had the advantage of conversing upon the subject yesterday wth Capt. McEvoy, another name of note on both sides of the Atlantic. He believes Mr. Edison has succeeded in dividing the electric current as described. He thinks, however, that the discoverer will find it very difficult to make it the subject of a strong patent. Possibly that same thought may be inducing Mr. Edison to keep quiet…
(The New York Times, November 5, 1878)
Boarding House Fire. NEW LONDON, Ohio, Nov. 5. —A fire occurred at a boarding house on East Main Street on Tuesday, caused by the explosion of an oil can while the proprietress was attempting to light the kitchen stove. She was severely burned about the face and hands. The boarders escaped without injury. The flames quickly spread to the woodwork, but were extinguished before the building was entirely destroyed. Considerable damage was done to the kitchen and contents.
