"Insomnia Squad" & Final Push to Perfect the Diamond Disc

[Valecnik]

Jerry Fabris posted a link to this very interesting article on Moo's board. For those of you who didn't see it there here it is.

Very well written and informative!

http://njh.libraries.rutgers.edu/index. ... /1056/2480

[Lenoirstreetguy]

THIS is fascinating! I have skimmed this, but I've printed it out so that I can peruse at my leisure. Isn't the relationship between Edison and Mina a hoot? They were little short of adorable, although this narrative makes Mina sound a bit harsh. But Edison was 65 at this time and had had some serious health issues before this so Mina thought it's about time he slowed down a bit. He had,for example, nearly poisoned himself working with cyanide on New Year's Eve of 1912. Mina was concerned that Miller Reese Hutchison the chief engineer, was complicit in these sessions of experimental machismo.... which would have been fine if Edison were 30 years younger, but not for a man of retirement age. Edison's classic " never been sick a day in my life" routine which he did regularly for the press, was another of his myths. Remember his bout of mastoiditis? He wouldn't let them change the dressing unless Mina was there to hold his hand so the two had a very close relationship. They said that he wanted Mina to kiss him goodbye every morning as he left for the lab and his daughter Madeline has reported that the first thing he did on arriving home was walk through the house to find Mina. There was a reason she called him " Dearie"

Jim

[Valecnik]

Yes I thought it was a great piece. Mina's doting probably added years to his life and can you imagine what he might have looked like if Mina hadn't forced him to come home, wash his face and change clothes once in awhile?

Most women then and now too are worried about their husband's going out carousing with the boys or perhaps chasing around. Mina's worry was that if she left the house, her hubby might work 24/7 the whole time she was gone with cleaning himself, shaving or resting properly...

[phonogfp]

Nice piece. For those who enjoy this sort of personal background on Edison, I recommend Robert Conot's A Streak of Luck. It's an excellently researched book with none of the fluffy hero worship - - just a candid examination of a remarkable man.

George P.

[estott]

I enjoyed that book, though it's not flawless- and many people detest it. How ever it does pretty well establish that Mina (and Miller) worked very hard on reshaping Edison's public image into a Grand Old Man, suppressing some of his less attractive traits and reshaping others into colorful eccentricities. "Al" Edison retired to the background to be replaced by the more dignified "Tom".

I've seen some early color footage of him at one of George Eastman's lawn parties, mostly just puffing on a cigar and blowing smoke for the camera. It must have been quite an effort to keep him even marginally tidy.