" These discoveries were closely
connected with his earlier experiments the phenomenon of
induction. His laboratory had
worked every aspect the system but slowly Edison chose to
concentrate some areas the expense others. Steinmetz's original idea was to
concentrate these critical areas and then carry out general
chemical research any "spare time" that remained. the 1890s carried out more experiments on
induction and "etheric force," which had discovered in
the 1870s. Edison hoped that these phenomena might useful
O
in system wireless telegraphy.
Edison had some important electrical interests his own
outside the contractual work for GE. In
contrast, the Edison laboratory pursued much wider range of
electrical experiments, spanning electric light, power, storage
batteries, and measuring instruments. The development of
wireless fell the wayside other projects— ore milling,
phonographs and motion pictures— dominated the laboratory's
time the 1890s. Edison also maintained an
interest more exotic technologies, such "etheric force"
and the "Edison effect. did come close to
developing workable system, but commercial product eluded
him. The
development work electric motors, for example, had paid
.VII- 4
narrow; looked into metallic filaments, mercury vapor lamps,
and the Nernst lamp. The answer this problem, (and several others, including
the amplification sound), was found the "Edison
Effect" which had been discarded previously
