ured on a commercial scale. With a little
handful of selected experimenters gathered about him, Edison settled
down to one of his characteristic struggles for supremacy. To some
extent it was a revival of the old Menlo Park days (or, rather, nights).
Some of these who had worked on the preliminary experiments, with the
addition of a few new-comers, toiled together regardless of passing
time and often under most discouraging circumstances, but with that
remarkable esprit de corps that has ever marked Edison's relations with
his co-workers, and that has contributed so largely to the successful
carrying out of his ideas.

The group that took part in these early years of Edison's arduous labors
included his old-time assistant, Fred Ott, together with his chemist,
J. W. Aylsworth, as well as E. J. Ross, Jr., W. E. Holland, and Ralph
Arbogast, and a little later W. G. Bee, all of whom have grown up
with the battery and still devote their energies to its commercial
development. One of these workers, relating the strenuous experiences of
these few years, says: "It was hard work and long hours, but still
there were some things that made life pleasant. One of them was the
supper-hour we enjoyed when we worked nights. Mr. Edison would have
supper sent in about midnight, and we all sat down together, including
himself. Work was forgotten for the time, and all hands were ready for
fun. I have very pleasant recollections of Mr. Edison at these times. He
would always relax and help to make a good time, and on some occasions
I have seen him fairly overflow with animal spirits, just like a boy
let out from school. After the supper-hour was over, however, he again
became the serious, energetic inventor, deeply immersed in the work at
hand.

"He was very fond of telling and hearing stories, and always appreciated
a joke. I remember one that he liked to get off on us once in a while.
Our lighting plant was in duplicate, and about 12.30 or 1 o'clock in the
morning, at the close of the supper-hour, a change would be made from
one plant to the other, involving the gradual extinction of the electric
lights and their slowly coming up to candle-power again, the whole
change requiring probably about thirty seconds. Sometimes, as this was
taking place, Edison would fold his hands, compose himself as if he were
in sound sleep, and when the lights were full again would apparently
wake up, with the remark, 'Well, boys, we've had a fine rest; now let