Satisfied with the technology inherent in his landmark standardized, 3-wire, underground non-tapered central feeder system in Brockton, Edison gradually shifted his primary focus towards other areas of invention....
Unfortunately, it has been correctly noted that the time and energy he had been expending in perfecting it dissuaded him from developing his coinciding discovery of ethereal electricity - a fundamental electronic concept others ended up capitalizing upon in effecting radio transmission.
In the meantime, he continued to over cling to his - not entirely flawed - argument that, until it was absolutely proven otherwise, his low tension form of DC current, "which could be handled by a child without causing him any harm," was more humane than AC current. But that is another - often inaccurately told - story, that would be better addressed later.
It should be kept clearly in mind that the mitigating synchretic features first introduced in Brockton's unpretentious, ingenious electrical power generation and distribution system represent the landmark consummation of Edison's four year quest to electrify the world. Completed at the very acme of his career, they not only evince his amazing tenacity in bringing an unbelievably difficult projects to completion, they also represent the very cornerstone of modern technology,
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New England "the Silicon Valley of the 19th Century" was the home of America's Industrial Revolution. Although rarely remembered and even more rarely understood, one of the most important events in technological history took place from 1882 through 1885 in this tiny Northeastern corner of the country.....
The tremendous affect electricity has had upon the natural environment and mankind's "built" environment can not be accurately assessed by limiting the focus to such amazing, but highly specialized, inventions as the light bulb, telephone, phonograph, generator, motor, and motion picture camera. All of which were at least partly invented by Thomas Edison....
Evaluating this broad scientific domain and the first integrated electrical generation and distribution system that could safely provide cheap illumination and power for everyone is best initiated by becoming familiar with Edison's seminal work in developing both isolated (on-site) and centralized power plants....
Throughout most of 1882, Edison was constantly wrestling with the complex challenge of transcending the experimental stage of the centralized production and distribution of commercial electricity, ever hoping to "perfectly and completely" harness it and make it a benefit to all.
Finally, in the Fall of that year, he came up with the first grid capable of truly achieving that end. Contrary to popular perception, he did not take this last major step in New York City. Its consummateimplementationoccurred11 months later in the progressive little shoe-making community of Brockton, Massachusetts.
Even though this Brockton prototype initially used less power than would now be required to light the bulbs on a modern Christmas tree, its inherently overarching technology stunned the handful of scientists to first witness it, especially England's Samuel L. Insull.
Until now, he and other critics - such as the great Lord Kelvin - had been continuously pointing out the limitations of Edison's seemingly insurmountable goal of economically lighting and powering the world with electricity, vs. gas.
But Insull now became one of the first to recognize that this was entirely possible because Brockton's three-wire advantages were destined to eventually be combined into a "web" of such stations and sub stations....
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Unfortunately just prior to this time, a number of 19th Century cohorts convinced Edison and his supporters to downplay the Edison Corporation's success in Brockton. Their primary rationale was to maintain and enhance media focus upon his "success" in the great metropolis of New York City.
And even though Edison had initially expressed tremendous pride in his breakaway accomplishments in Brockton, calling the operation "My first showcase system" and "My first complete system," he fully concurred with the practicality of placing as positive a spin as possible on his coinciding work New York.
Accordingly, the press became so obsessed with alternately touting and critiquing the sensational public relations releases coming out of Manhattan, the majority of them ignored - or perhaps never grasped - the equally great significance of what was transpiring in Brockton....
Also contributing to he blurring of the historical record, all of the Edison Illuminating Light Corporation's engineering plans and correspondence relating to Edison's Brockton venture were destroyed in a mysterious Brockton fire...
Summing up, the fascinating history associated with Brockton’s critically significant involvement in the techno/cultural perfection of widely generalized public electrification has been pretty much expunged.
Even today, very few historians are aware of the fact that it was this effort that finally eclipsed the major stumbling blocks Edison had encountered in his centralized demonstration model in Paris and his commercial centralized systems Milan, London and New York.
Fortunately, numerous, heretofore remote, details relating to this history were recorded for posterity, not only by local citizens but by some of the world's most sophisticated scientists of the time. Specifically, the writer has uncovered several accounts describing its potential for globalizing the use of of electricity. Accordingly, the following is presented in the hope of adequately addressing the above "historical oversight."
Ref:http://www.thomasedison.com/enlightened.html
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