ACHESON

ACHESON’S FIRST ENCOUNER WITH EDISON



With all the experience behind him thus far, Acheson took on a job as an oil tank gauger with United Pipe Lines which was a sub-company of the Standard Oil Company. He then traveled the country by horseback. His job was to very accurately measure tank capacity. During this time however, he had a fascination with the electrical field of science and the studies of it. In 1879 the yearning led him to leave United Pipe Lines and seek out a career which eventually lead to working on telephone and lighting with Thomas Edison.

He tried many times for employment until finally he decided to pay Edison a visit in Menlo Park.

He was employed as a draftsman. Also in his excess time he would spend researching the studies of anything to do with the electrical field. Edison was so elated by Acheson’s suggestion on the electric meter, he was promoted to the Original Experimental Department. Soon after he was placed in lamp manufacturing, where he spent time making perfect a feasible filament.


EUROPE




Acheson was only employed by Edison for ten months and eight days when he was told to prepare for a trip to Europe. It was for The International Electrical Experimental Department. Before Acheson’s position was in the Lamp Manufacturing Department, where he spent an extreme amount of time laboring on a feasible filament.

OFF TO EUROPE

On April 20, 1881, Acheson was instructed by Edison to master everything he could regarding the electrical business. This was to prepare for his travel toEurope.
Ten months and eight days had been the amount of time Edward Acheson was employed by Thomas Edison. He made so much formidable headway and achievements in such little time. Three months later Acheson moved on to arrive in Paris for the International Electrical Exposition.
Over in Europe, it was Acheson who unveiled and ushered in the electric light to the people of France, Belgium, Italy, and Holland.
Two years later, while back in the United States, when Acheson left Edison’s company, he still continued his own experimental methods in electricity. Later one of his efforts was to patent a design for telephone wires which subsequently was sold to George Westinghouse.
THE INVENTION OF CARBORUNDUM

During the course of experiment while working with abrasives, Acheson came upon a product that when a high voltage of electrical current passed through clay, when filled with carbon, the product’s composition was hard enough to cut diamonds.
It was believed to be composed of carbon and corundum. Therefore, it was patented “Carborundum”. The Carborundum Company came together on September, 1891. It was incorporated for $150,000. Of course, this discovery was astounding for the abrasive industry.

HIS HIGHEST ACCOMPLISHMENT

Patents were awarded to Edward Acheson in the mid 1890’s for purifying carbon and manufacturing graphite.
In England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Russia, applications and to produce it were filed during March and February 1990. To manage the numerous foreign and interior administrations, “International Acheson Graphite Company,” was structured.
The product Oildag* was patented. It was a result of Dr. Acheson’s further experimentations of mixing oil with his artificial graphite, which in turn perhaps prolonged the life of the natural petroleum lubricating oils by four times. Additional experiments established that his deflocculated graphite, suspended in water, formed an exceptional lubricant. This product was named Aquadag*. Both are world renown.

ACHESON RELOCATES TO THE BLUE WATER AREA

PORT HURON

Of utmost importance was that in order to create and distribute Acheson’s colloidal graphite, he needed an ample quantity of pure water. Edison gave Acheson the idea of Port Huron, Michigan as being a possible site. Of course Acheson waslooking elsewhere in cities across the entire United States.
In 2010, it will be l00 years since Dr. Edward Acheson made Port Huron, home of Acheson Colloid’s Company (formerly North American Operations). Also Port Huron is the home of the Worldwide Headquarters of Acheson Industries, Inc.
A brilliant man, Dr. Edward Goodrich Acheson, was a person who was ahead of his times as so many others were throughout our history.
The year before he died he joined Helen Keller, Thomas A. Edison, and Orville Wright in being valued as the “still living Americans” who had achieved the most. This notable was worth of all the acknowledgements bestowed upon him. A few of the most noteworthy were:

Degree of Doctor of Science
(University of Pittsburg, 1909)

Officer of the Royal Order of the Polar Star
(King of Sweden, 1914)

Count Rumford Metal
(American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1908)

John Scott Medal
(City of Philadelphia on recommendation of the
Franklin Institute, 1894 and 1901)

Edward Goodrich Acheson Metal
(American Electrochemical Society, 1929)

*United States Patent