Granville T. Woods was an African-American inventor and engineer
known as "The Black Edison". His inventions included overhead electrical lines
for railways, a steam boiler furnace, the synchronous multiplex railway telegraph,
and a communications technology called "telegraphony".
Early Life
Granville T. Woods was born in Columbus, Ohio
on April 23, 1856. He attended school until age 10, when he went to work for
his father as an apprentice in a railroad machine shop. While learning the
skills of a machinist and blacksmith, young Granville become so interested in
the electricity that powered railroad machinery that he paid his co-workers for
lessons about basic electrical concepts. Later, Woods attended engineering
school for two years, probably in the eastern United States.
Steam Engines and Jim
Crow
In 1872, Granville T. Woods took a job as a fireman on Missouri's Danville
and Southern (D & S) Railroad. He was later promoted to railway engineer. In
the age of Jim Crow, however, blacks were banned from many libraries as local
laws ensured de jure racial discrimination.
Unable to borrow books himself, Woods continued to experiment with electricity
in his spare time. In 1874, he left Missouri
for neighboring Illinois,
where he continued his hands-on education by finding work in a steel rolling
mill.
Ironsides to Early Inventions
In 1876, Granville T. Woods left Jim Crow for
Ironsides, a British steamer. Within two years, he was named Chief Engineer. Histories
of Granville T. Woods may present confusing timelines, but the most important
phase of the inventor's life is clear.
In 1884, Granville T. Woods and his brother Lyates
established the Woods Railway Telegraph Company, which designed and
manufactured telephone, telegraph, electrical and railroad equipment. The
company's work with overhead electric conducting lines helped power the
development of railways systems in several American cities. Woods also filed a
patent for an improved steam-boiler furnace for locomotives
Telephony, Telegraphy
and Telegraphony
In 1885, Granville T. Woods patented a device that incorporated elements of
both a telephone and a telegraph. The "telegraphony" was designed to
allow a telegraph station to transmit both voice and telegraph messages over a
single wire. After selling his rights to this device to the American Bell
Telephone Company, Woods patented the synchronous multiplex railway telegraph, which
allowed communications between a station and a moving train as well as between
moving trains.
Thomas Edison filed a claim to ownership of this latter patent, but "The Black
Edison" prevailed. After defeating "The Wizard of Menlo Park" in several court
battles, Granville T. Woods rebuffed Edison's
overtures for a business partnership. As Woods once said, "I believe I can do anything if I try."
Resources:
http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventors/a/GranvilleTWoods.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Woods
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/woods.html
http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/granvillewoods.html
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