The Last Days of Night(112)
Edison’s undeniable fraud about when he’d gotten the bulb to work, on the other hand, has been depicted fairly. Edison’s habit of exaggerating to the loyal press—or in this case flat-out lying to them—was a recurring theme throughout his career.
Chapter 48: The courtroom scene of Paul arguing against A/C use in a New York State execution is a dramatization of a real case. The murder is real, but I’ve moved it from March 1889 to May 1889.
Westinghouse was in fact betrayed by Charles Coffin in the manner described, a treachery that took his team by surprise. One of Westinghouse’s lawyers really did go to Buffalo to try this case in court, though it was not Paul, and Harold Brown was not present.
Chapter 49: The description of the execution of William Kemmler is accurate and comes from contemporaneous newspaper accounts, such as “Far Worse Than Hanging,” The New York Times, August 7, 1890.
Also, while the electrocution itself is described accurately, neither Paul nor Harold Brown was in fact there to witness it.
Chapters 50–52: The financial crisis that followed the Baring Brothers collapse is real, though I’ve moved it from November 1890 to September 1889. The tactics by which Paul and Westinghouse attempted to weather the crisis have been rendered accurately. That Edison and Morgan then used their considerable Wall Street muscle to drive Westinghouse further toward bankruptcy is true, though it’s hard to know exactly what backroom deals were being made during the financial crisis.
Chapter 55: All descriptions of Fisk University are accurate, as are descriptions of the Cravath family’s involvement therein. (Based on The Cravath Firm and Its Predecessors 1819–1948, by Robert Swaine, and Thy Loyal Children Make Their Way: Fisk University since 1866, by Reavis Mitchell, Jr.)
All description of the work on X-rays that Tesla conducts there is based on real work that Tesla did in 1895, though not, of course, at Fisk. The specific characters of the Fisk students are invented.
Chapters 56–57: The scene of Alexander Graham Bell is imagined, though Bell’s history and personality have been rendered as accurately as possible. All of the backstory on Bell depicted here is real—if simplified—and is based on Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention, by Charlotte Gray.
In this book’s final chapters, Paul Cravath hatches and implements a multifaceted plan to win the current war. This plan involves organizing a secret coup within Edison General Electric, backed by J. P. Morgan, to depose Edison as the company’s head and replace him with Charles Coffin. Then Nikola Tesla is talked into signing away his royalties on Westinghouse’s A/C systems. The current war is ended, with Westinghouse victorious and Edison tragically excommunicated from the company he founded.
All of these events occurred. However, the timeline of events has been compressed from a few years to just a few months, and Paul has been depicted as the mastermind behind the whole thing. In reality, we don’t know what his role was.
It is unlikely that Paul was present at the swindling of Tesla. Jonnes describes Westinghouse visiting Tesla alone and delivering the arguments Paul makes in this novel. Tesla seemed, in his own writing, proud of his decision to give away the royalty. He really did believe what Westinghouse told him.
Chapter 72: Paul, Westinghouse, and Tesla did attend an event at the Niagara Falls power plant on July 19, 1896. However, I’ve combined some details of this event with a subsequent one at which only Tesla was present, in January 1897.
Edison was not at either of these ceremonies. However, Tesla had taken refuge in Edison’s West Orange laboratory after the fire at his lab. The two men had become friends. And then on Tesla’s way to Niagara Falls he actually stopped by Westinghouse’s home outside Pittsburgh. Tesla spent many hours in the warm company of both Westinghouse and Edison in those days, some of which Paul, as counsel to Westinghouse, was present to witness.
GRAHAM MOORE
Los Angeles
February 5, 2016
FOR MY GRANDFATHER, DR. CHARLIE STEINER, who first taught me to revere science on a trip to Bell Laboratories when I was nine years old. He set an example of intelligence, kindness, and decency to which I aspire every day.
WRITING THIS BOOK would simply not have been possible, much less advisable, without the essential care and guidance of:
Jennifer Joel, my literary agent and creative partner Noah Eaker, my editor and loyal adversary
Susan Kamil, my publisher and champion
Keya Vakil, my research assistant and partner in crime Tom Drumm, my manager and unwavering voice of calm
I’d like to give my deepest thanks as well to the generous friends who read (oh so many) early drafts and offered their invaluable suggestions: Ben Epstein, Susanna Fogel, Alice Boone, Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, and Suzanne Joskow.
The initial idea for this story came about during a long conversation on a road trip through Pennsylvania with Helen and Dan Estabrook. I’m indebted to both for their enthusiasm as well as their safe driving.
All of my thoughts about the nature of invention and technological innovation were generated, explored, and honed during a thousand lunches and late-night chats with Avinash Karnani, Matt Wallaert, Samantha Culp, and my (little) brother Evan Moore.
While titling this book, I was fortunate enough to receive assistance (and commiseration) from Sam Wasson and Mary Laws.
Many thanks to the copyeditors who taught me more about English grammar than I ever learned in school: Dennis Ambrose, Benjamin Dreyer, Deb Dwyer, and Kathy Lord.