[D8905AJA], Letter from Werner von Siemens to Thomas Alva Edison, December 3rd, 1889
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D8905AJA
→ View document with UniversalViewer
→ View document on Archive.org
→ Re-use this digital object via a IIIF manifest
Title
[D8905AJA], Letter from Werner von Siemens to Thomas Alva Edison, December 3rd, 1889
Editor's Notes
Dear friend Edison: I duly received through von Humbolt one of your phonographs with appurtenances and also your letters of Oct. 26th and Nov. 2nd; and I conform herewith any cablegram to you of Nov. 28th reading: "Government wants fifty phonographs for Prussian schools, give terms. Electrolytic process mailed this week. Siemens"##First of all please accept my best thanks for the phonograph presented to me. To comply with the express wish of the Queen of Wurtemberg I have sent my phonograph to Stuttgart where it has essentially helped to spread your fame. Five competititors of the phonograph recently made their appearance here: the graphophon and gramophon. As to the graphophone I am now perfectly enlightened through your letter of Oct 26th, the communications contained in which I have already used in your interest. The gramophon was lately produced at our electrotechnical society by Mr. Berliner of New York, and as at the same meeting one of your phonographs was also produced, the performances of both instruments showed very plainly the superiority of your invention.##I hope you are in the position to answer favorably my cablegram referring to the fifty phonographs which Minister von Gossler wants for public schools in Prussia. As I understand you agents Gouraud and [Quellmalz?] are not yet in the position to fill orders; besides their idea of "renting" phonographs would not be acceptable to our government.##The description of the process of treating opper ore will at last be finished today, and will be mailed to you together with this letter. You will see from it, that since your presence in Berlin the method has been considerably improved, especially the apparatus which are used. Negotiations referring to these improvements are still pending with the patent office of the United States of America. It would prove perhaps a saving of time, if you would send us a quantity of your copper ore (or matte of copper), as we have already asked you to do in our letter of Oct. 25th. Then we would be able to find out here the best proportions which are to be used for the extraction of your ore; while you are building your plans.##The projected contract with your new company relating to the connection of cable works seems to be still pending, notwithstanding our mutual stipulations made, when you were here. It is a pity, that so much time is lost during which we could have made a good deal of money. It will scarceky do to postpone the decision much longer.##In conclusion please accept my especial thanks for your kind visit which had as a consequence my learning to esteem the man whose works I had long admired. I beg you to kindly to remember me to your amiable wife. Yours very truly, W.V Siemens [name mentions: Mr. Berliner, Minister von Gosler,, Quellmaltz, Queen of Wurtemberg]
Author
Recipient
Mentioned
Date
1889-12-03
Type
Folder/Volume ID
D8905-F
Microfilm ID
125:480
Document ID
D8905AJA
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University