[D8742AAC], Letter from Samuel Flood Page to Thomas Alva Edison, February 7th, 1887
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Title
[D8742AAC], Letter from Samuel Flood Page to Thomas Alva Edison, February 7th, 1887
Editor's Notes
"I beg to acknowledge the receipt today of your letter of the 24th January in which you confirm the telegram which you sent on the 13th ultimo as follows:-- ## 'Ediswan London. Offer contained my letter November 9th last as to adjustment of patent accounts and future patents is hereby cancelled. Edison.' ## You letter goes on to say:-- 'Such a length of time has elapsed since I made the proposal to you that in justice to myself I feel compelled to cancel my proposal.' ## Your letter is based upon a complete misconception of what has taken place, of which perhaps you are not aware, owing to your recent illness. I feel sure that after reading this letter you will see that the delay has arisen on your side and not on ours. If you letter of 9th November amongst other things you state:-- ## 'Lord Anson thoroughly understands my ideas in relation to this matter and I would suggest that you have an interview with his on the subject.' ## You letter of 9th November reached us about the 20th of that month and there was a board meeting on the 23rd at which Lord Anson explained at length your views and wishes and laid great stress on your desire that we should endeavour to sell the jumbo dynamos to the Milan Edison Company and I was instructed to go to Milan and endeavour to effect the sale in accordance with your wishes. At this time we were daily expecting that our lamp patent case would be tried in the court of appeal and this prevented my starting for Milan till the first week in December. Professor Colombo being in Rome, I had to go there to see him; after several interviews with Professor Colombo, Mr. Lieb and other officials of the company, the Italian company agreed on 16th December to purchase two of the jumbo dynamos, provided that the dynamos in question were of the same type as, and could be worked in multiple arc with, the jumbo dynamos now used in the Milan Central Station. I left Milan for London the morning after that arrangement was made and on 20th december I sent you the following telegram:-- ## 'Please cable whether the resistance of armatures and field magnets and general electrical and mechanical details of our jumbo dynamos which you have in New York are identical with Milan station dynamos. Ediswan' ## This telegram was confirmed by letter on 22nd December, from that day to the receipt of your telegram cancelling your letter of 9th November we had been waiting for some communication from you. ## If you had answered our cablegram in the affirmative or negative as to the dynamos, we should have been in a position to write to you at once informing you how many dynamos were left, and accepting your offer; but until you give us that information we do not know whether we have four dynamos to hand over against patents or only two. If the Milan company were able to take two, in that case of course we should only have the other two to deal with. So far from the directors not having accepted your offer or done anything in the matter, I think you will see that we have done all in our power to act in accordance with your wishes as conveyed to us by Lord Anson and if it had not been for the unfortunate fact that you did not answer our cable as to whether the dynamos would work with those at Milan the whole matter would have been completed in the month of December. Professor Colombo is naturally anxious to know whether he has bought the dynamos or not, but that depends upon the information that we have been expecting from you and which we have not yet received. I feel sure that after this explanation you will see that the delay has not rested with us but that we have been waiting for an answer to our cable and letter of 20th and 22nd December and that there is therefore no reason why you should cancel the offer contained in your letter of 9th November, 1880."
Author
Recipient
Date
1887-02-07
Type
Folder/Volume ID
D8742-F
Microfilm ID
120:58
Document ID
D8742AAC
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University