[D8822AAV], Letter from Samuel M Sexton to Thomas Alva Edison, June 9th, 1888
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Title
[D8822AAV], Letter from Samuel M Sexton to Thomas Alva Edison, June 9th, 1888
Editor's Notes
"Please pardon the presumption of a total stranger in addressing you, but I desire to offer a suggestion in regard to a plan for distributing type that W.L. Richards and myself have been thinking over for some time. Knowing that with your appliances[?] at hand that you culd redily test the feasibility of the plan, we venture to lay out the thing before you: ### It s a well known fact that the cost of distribution of type takes over one third of the printers time and any scheme that would do it automatically would find ready sale throughout the world, we therefore suggest that you make the [unclear] if you consider it worthy of trial: ### If in the Matrix when the type is cast at the foundry, there be inserted a magnet of varying form, according to each character cast or else a copper wire. And then, when the form is brought from the press, have a battery, or with a guaze attached and scatter the type on a stone, then by magnetic attraction of proper power for each letter life the "a's" "b's" "c's" out of the mass and [unclear] the force and have thum drop on a table near the cases and then distributed by a little [unclear] ### I do not know whether it is practical or not, or whether it is merely the creation of a vivid imagination, but I can see no reason at present why it could not be done. It may be that the cost of magnets or wire would preclude any adoption of the plan." Respectfully yours, Samul M. Sexton [Marginalia: "The letters e I & t could be jerked out of [unclear] however and each thereafter separated Say that it would be difficult to get so many different strengths as to produce a prctical machine." "Ans June 16/88"]
Author
Recipient
Date
1888-06-09
Type
Folder/Volume ID
D8822-F
Microfilm ID
122:729
Document ID
D8822AAV
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University