[D8847ABM], Letter from Franck Zeveley Maguire to Thomas Alva Edison, August 4th, 1888
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Title
[D8847ABM], Letter from Franck Zeveley Maguire to Thomas Alva Edison, August 4th, 1888
Editor's Notes
[nickel in slot] [from Phila] "Your favor of 3d inst., just to hand. I will take up the Phonograph for Japan and China with pleasure if you will give me reasonable option; and I think I can carry it through to your satisfaction. How soon could Count Mitkiewitz and some members of the Chinese legigation see the Phonograph at your laboratory? I would say that the Count has a hold on these Chinese which no other foreigner can secure. He is no fraud. I suppose there have been fifty attempts to secure the concesion which he received. ### There is another thing which I intended to mention in my last letter I overlooked. Some months ago I had a conversation with Mr. Gilliland in regard to the Phonograph figure business: that is, a nickle dropping attachment for a Phonograph. I know of cousre that you have sold this along with your other iprovements, but I wish to tell you that I had a talk with Mr. Erastus Wyman and Hon. Benj. Butterworth upon this subject, they were very much taken with the idea, and Wyman agreed to go in with us and form a company. The Automatic Weighing Co. of which he is in control to handle the Phonograph figures. As this matter is so far on the way, could not possible be in better hands, and as Mr. Wyman is of the opinion that he will get a chance at it, would it not be judicious to present the matter to the New Company and see if they will agree to the organization of a bus-company simply for the purpose of handling these figures, with Mr. Wyman as President on what terms you see fit. ### I would be much indebted if agreeable to you if you would send the letter of introdcution to Mr. Lippincott that I spoke of in my last letter. ### You have probably read the article of Mr. Summer Tainter in the Electrical World of recent date upon the Graphophone. Tainter is a good fellow, but his article is away off. I notice he quotes largely from my article on the Graphophone written in 1886 in Harpers Weekly, and reproduces the cuts etc. I may say that in the first part of the article (which he did not quote) I gave you full credit for the invention of the Phonograph and then dilated upon Mr. Tainter's invention of the wax cylinder. If I had seen your patents I would not have spread on the subject so much. In writing that article I was guided by the information I received around the Bell Laboratory. I was thoroughly convinced as soon as I saw your patents that you owned the Graphophone from a to izzard."
Author
Recipient
Date
1888-08-04
Type
Folder/Volume ID
D8847-F
Microfilm ID
124:177
Document ID
D8847ABM
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University