[D8847ACW1], Letter from Gaston and Marsh to Thomas Alva Edison, October 24th, 1888
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D8847ACW1
→ View document with UniversalViewer
→ View document on Archive.org
→ Re-use this digital object via a IIIF manifest
Title
[D8847ACW1], Letter from Gaston and Marsh to Thomas Alva Edison, October 24th, 1888
Editor's Notes
Thank you very much for the multiplex pieces and "y's" received to-day. ### Geo. Greims is here, and will turn over to him the teaching of typewriters which writer has had so much of to do last few days that has had no time to devote elsewhere. ### We started out by insisting that every stockholder in our Co. should personally come to our office and learn how to manage the Phonograph in every detail. This they have assented to and are not only doing this but are sending their stenographers; but will each place from one to 4 machines in their own offices. This is going to be a great help. Among our stockholders are Geo. S. Davis of the firm of Parke, Davis & Co., who employ 14 stenographers and typewriters and C.C. Bowen of D.M. Ferry & Co. (the big seed house) who have nearly as many. ### Think have already gained several bits of useful information. Among them is the fact that until both the recorder and repeater are made self-adjusting, the thick cylinders are not going to be used by business men (we don't believe) except in a limited way. They don't like to bother with it. A cylinder (thin) on paper would seem to fill their requirements, as there would then be no adjusting or very little. Of course, if there was only one cylinder at a time, the typewriter might adjust the machine; but if a man sat down to the machine himself and wanted to write say 25 letters, don't believe you can try to make him bother with a slightly new adjustment every time, which, if we understand it, would be required even though the cylinders had all been planed off the same thickness. Then again, even though they did adjust it, occaionally, a careless man would forget to set his knife down and consequently would not get a record, and in the infancy f the business one or two such failures would make him damn the machine. ### Another point that has come up is that the stenographers that our stockholders send are full of objections, as they are afraid that they are not going to be worth so much to their various houses in the near future; but, luckily, we provided for this by cautioning the employers before they sent their men. ### We believe, all things considered, that with the non-adjusting feature settled, there is no further difficulty in the way of the Phonograph being received with unprecedented favor in the business world, conceding the wax problem settled. ### Will to-morrow, if it is possible, get the newspaper men together and send on that cylinder, which you so kindly offered to duplicate. ### Please drop us a line telling us about the duplicating and also concerning the increased volume of tone in the duplicates. Yours truly, Gaston & Marsh by Marsh [Marginalia: "Little Reed-thanks for keep me posted. Answer this question. Suppose man has two machines and 2 doz thick cylinders. The businessman puts on a cylinder throws spectacle down and dictates when full takes it off and sends it to typewriter who copies and turns off cylinder returning [unclear] cylinder to businessman. This allows use of thick cylinder and yet businessman don't do any adjusting. E."]
Author
Recipient
Mentioned
Date
1888-10-24
Type
Folder/Volume ID
D8847-F
Microfilm ID
124:227
Document ID
D8847ACW1
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University