[D8905AFS], Letter from Sherburne Blake Eaton to Thomas Alva Edison, September 3rd, 1889

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Title

[D8905AFS], Letter from Sherburne Blake Eaton to Thomas Alva Edison, September 3rd, 1889

Editor's Notes

My dear Sir: Re Light Co. Patent Litigation: The Committee has passed a resolution directing Dyer to turn over to me all cases in litigation. At my suggestion, he is continued as attorney of record in applications at Washington. Dyer prefers to work by the day at $50 per diem, beginning last May. He prefers that to a salary of $10,000. He is to be allowed to take other business not in conflict with ours. He and I are on good terms.##Patent Experts. We have retained Mr. Quimby for $1,000 a year. On top of that we are to pay him $50 a day in New York and $75 and expenses a day away from here. I find that expenses for these experts are very heavy. We have to pay for their time while they learn our business.##Charles L. Clarke: He is now employed by the Gibson Storage Battery Co. in which Lowry is interested. I do not think they pay him much. Would it not pay us to employ Clarke by the year at a low salary as an expert touching our patent matters? If he developed no particular ability, he would be worth his salary to us, to post more expensive experts, thereby saving their heavy per diem charge to some extent. What do you think of trying Clarke for one year? Both Dyer and I think rather favorably of it. I wish very much that you would cable me, on receipt of this, your views. The Clarke question is likely to come up in the next week or two. I hear, indirectly, that Clarke thinks of leaving his present position this autumn, to go into the expert business. I have not seen him yet, my information comes principally through Dyer. If we make an arrangement with Clarke I would like to do it before out business for the Autumn begins. Please cable me.##Pooling Patents: When you come back, you may be asked to pool some patents. One of our Directors suggests that patents relating to one particular subject be pooled by all the principal light companies on a value to be fixed by arbitration touching the patents of each, that each company be licensed for all of the said patents on like royalty, and that the proceeds be divided among the pooling parties according to the approved value of their respective pool patents.##Re Convertors: The enemy are making effort, notably Westinghouse to get patents to control all convertor systems. When you come back, I shall ask you to determine what our attitude should be. We must have a policy about converters. Shall we fight on our own line alone?##Re Beer Keg Case: Judge Wallace has decided the beer keg case against us. It was thought that he would have the courage and conviction to decide in our favor touching foreign patents. But he says the decision of the Supreme Court compels him to decide against us. Thus our only hope is the re hearing in Ottawa. Hastings says he thinks the result will be all right there. No decision yet. Also no news from Judge Bradley.##Dyer and Other Companies: Dyer tells me that the Thomson-Houston people wish to retain him to help them fight certain patent suits on the lamp which the Westinghouse people are bringing. He asks if there is any objection. I shall try to put this off until you return, to get your instructions. To speak correctly I believe the suits in which he can be retained are brought against Bernstein & Schaffer companies. It is said that the Thomson-Houston people control those companies.##Re Mining Lands. Livor tells Eaton that the ore is so lean that he is running two tunnels so as to get good ore and on a level. He says he is about paying expenses now, and will make money when he gets better ore, which he hopes to do by means of these tunnels. Both will be done in about two weeks. I am having trouble with the title to the mining lands which you bought. It seems there was a mortgage on the property, and you got no title against the mortgage. Livor is tryhing to fix it up under our direction.##Mr Curtis, the Westinghouse patent lawyer sails for Europe tomorrow. Possibly he is going over on some question relating to foreign patents affecting us, though he denies it. Possibly also he is going over to investigate and purchase the Mordey alternating current motor just announced as operating successfully in England. It is said that his people want a good alternating current motor. It is further possible that Curtis is going over in connection with Byllesby, as explained in the following newspaper cutting [There follows a newspaper clipping explaining that Byllesby, president and general manager of Westinghouse Electric Co left for England to build new works.] By the way, one of their local officials was killed by alternating current yesterday. See following from "Herald" of this morning:-- [newspaper clipping follows]##Re Yourself: Not a day passes but what the newspapers have editorials or cable comments on what you do abroad. Never was anyone better treated by the press. I hope you will look on all this from a commercial standpoint as well as otherwise, to the end that you may get a better price for everything connected with your name, including particularly the foreign phonograph patents.##Will you please present my compliments and best wishes to Mrs Edison and Marion and believe me to remain, with best wishes for yourself, Sincerely yours, S. B. Eaton

Date

1889-09-03

Type

Folder/Volume ID

D8905-F

Microfilm ID

125:339

Document ID

D8905AFS

Publisher

Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University
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