[D8941AAQ], Letter from Samuel Insull to Thomas Alva Edison, May 27th, 1889
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D8941AAQ
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- Title
- [D8941AAQ], Letter from Samuel Insull to Thomas Alva Edison, May 27th, 1889
- Editor's Notes
- New York, N.Y. May 27, 1889####My Dear Edison:####I enclose you herewith copy of correspondence which I have received from Mr. P.S. Dyer, of Antwerp, with relation to Siemens Cable. From this it would appear that Prof. Forbes’ information was entirely erroneous. The person referred to by Mr. Pischon is Rathenau, whom you may remember as being interested in the original development of the Edison business in Germany. I happen to know from other sources that Rathenau’s relations with Siemens are somewhat unpleasant. He blackguards their work all the time, but notwithstanding is constantly ordering cable and such other material from them.####Yours truly,####Sam Insull####[Enclosure]:####Berlin, W., 29th April, 1889.####Dear Mr. Dyer:--####I was glad to see from your letter that you are alive and kicking. So am I getting on famously.####In the matter of Siemens Cables I wish to tell you what I have heard. At the bottom of the whole matter is that bl-ck—g-g Rat-----an, of Schlegel Strasse, who took occasion to tell Professor Forbes of London that Siemens’ cables went to the deuce after three years’ use. Mr. Forbes read a paper on Continental Elec. Stations in the Institution of Electrical Engineers, London, and mentioned what R. had told him, (he greatly appreciated however all the arrangements, shunts, switchboards, etc. constructed by Mr. Fritsche, whose name however was never mentioned of course.) Afterwards Mr. Siemens read a paper in the Electrotechnische Verein of Berlin, the gist of which you find in the Electrical Review of April the 19th 1889. V. 445. He was down upon Rathenau of course, and for the future will be his sworn enemy even more than has been hitherto. Perhaps the dispute will be superfluous when the new “Fritsche” cable becomes known.####We are going ahead with our dynamo works. A 250 H.P. engine for testing as being put up. One of the largest Electrical Companies in England have secured the English and American patents after having been over here. We are further building a lamp factory for 1,000 lamps a day, which we hope to start October next.####Yours faithfully,####Signed,####Hugo Pischon####[Enclosure]:####(Extracts.)####Director F. Uppencorn, one of the best electr. Experts in Germany says;-about as follows;--####”If cables are laid so that they are not subject to mechanical defects or chemical action, they keep indeed very well. A forthnight ago I examined 6 Siemens cables lying in Munich, each about 200 meters long. The isolation of each cable amounted to 50 megohms per 1,000 meters. There occurred certainly several defects in Berlin, but all of them may be considered as caused by external damages. In consequence of this experiemce the Allgemeine Elekric. Gesellschaft in future intend to use bare conductors and lay them in canals on porcl. Insulators. There has much been talked in the Berlin “Elektrotechnische Verein” about the load cables”.####Mr. Taussig, Mgr. of the Allgemeine Elektr. Gesellschaft, branch office Munich, says:--####”Concerning Siemens cables, their use for street conductors is not practical, as they are easily affected by acids and ammonia water. Especially in cities like Berlin, where cables are laid only a few centimeters in the ground, they are liable to be attacked by everything that causes chemical action, etc.”####[Enclosure]:####Milano, May 20th, 1889.####Dear Friend Dyer:--####Your favors of April 30th and May 11th came duly to hand. In regard to the interaction you ask about the Siemens Cables, I would say that we are doing finely in Milan, and I have unlimited confidence in them for high or low tension currents. Direct or alternate according to which they were constructed for. I consider that Prof. Forbes was misled by information he received from some parties interested in depreciating the Siemens cables. There are probably more of them in use in Italy than elsewhere and under more trying conditions (2,000 volt alternate current) and they give perfect satisfaction everywhere. I consider the Siemens cables the best made and most reliable in the market and we continue to use them on a large scale for our underground work, especially high tension circuits.####Yours &c.####Signed J.W. Lieb####[name mentions: P.S Dyer, Thos Edison, J.W. Lieb, Taussig, F. Uppencorn, Allgemeine Elektr Gesellschaft, Rathenau, Pischon, Samuel Insull ]
- Author
- Insull, Samuel
- Recipient
- Edison, Thomas Alva
- Date
- 1889-05-27
- Type
- Letter
- Folder ID
- D8941-F
- Microfilm ID
- 126:636
- Document ID
- D8941AAQ
- Publisher
- Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University
- Has Version
- Archive.org Viewer, Microfilm Series Reel 126