The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

Transcription

Letterhead of Edison Electric Light Co. 
New York,  Dec. 2, 1892.
<Stamp: RECEIVED
DEC 3 - 1892
Ans'd  Dec. 6th 1892>                                                                           
Thomas A. Edison, Esq., 
Edison Laboratory, 
Orange,  N. J. 
Dear Sir:- 
Since our conversation the other day on the compound wound dynamo, I have diligently examined all the note-books which I can find, but thus far I am unable to discover the record of experiments in this case. Mr. Ott said as we parted the other day that he was pretty certain some note-book must still exist in the Laboratory which would fix dates and circumstances beyond a doubt. This is now of vital consequence in the prosecution of this case. Will you therefore kindly instruct Mr. Ott to make as thorough a search as may be necessary to disclose all the information obtainable? 
I have talked carefully with Mr. Hughes. He has not the slightest recollection of winding a shunt wound dynamo with a series coil, or of the fact that any compounded dynamo was used at the Laboratory while he was there. He recalls that the railway motor of his time had two independent shunt circuits, each controlled by a separate switch, and one of coarser wire than the other. He has recently testified in one of the railway cases that the dynamo supplying current to the Menlo Park road was a shunt wound machine, but he said yesterday that he could not swear that there was no series winding underneath the shunt, but he had no recollection of any such construction.
In accordance with a suggestion afforded by our talk, I have written Mr. Dickson a letter, asking him to refresh his recollection on the subject, and Mr. Andrews as well.
Yours very truly,
W.J. Jenks.
<Edison marginalia: Mr Ott has no time to do this  all of the 300 Lab note books are in hands of Maj Eaton & are in produce bldg vaults  I believe we have some here which you can look over
Hughes should remember the Event as when we put the 2 machines together we had a Circus one machine stopped & run the other — The two Coil Wound Motor is now at Menlo Park
E> Letterhead of Edison Electric Light Co. 
New York, Dec., 2, 1892.         
W. K. L. Dickson, Esq.,
Edison Laboratory,
Orange,  N. J. 
Dear Sir:- 
I am experiencing considerable difficulty in attempting to stimulate the recollection of those men who took part in the experiments with compound wound dynamos at Menlo Park ten years or more ago. 
When I told Mr. Edison the other day what I was trying to do he immediately said “Hughes, Andrews, Dickson.” Mr. Hughes had no electrical knowledge at that time, as I understand him, and was simply interested in seeing the apparatus ready for the exploiting of a motor business. Mr. Ott says that he conducted a number of experiments, and that the record of those experiments was entered in detail on the note-books of that period, but I am unable to find any note-book which has the data required. I have discovered about 200, some of which are at Dyer & Seely’s, others in the Produce Exchange Vault, and others at the Laboratory. 
Have you any note-books which would throw any light upon the date of any such experiments, either for electric railway or for electric lighting? Any light which your recollection or your note-books may throw upon this matter is likely to be of great importance, as we are daily becoming clearer on Edison’s invention of the self regulating dynamo. This is broader in its scope than the "compound wound dynamo," because the idea includ [DAMAGE] arately excited for an initial electro-motive force w[DAMAGE] fied magnetism by means of a series coil to keep that initial E.M.F. constant at the brushes, or at some point distant from the brushes as the case may be. 
Your early attention will therefore greatly oblige me.
Yours very truly, 
W.J. Jenks. 
<two diagrams>