The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

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Metadata

Title

[LB021192], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Alfred Ord Tate, December 23rd, 1885

Editor's Notes

You did quite right in going out on the line to ascertain how far the phonoplex will practically work. I desire to call your attention to a fact which I think will be greatly to the advantage of the phonoplex. Instead of working through from Toronto to Montreal, it will be of more benefit to the Telegraph Co. to work the line through Morse and to work{?} from Toronto halfway phonoplex and from Montreal halfway phonoplex, thus giving them three circuits on that wire instead of two. The local business is, of course, from about one hundred miles to one hundred fifty miles from each terminal. Through business from the stations on one section to that of the other can be done on the Morse. All you have to do is to put in the middle of the line a relay and shunt{?} both ends to the ground with a condenser as you have been doing. You had better talk to Mr. Dwight about this and discuss the advantages of having three circuits instead of two. I think he will agree with me that it will be far better to divide the line for the phonoplex into two circuits. If he does agree, then the phonoplex can always be worked in this way and will doubtless work on all circuits because if you cannot work from Toronto to Montreal phonoplex, you can certainly divide the line, as above suggested, into two parts. Do you see my point? Telegraph men here with whom I'ved called say that this capacity of the phonoplex to be divided into two circuits on a through wire is one of its greatest advantages and it would always be used this way instead of trying to work through. ##Please box up all the apparatus sent you which is not of the latest pattern and which you do not want to use, such as the induction coils motographs, etc., and ship them back to New York. You should get them through the W.S. Custom House free of duty as returned articles of U.S. manufacture, and {---} you may be able to get back the duty already paid to the Canadian Custom House. If you cannot get them through to New York free of duty, please hold them and advise me. ##Let me know immediately by wire (underlined) what additional apparatus you require to fix up the Toronto-Montreal line and I will ship it to you. As soon as you have the wire working for phonoplex on regular business satisfactory to Mr. Dwight, I want you to come to New York, as I have several wires that I want to put in operation in the United States. I think you should thoroughly post one of Dwight's men how to put up the phonoplex apparatus, so that in case Mr. Dwight desires to add it to their{?} circuits, all we would have to do would be to ship him the apparatus, and the man you teach can put it up.

Author

Edison, Thomas Alva

Recipient

Tate, Alfred Ord

Mentioned

Dwight, Harvey Prentice

Date

1885-12-23

Type

Letter

Subject

Shipping and materials handling

Metals and minerals

Multiple telegraphy (duplex, quadruplex)

Folder ID

LB021-F

Microfilm ID

83:389

Document ID

LB021192

URL

https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/LB021192

Rights

Thomas Edison National Historical Park

Publisher

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

Has Version

Archive.org Viewer, Microfilm Series Reel 83

License

CC0 1.0 Universal

Item sets

[LB021-F] LB-021 (1885-1886)