[LB029434], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Philip Sidney Dyer, May 17th, 1889

https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/LB029434

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Title

[LB029434], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to Philip Sidney Dyer, May 17th, 1889

Editor's Notes

"I am going to commence very shortly in this country the manufacture of Toy Phonograph movements, for sale in foreign countries, and shall in all probability wish to establish a small factory in Antwerp, or in some place where Customs will not interfere and where rent is reasonable and labor cheap, for the purpose of assembling the parts of these movements sent from my American factory. Also, for the manufacture of some of the parts, more especially the tin casing which encloses the movement and which I can make cheaper over there. This factory can consist of either one, two or three stories. I shall want from ten to fifteen thousand square feet of floor space, with boiler, and engine of 75 h.p., if you can happen to obtain these with the factory; if not, with space to erect them. The machinery and tools I shall send from here, and shall probably require you to run the business and if the factory. ### I also may wish to start a Lamp Factory there, and will require 50,000 square feet of floor space, and it will be very desirable if you could get these properties close together, or even right together. The suburbs of the city would answer, or a suburban town, or even a small town where good shipping facilities are available. I have not yet completed my arrangements for marketing the dolls in Europe, but this branch of the business will probably be placed in the hands of Mr. A.B. Dick, whom you have doubtless met during the past month, I having given him a letter of introduction to you when he sailed for Europe's a few weeks ago. ### I wish you would look around and obtain prices, and send me plans and data, stating the condition of the property, cost or repairs or alterations or improvements required, cost of [unclear] labor &c., and, in fact, every kind of data that you consider will be of interest to me in establishing these factories. ### I shall be in Paris in August, when I can take more definite steps in this connection. In the meantime, I desire to obtain from you all information that you can give me, so as to pave the way as far as possible for a speedy decision when I arrive, unless of course, I find it practicable to instruct you definitely before them. ### Gilliland and Tomlinson are going to Europe with some men whom they hired out of my factory, to start a factory for dolls to run in opposition to me. But I feel confident that I can [unclear] them up on cheapness and a better doll, to say nothing of the new patents which I have covering methods and details of construction, without which it is impossible to make a first class talking doll. ### Please lose no time in commencing your investigations, as outlined above." Yours very truly, [signed] TAE

Date

1889-05-17

Type

Folder/Volume ID

LB029-F

Microfilm ID

139:161

Document ID

LB029434

Publisher

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