[LB030283], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to George Edward Gouraud, June 11th, 1889
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Title
[LB030283], Letter from Thomas Alva Edison to George Edward Gouraud, June 11th, 1889
Editor's Notes
I am sending you on Wednesday next, per S.S. "City of Paris," two phonographs with latest adjusting device, and I enclose you herewith a set of instructions of Hamilton's use. I regret exceedingly that these machines were delayed beyond the time originally set for shipment, namely 'Wednesday' last, but I desired to test them myself before they went out, so as to be assured personally of their perfect condition in every respect, and could only do so to-day. I am also sending you twenty-five new phonograph blanks, in connection with which I have made great improvement during the past few weeks. You will be surprised to find that I have gotten rid entirely of all scratching sound. In using these blanks, be careful to track your record too deep. Experience with the old cylinder may have gotten your operators into the habit of tracking the recorder quite deep, but with these new ones it requires to be tracked lightly. To ascertain how to track the latter, make several tracings form heavy to light, and you will reach a point that when tracking you get scarcely any sound, and upon reproducing you will hear absolutely no sound whatever, excepting that of the record which you have made. These cylinders will not warp as the old ones did. They are slightly affected by moisture, but if you have any trouble from that source, advise me promptly, as I can give you a cylinder equally as good which will not be 'affected' by moisture, and the cost of which will be about half a cent more than the former. ### I really cannot see how the phonograph can be made more simple than it now is. Any person with ordinary intelligence can learn to operate it in half an hour. ### I have already written you in regard to new battery, which I am preparing to manufacture, the price of which I am as yet unable to quote. ### I shall be glad to hear from you when you have tried these new machines. Yours very truly, [signed] TAE
Author
Recipient
Mentioned
Date
1889-06-11
Type
Folder/Volume ID
LB030-F
Microfilm ID
139:306
Document ID
LB030283
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University