[LM003120], Letter from Samuel Insull to Edward Hibberd Johnson, April 3rd, 1883
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Title
[LM003120], Letter from Samuel Insull to Edward Hibberd Johnson, April 3rd, 1883
Editor's Notes
[a good summary letter to mine, but 14 pgs and too general to select] Continuation of LM003115 (1 April). My last substantial letters to you were dictated to MacGowan and I couldn't speak so freely. Back to Hopkinson: TAE thinks he (H) wants to "bulldoze" the London Co into buying his dynamo improvements. Upton promises to write you on this subject; says H will find trouble when he comes to run the Z machine at its present speed. TAE gets 120 A lamps from a Z @ 1200 rpm with no heating;50 lights from K @ 1040; can H do this? Discusses machines under construction. TAE says the principle of multiplicity is not new (K & L? have multiple cores) and H can't get patent. Also, TAE has been experimenting on brushes and has one that won't spark regardless of its position. Has made much progress on lamps but hast nothing to tell you at present because he's in the laboratory so little. "In a letter to Edison you ask him why he is so blue as you take it he must be from his letter to you & Batch asking you both to return. You imagine that something has gone wrong. Edison's end of the line is all right & if those who are supposed to run the business kept their end up Edison would not write for you and Batch." As I told you last year, the EELight business is not run well and TAE has practically left his laboratory & now makes my office his headquarters, and attends to purely business matters in the way he used to do when I first came over here. "He said he could see that this Village Plant business would go to ruin unless he came up & attended to matters;" has been told repeatedly that people can't get satisfaction from exec officers of the Light Co so TAE "decided to drop science and pursue business." Discusses problems at Isolated Co (collection arrears). Last Sat TAE had to personally meet the payroll of Lamp Co., Bergmann, Machine Works, and Tube Co. Illuminating Co has no money; parent Co had no money until they made a call of 20% on their stock. "Eaton does not face these financial problems. He ties everybody's hands & will not allow the Treasurer to do anything." Makes severe criticisms of Eaton's mgt. Bergmann telephones every morning for money---gives anecdotes of B struggling to meet payroll. Village Plant business looks very promising; TAE will take contract for erecting a plant. Made arrangement with TAE for me to make a little money out of this; ignored your advice & went to TAE about my own affairs. It was either that or quit and go home. He offered me $2400/year and 20% profits on village system---details this arrangement. Philadelphia Record plant now running well. Pearl St. station working bang up. Now have 5-6,000 lights connected, will go up to 10,000 with TAE's full approval. Some problems forming Boston Co but only want want of money. Expect to close Albany tomorrow night. Bell Tel Co needs TAE's help in Drawbaugh suit about carbon trans; TAE won't do a thing until they agree to put his name in big letters on every transmitter. It is now 3 a.m.
Author
Recipient
Mentioned
Date
1883-04-03
Type
Folder/Volume ID
LM003-F
Microfilm ID
84:103
Document ID
LM003120
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University