[MBLB2056], Letter from Charles Batchelor to Edward Hibberd Johnson, December 14th, 1879
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Title
[MBLB2056], Letter from Charles Batchelor to Edward Hibberd Johnson, December 14th, 1879
Editor's Notes
Have received your letter for Nov 27 In which as yet you have not got the Water Chalks' but a cable from you a few days ago seems to imply that you have now-- When we first started the `water' bsuiness we took a chalk and wet it with a half brush ful of wter, it was very loud for four weeks and then gradually tapered down to about an ordinary carbon telephone on a magneto and continued that way for four or five days-- We then wet it with another half brush full of water and in a few hours it came back to more than its original loundess This shows that you can take chalks that have been wet some time and resuscitate them by merely using a small quantity of water-- After wetting the chalk and allowing them to stand twenty four hours we sometimes find the talking uneven this can be remedied and the talking brought out perfectly even by taking a brush (almost dry so that it will hardly more than moisten the chalk) and holding it on the chalk for three or four turns whilst you turn rapidly-- This does the business without lowering the [?] sound except for a minute-- One of our young men [testers?] made an imporvment(?), he turned the rubber down because as he says `it makes a great improvement inthe loudness' we let him go ahead and fix 100-- then Edison and I got at them-- Resutl 90 telephones low. Young man had to fix them over-- Guess he'll not forget that point after this-- If the chalks are turned up and put in telephone without wetting they will talk quite loud with only their own water of moisten--one tenth of a brush full of water will bring them out in a few minutes-- Of course that will not last so long, but it might be good to know it in case of emergency-- These are a few cases in our experience which now that you have a latch [for] chalks you can at any time corroborate-- I lit Edison's house up brilliantly the other night to show to a few of our people-- It was perfect worked the sweing machine also, with a hand lamp to sew by-- It was a grand success The system is far more complete and simple than we expected
Author
Recipient
Mentioned
Date
1879-12-14
Type
Subject
Folder/Volume ID
MBLB2-F
Microfilm ID
93:270
Document ID
MBLB2056
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University