The Thomas A. Edison Papers Digital Edition

[This note covers all of the Miller Reese Hutchison Diary entries for 1910-1914 and 1919]

This collection consists of loose pages of handwritten, transcribed excerpts from the diary of Edison associate Miller Reese Hutchison. Inventor of the Klaxon horn and other devices, Hutchison first met Edison in 1897, when Hutchison was developing his Acousticon aid for the hearing impaired. In 1907 he visited Edison's laboratory and noted the inventor's interest in using producer gas as fuel in cement kilns. In 1910 he visited again and became interested in Edison's alkaline storage battery. Hutchison became chief engineer at the West Orange laboratory in August 1912. He was particularly interested in submarine applications for the storage battery, and he acquired the rights to sell Edison batteries to the federal government. For that purpose, he formed Miller Reese Hutchison, Inc., in 1916. His direct connection with Edison and the various Edison companies ended in 1918.

The selected transcriptions provide a continuous account of Hutchison's life and his association with Edison from April 1910 through December 1914. Also included are the scattered excerpts from 1919. The entries discuss activities at the laboratory, including problems with components of the Edison storage battery, and provide details regarding work with Edison. Hutchison describes Edison's long hours at the laboratory, notes the inventor's occasional travels away from home, and indicates his association with employees, friends, and acquaintances.