[NA349-F] N-14-09-21 (1914-1915)

Notebook Series -- Notebooks by Edison and Other Experimenters -- Recorder and Recording Experiments -- A.M. Kennedy Books

Title
[NA349-F] N-14-09-21 (1914-1915)
Description

This notebook was used by Absalom M. Kennedy during September 1914-March 1915 as a daily record of experiments and tests with phonograph recorders and reproducers. The record is continued in N-15-03-17. The tests involve various recording heads, arms, and diaphragms; gaskets; and speaking tubes. Also included are tests of machines to reproduce cylinder records from disc masters. Some of the experimental recorders were sent to the recording studio for testing, with the results reported back to Kennedy. The entries also describe other work by Kennedy, including experiments on film cements and cellulose mixtures for motion pictures, which are related to experiments in N-14-01-01.3 and N-14-01-12, Notebooks by Other Experimenters -- Kinetophone and Kinetoscope Experiments. Also mentioned are meetings with Leonard W. McChesney and other employees in regard to "The Birth of the Telephone," a kinetophone film about Alexander Graham Bell. Kennedy's notes often mention Edison's own involvement in the phonograph experiments, including his opinions and suggestions about particular recordings or masters. Other individuals involved in the work include Clarence B. Hayes, William H. Meadowcroft, Walter H. Miller, Sherwood T. (Sam) Moore, William F. Nehr, George J. Werner, and an employee named Finlayson (possibly William F. Finlayson, who worked for Edison in 1903). A two-page note from Kennedy to Miller Reese Hutchison, with Edison marginalia, has been inserted into the book. The front cover is labeled "Daily Record of Recording Experiments" in ink and "A.M. Kennedy" and "Cement" in pencil. The pages are unnumbered, and several pages have been removed from the book. Approximately 140 pages have been used.

URL
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/folder/NA349-F
Is Version Of
Notebook Viewer, Edison Notebook NA349-N
Identifier
NA349-F
Type
Notebook
Rights
Courtesy of Thomas Edison National Historical Park.
Is Part Of
Notebook Series -- Notebooks by Edison and Other Experimenters -- Recorder and Recording Experiments -- A.M. Kennedy Books
Alternative Title
N-14-09-21 (1914-1915)
Has Version
Archive.org Viewer, Microfilm Series Reel 236

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