[LB035138], Letter from Alfred Ord Tate to H Frank Korthener, December 16th, 1889
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Title
[LB035138], Letter from Alfred Ord Tate to H Frank Korthener, December 16th, 1889
Editor's Notes
Your letter of 3rd instant addressed to Mr. Edison was duly received. Your boat appears to be well designed and looks a very creditable piece of work. There are more powerful batteries than the one you are using, but they are not usually made small enough for your boat. You can, however, make them yourself, if you wish to give as much time to the work as you already must have given to the other parts of the design. You will probably have to take out the two cells you have got, in order to give the necessary space. You can then put in five or six smaller glass cells, or if you have any difficulty in procuring them of the right size, you can insert wooden partitions, crosswise, like miniature bulkheads, about an inch apart. You should be very particular to get them all water tight, which you can affect by soaking them with asphalt varnish or marine glue. You will then have five or six cells in the boat itself. Then take a sheet of thin zinc and cut it up with shears into strips wide enough to fit in crosswise, one to each partition. Next get some carbon flat plates, whatever sixe you can that will fit one to each partition, and fill in finally with a solution of basic sulphate of mercury in water – about four ounces should be sufficient of slat for the six compartments. You will then have six complete cells. No porous cell or partition will be necessary, and the zincs will amalgamate themselves." Yours very truly, AO Tate
Author
Recipient
Mentioned
Date
1889-12-16
Type
Folder/Volume ID
LB035-F
Microfilm ID
140:50
Document ID
LB035138
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University