[Newark?, c. July 1, 1871]

Recpts

Cost of running road, rent, of Buildings, Baggage Wagon, Freight Wagons—etc Tkt ofs= $20. per day=

Page 306Owned by^b

Stock issued at 80. par 100.=

Company own—

Port Huron, Mich. July 12 1871^a

T A E

I send you to day a Port Huron paper showing you the Amenmant to the St R R Charter which gives the Co the Exclusive right over the Park which is a big thing as the City will probeley [-]never open a public [-]St through it¹ I am building the Car House and I am talking about building many other buildings and laying out a large amt of mony in building new road also I tell them that it is nesesury to Extend our road to connect with the Port Hum & Lak Michgan Depot² and thay all say thay cannot Stand it it will cost to much thay want more Dividends and not so much Rail Road I sent you by mail^b the maps on the 6th of this month and suppose you have got them³ if not let me know and I will send you more by Express if you can get this stock taken I think the sooner the better as these parties are about as sick as they can be made⁴ I had some talk with Miller and I think par will fetch him⁵ the recets on the 4th of July was $169.40 as soon as the light House Reservation is sold⁶ the Dutch agoing to buy and open a big Lager beer garden which will help the road considerable^c

tell Charly⁷ to be careful agoing rond the Engine or the machinery and not be careless I hope he is not to much trouble to you should he be let me know and we will have him come home tell him that I say^d to be a good Boy and mind his uncle we are all well and send love to you & Charly

[Newark, July 22, 1871¹]

Mr Harrington.^a

If That old Gentleman² is going to take Charge of The Books it is about time. That department is in a very slack Condition=

I cannot stand this worrying much longer about Bills—Pay roll etc= it engrosses my attention to the detriment of our machinery You Cannot expect a man to invent & work night and day, and then be worried to a point of exasperation about how to obtain money to pay bills— If I keep on in this way 6 months Longer I shall be completely broken down in health & mind and the 30,000

Newark N.J.July 24 [1871]¹

Dear Father

Rene² wrote me a Letter today about going into the Liquor Store, and wants me to put in from $500. to 1,000. and wants 200 or 300 cash down—

He says he will be satisfied with half the net profits=

He also says he will take the Liquor Business from the other store and put it in the new—

Page 309I send you $300. ³ today for the purpose of going into this business. But you must be very careful what agreements you make Do not agree under any circumstances to attend the store yourself= you want all ythe time you have to run around the Country and build houses, speculate etc

Have him advance his share of the Money and get every thing in Black and White which is the only possible Manner of doing business=

After investigation you do not think best to invest the money sent into the business—then invest in Land & houses to the best advantage

Newark N.J. July 28, 1871.^a

Record of Ideas as they occur day by day applicable and for the Dot and Dash system of fast Telegraphy² invented for Geo Harrington and D H Craig= All of which are for them with the exception of one undivided one fourth interest in all patents caveats or ideas to myself applicable to that system and the proceeds from that one fourth interest either directly or indirectly=³

I do not record anbut fewe previously carried out inventions—but commence at this date to record all my ideas made previously to the opening of this book which I have not put in practical operation at the time of writing, and if possible all future ideas relating to this system while it shall be my interest to do so=

[Newark,] July 28, 1871.

Chemical Telegraph Pen.

In this case I do not pass the current through the paper by using the paper carrying drum a as a conductor in the usual way, but pass the current from one pen to the other (pens—C.B) across the paper¹ The pens C B are insulated from each other on the shaft G and one connected with Carbon and the other with Zince,² so if the paper a³ be chemically prepared and the drum a rotated a The chemicals with which the paper is saturated will be decomposed as long as the current passes from C to B through the paper, but if the current is interrupted the mark will cease. The object of arranging the pen In this manner is to make the paper resistance variable, so that when the paper is too wet or the Line is short and there is too much battery on, the pens can be seperated which increases the resistance to the passage of the current, and a lighter mark is made which is too heavy or blurry when the paper is wet or the current too strong. Another advantagePage 311 which this pen has is that, the distance which the current has to travel through the paper can be reduced to the ¹/500 of an inch or even less, consequently reducing the resistance greatly and allowing a number of these receiving apparatus to be worked in one circuit without the electrical contrivances which has been found necessary on account of the tremendous resistance which the current encounteres in passing through the paper in some instances. paper properly wet has a resistance of 200 miles of 13 ohms eachs to a current passing through it. But by the use of this pen the pens A B C may be adjusted from 3 to 4 times as close as the thickness of the paper thereby reducing the resistance from to 50 tor 75 miles⁴

Continued—

The pens may be arranged in this manner, Fig 2^b one before the other, and a very close adjustment obtained—or what might be still better arrange them like that in fig 3 . The pen C playing in between two prongs on the pen B the object of which is to get more surface on the non-recording pole or pen so as to reduce resistence.

I have shown these pens with flat ends, but they may be provided with little rollers or wheels.

In sending positive and negative currents, for a chemical Telegraph The following idea has struck me=

a and a′ are paper carrying rollers insulated from each other on the driving shaft F on these two rollers are two pens C.B also insulated from each other. it will be noticed by referring to the drawing that the main line is connected to the pen and the opposite roller and the ground wire to the other pen and the opposite roller= Now when paper perforated in two lines and sent through this following apparatus Fig 5, a positive Current will pass over the line when one set of holes passes under the pen and pass through the pen C through the paper thence through the roller to the ground decomposing the chemical solution with which the paper is saturated and leaving mark corresponding to the holes in the perforated paper at the other end of the Line. now the same current will pass through the roller a thence through the pen B and to the ground but in this case the current passes through the paper in an opposite direction. consequently the marks if any will be underneath the paper and not be noticed while it will leave no mark on top—if now a current of opposite polarity is sent over the wire the reverse action takes place and the pen B records, so that a dot on one line will represent a dot and a dot on the other line will represent a dash. Fig 5 show the apparatus for sending the double rowed perforated paper=⁵

The upper row of holes throws a ziCopper battery on the Line and the Lower holes throw a Zinc battery on the Line

Page 313Syphon, chemical pen.—or device for recording chemically upon “dry paper”⁶

A is a hard rubber or any pen constructed after the manner of a drawing pen. it is secured to the shaft p and moves freely on it, and may be held closely on the paper by a spring. B and C are small platina points passing through each prong of the rubber pen of its extreme end and between which points the solution passes on to the paper E and D are wires connecting these points to the binding screws F and G and thence to the battery X S is a small funnel into which a syphon K leading from the resevoir L passes and keeps the pens supplied with the Chemical solution as fast as it is used Now when the drum N is revolved carrying the recording paper M, The pen gives out a continuous line of the chemical Solution which being colorless leaves no mark and is quickly absorbed by the paper. But if the Current is closed for an instant all the solution passing the platina points at that moment will be decompossed and passing on to the paper will leave a mark. The syphon might be dispensed with and The solution supplied to the pen by dropping it drop by drop (according to the speed of the drum) into the funnel .S. One fact I will mention here is that only that portion of the Solution which is directly in contact with the platina points will be decomposed—

All written July 28 1871

Witness Jos. T. Murray^c

Newark N J July 28, 1871

Record of ideas and inventions relating to Printing Telegraphs Which work with a Type wheel, all of which I am under Contract with the Gold & Stock Telegraph Co of NY. to give them subject to the Conditions of the Contract within the next five years from the date of Contract Reserving for myself any ideas contained in this book which I do not see fit to give said G & Stock Telegraph= ²

This will be a daily record, containing ideas previously formed some of which have been tried some that have been sketched and described, and some that have bnever been sketched tried or described

[Newark,] July 28 1871

Page 315Double link motion for a shifting Type wheel, description unnecessary

Printing Telegraph—to work upon one wire= The difference between this and most of the Printing Machines hitherto invented is the printing of the Letter by the spring instead of the magnet as it is usually done, and preventing the printing Lever from responding to the pulsations which rotate the type wheel, by causing a lever of a seperate magnet to lock the printing lever when the pulsations are of any degree of rapidity.¹ by referring to Fig 2 the principle upon which this printer work will easily be seen and will need but a few words of explanation=

IHaving found in the Course of my numerous experiments that when a magnets armature is adjusted so close to the face of the core that it nearly touches that a current passed through it intermitted slowly it will stick or hug the core notwithstanding a considerable tension on a reacting spring. I have combined one of these magnets, adjusted in this manner with a printing lever arranged to print by a spring. E is the magnet which I will call the “Residual Relay” D is the armature lever X the reacting or adjusting spring B is the printing Magnet A The Type wheel rotating magnet. all these magnets are in one circuit in which is also the key m orPage 316 any intermitting Current device & the battery n. J is the Escapement Lever H the ratchet G the type wheel.

Now when the Current is sent through thAll the magnets The Magnet B pulls the printing lever F away from the Type wheel. The Magnet E pulls the lever D towards its core and the end of the lever locks the printing lever and the Magnet A rotateds the type wheel. if now the key is opened quickly & closed quickly the magnet A keeps rotating the Type wheel, but the lever of the Magnet E does not respond to these intermissions. consequently the printing lever remains locked if now we wish to print we open the key for a moment Cut off all the circuit from the Line, the Magnet E has time to discharge, the Spring DX pulls the arm D back releases the printing lever, and the Spring C pulls it up and effects the printing. if the Current is now closed the lock action again takes place, and the Current can again be intermitted, the type wheel rotated, without effecting the Printing lever. In practice I think it will be necessary to have a seperate clutch, click or lever to lock the type Printing Magnet, and knocking it out and in by the lever .D. which will have dead play enough to acquire a Momentum, and Knock the clutch out.

Thus

All foregoing written & drawn July 28 1871

Witness Jos T Murray^b

= Newark N.J., July 29, 1871

Automatic Printing. Telegraph.

Invented by and for myself exclusively.

Daily record of ideas as they occur applicable to this system, and a record of ideas already conceived, and account of experiments=

Page 317Dot and Dash and Automatic Printing Translating System, Invented for myself exclusively, and not for any small brained capitalist.²

[Newark,] July 29-30,^a [1871]

The general plan of this system is this=

I propose to perforate or punch in by in paper in strips Roman Characters, by dies and punches, a punch and die of each Letter of the Alphabet, and made on a the^b stencil principle= The Machine which I am about to describe will be provided with 30 keys the depression of any one cutting out a Letter, after the manner of a stencil, and at the same time feed the paper ahead the distance of one Letter= ready for the next= After a strip of paper containing a message has been punched in this manner it is taken to a sending apparatus for transmission over the Line= This apparatus will be as follows= The Machine will have a paper carrying drum revolved by a weight or by magnetism, over the drum and revolving at right angles with it is another drum having a springs a number of springs in the same circle raidiating off of the drum and all Connected to the Main Line When the Machine is in motion both drum revolve the paper carrying drum very slowly and the drum carrying the springs very fast= The drum upon which the paper is carried being connected to the battery every time a spring passes over ta portion of the Letter is closes the circuit through the aperatures of^c the Letter by the time one spring has passed over another Comes on in a different portion of the Letter as the paper drum feeds the paper ahead a given distance Now another Machine precicely similiar to this receives the message at the other end of the Line, the perforated paper being replaced with Chemically prepared paper It will be seen that if the two machines run in unison that an exact facsimile of the stencilized letters of the perforated slip willPage 318 be record chemically at the other end of the Line. I propose to Constructie two perfect Machines as near alike as possible, and provide each Machine with a very fine electrical governor, and a Very convenient, declicate, and quick adjustment for varying the speed, by the use of this contrivance and the attention of an expert to adjust instantly any differences. I hope to obtain 300 words legiably recorded every minute²

The great advantage of this system of any other is that is but one machine which requires intelligence of any amount and that is the adjusting of the receiving instrument=

I will describe roughly the idea of my receiving and sending apparatus. B is the paper drum on the shaft L secured to the bearing K D is a gear wheel E a worm on the shaft U M is a gear wheel driven by the worm a of the engine O is the fly wheel of the engine Q R S T the magnets N is a gear wheel driven by the worm a z the shaft carrying the wheel X with its sending or recording contact springs G H I J = C is the paper. When the Engine starts the Mechanism it all^c the parts revolve the shaft Z and springs quite rapidly and the paper carrying drum slowly. While say the spring G is passing from one end of the drum to the other and recording a portion of the Letter, the paper carrying drum carries the paper ahead the ¹/64 of an inch so that when the spring H comes on the paper it records another portion of the Letter the ¹/64 of an inch behind that of G And the Wheel X being provided with a sufficient number of springs to record a letter at every revolution—

It may be found in practice that moving the paper feedingPage 319 drum while the pens G H etc are crossing the paper may interfere with the record in that case the wheel D may be made and rotated step by step and adjusted so that just at the moment one pen leaves the paper, it will feed the drum ahead the ¹/64 of an inch before the other pen comes on the paper. The device is illustrated in fig. 2.

F^c is the shaft carrying the pin wheel D provided with pins E E a is a cam on the drum B which is on the shaft C when the shaft C is rotated the cam a in passing between the pins E E cams the wheel D forward one pin Fig 3 shows the cam a just in the act of passing between one of the pins and earning the pin wheel ahead

The rotary motion of the pens might be dispensed with and The a back and forward motion made by a cam wheel on the driving shaft in this case but one pen would be necessary. This would give a motion to the pen much evener than a rotary, for when rotated the spring bears harder on the paper when in the middle than when it comes in contact. Fig 4 will give an idea of the devices by which I propose to accomplish the object=

B is a drum with a grove planed or cut in it at an angle into which a pin n plays connected to the writing arm .C. and when the driving shaft X is rotated the pin following the Course of the slot gives a forward and backward motion to the pshaft or rather arm C which of course impells the writing pen D. back and forth on The paper & drum E= G is the support for the shaft H of the arm C=

The paper should be held down firmly upon the drum by a Shield thus:—

F is the shield; made preferably of an insulating substance.

The pen D may be provided with a small roller at its end for sending which I think will be found preferable to a flat pen, and it may be equally as good for receiving.³

I propose to try several forms of Governors fig 6 will give one

A is the shaft carrying the Governor. BBB is the governor^c C a collar which raises up on the shaft A as the speed increase and the balls spread out. M is another collars through which the shaft A^b passes but does not touch,^c onthe top part of this collar is platinized, and the bottom of the Collar C is provided with several platina points which rub on the platinazed surface of the Collar M^c N N′ are rigid rods upon which the Collar M slides up and down,^c Q is the adjusting rod for varying^c the speed, pivoted at p, and adjusted up & down by the screw R^e This rod is secured to the Collar by at X. S are the Engine magnets V is the battery T is a collar upon which a spring rubs and is used as a means of connectingPage 321 the battery with the shaft and its devices.^c It will is obvious that if the collar is adjusted to a certain position and the battery power is increased the speed of the Engine will be increased also, and the balls will spread out by reason of the increased speed, atand lift the Collar C and its platina points off from the platinized surface on M and break the Circuit, until the speed diminishes sufficient to allows The balls to collapse when the circuit will be again closed and so on the two collars will vibrate closely together alternately opening and closing the circuit and keeping the speed at the same rate In practice I apprehend that the governor shown^b will not regulate the speed with sufficient acuracy^c if this is the case, a Leverage can be abtained, and an extremely fine adjustment obtained by the following means

In fig 7 The electrical break as the speed increases is made by a lever Q secured to the Collar S by the devices shown in Figs 8 & 9 or in any usual manner^c This Lever is pivoted at R, and the circuit is broken at .T. By using this Lever, and placing the fulcrum R in close proximity tho the Collar S greater leverage is obtained and the least rise of the governorPage 322 balls quickly shows itself in magnified proportions at the point .T. Fig 10 shows a mode of arranging the governor balls. This governor device may be worked on a different principle, instead of breaking the Current of the engine when it goes too fast and thereby slowing it. A magnet is arranged with a break upon the fly wheel and the governor made to Break and make the circuit of this magnet and thereby put on and take off the break from the fly wheel. Fig 11 will show this arrangement

A. is the fly whieel secured to the carrying shaft, B is a armature provided with a Leather pad which when there is no circuit in the magnet N is held on the periphierry of the wheel A by the spiral spring W, thus slowing it up, and the balls dropping closes the circuit at^c T through the magnet N, and pulls the break off from the^c fly wheel A, and doing this as often as the speed increase beyond the point set at .T.

Instead of a worm and gear to drive the paper carrying wheel ahead The idea has occurred to me that a cam motion the same as shown in figure 4. could be used thus fig 12

Fig 13 shows the manner of feeding the pin wheel ahead step by step—

Fig 15 shows another devicce for feeding the paper carrying drum ahead step by step twice for^f at every revolution of the main driving shaft

Fig 14 shows another view of fig 13

Fig 16 shows another device= Fig 17 shows another device for getting motion from the main shaft and also for driving the paper drum

Fig 18 Is another device for feeding paper drum

Fig 19 The same

Fig. 20 Another device for procuring a double motion for each revolution of the driving shaft for feeding the paper drum=

Fig 21 Represents a case for keeping the chemically prepared paper in to prevent evaporation, and to keep it wet and ready for use the moment the machine commences operation.^c heretofore in Chemical Telegraphs considerable trouble has been experienced in keeping the paper sufficiently damp to give a clear record, and I find that no provisions for exterminating this difficulty have been yet made to my knowlege. In my machine more than any other it is absolutely necessary That the paper should be in the machine and always ready for use, and owing to the slowness of the paper in passing through the machine it would quickly dry in coming from a roll exposed to the air.

B is a metal case hinged at C provided with a handle X for opening This case is secured to the standard .D. A is a long spout secured to .B. and leading directly to the paper carrying & writing drum in which the paper passes E is the paper reel running within the Metal case upon a^b tShaft the Centers of which run in the standard D. The reel of paper which has previously been prepared is set within the Case B and the end led through the spout A, and then closed, and being almost or airtight the paper will Keep moist and ready for use for weeks.^c it will be noticed that no part of the paper is exposed to the air until it reaches the paper Carrying drum ready to be used=

Proposed form for Constructing the Machine= Fig 22

In practice it may be found necessary to feed the paper drum by a seperate magnet, which will take an Intermittent work off from the Engine and perhaps add to the acuracy of the Unison of the two machine It may be done in This manner Fig 23

a and b are contact points, each connected with the magnets C.D, the connections arranged in the usual manner— When the writing pens comes over to one side it makes contact with one spring closes one magnet which feeds the paper ahead one tooth and going backs throws the current from the battery X through the other magnet and closes thand feeds the paper ahead another tooth=

One magnet could be dispensed with and a spring used in its place

Page 326It also may be found necessary to make the writing pen travel straight across the paper and not perform an arc as I have heretofore shown Thus Fig 24

Q is the lever a a sliding bar carrying the pen G and prevented from tipping by the wire B and guides C.D. It is connected to Q by the pin H and slot E is the paper feeding ratchet= Q and a might be connected by a link which would reduce the friction. The ratchet wheel E might be a double Crown wheel with V shaped teeth or a pin wheel and an a fork X made to feed the paper by the back and forward movement of the writing shaft a.

From Page 3 to Page 14 Written, and illustrated on the 29 and 30th of July

Witness Jos. T Murray^g

Peekskill, July 31/71.

Dear General:

I have read your doleful note, and also that of our most excellent friend, who asks you if there is really any better ground for hope, now, as to our new system, than there was a year ago?

Whilst I do not admit that we had not advantages, a year ago, over the Morse system, ef fully equal to 50 per cent. I doPage 327 not hesitate to say, what I am sure, of your own knowledge, you can confirm, that within the past year, we have succeeded in making improvements, which, in the very material business of Perforating and Writing out (Copying) of messages, we are now at least three to five hundred per cent better off than we were 12 months ago.

I say, farther, and as the result of my closest observation and best judgment, that with out present complete machinery, we can and shall, very soon, prove our ability to beat the Morse system, in promptness and accuracy of transmission, very decidedly, and we shall prove our ability to beat all other systems, in case of labor, at least 4 or 5 to 1, & in cost of Lines, Batteries, &c more than 10 to 1, taking the whole country through.

There is another consoling thing, to me, in this matter, and that is that our inventors all say they have exhausted their wits, on our machinery, and they see neither the necessity nor the possibility of further improvement.

Mr. Harrington and the Automatic Co. are acting on this assumption and there will now be only so much delay as may be necessary to enable the operators to acquire a moderate degree of expertness in the use of the new machinery.¹

Mr. Hoadley, and you and I are very near the end of our troubles. Yours truly

[Newark,] July 31-August 4, 1871^a

In this system I intend to use an automatic Letter puncher in my preface ² I mentioned that I intended to use and punch the Letters in the paper upon the stencil principle,^b that is The letter after being punched would resemble a stencil letter,^b the interstices of the Letters being held together by strips from outside of the paper= Thus.= upen experime

upon experimenting with this and several other previously Conceived ideas, I found that the inslide of the letters or parts left after the letter was cut was very fraible or weak and that the transmitting stylus or other device would be liable to break them out in passing over them and thus destroy the legiability of the Letter at the other End of the line= The best form for punching or preparing The Letters I found was to form them of sa large number of small holes. Thus:—

Page 329When the Letter, is punched in this manner no part of the paper wLeft within a Letter after punching is materially weakened,^b at least not weak enough to produce inconvenience in transmitting the same.

I also find that by adopting this mode and way of pm making a letter, the Mechanical difficulties which would be encountred in preparing messages by a stencil Letter would, be greatly reduced by making The Letter in the manner last described.^b Another advantage in using the perforated Letter composed of Samall holes is that the received copy at the other End of the Line is much more legiable, and has a more handsome appearance—³

The copy if received from a stencil letter would resemble the following

While that received from the Letter composed of round holes would be thus

which will be more legiable—

ThOne of the devices with which I propose to prepare the paper with This kind of Letter is shown in Fig 29

S is a dHollow Drum in which is fitted 28 letters formed Of holes.^b The manner of making [-]each letter I will breifly explain before I give a description of the Machine^b

A block Fig 30, of steel is drilled from end to end with holes to form the letter thus Fig 31. Then the metal around thesePage 330 holes is filed or cut away so as to leave the edge of the hole sharp enough to cut ta hole in the paper when pressed on it. Fig 32 will show this, and Fig 33 will show one sing[l]e punch in this manner on a magnified scale

These block oeach containing a letter of the alphabet is set in the periphierry of the wheel .S. and secured firmly to it^b

R is the roller which carries the paper and upon which the letter—is cut out.^b This roller is formed in a peculiar manner, to withstand the constant wear of the cutting punches on it after passing through the paper.^b Fig 34 will show the metallic portion of the roller

The flanges a b of this roller is filled with washes of raw hide, or cat gut, or with paper and then subjected to an immense pressure and held together by the nut x. Then turned of smoothly in a lathe. These two substances when arranged in this manner have a “peculiarity” which no other discovered substance has or is known to have,^b that is that the Cutting edges of punches or^c knifes or sharp tools do not wear them at all and they will stand for months of continuous cutting, and still preserve their specific peculiarity or quality^b Now it will be seen by referring to fig 29, that when a letter with its cutting edges is brought directly under the roller R tand the Lever Qlifted upwards with sufficient force, the cutting edges of the punches will cut through the paper on to the rawhide roller R and punch a letter—

The manner in which I bring around any desired letter & have the lever Q raise the drum R upwards to the face of the drum .S. I will not⁴ explain:—

B & C are frames in which the shaft A run, upon whichPage 331 shaft is two wheels S and M, the latter having teeth upon one side of^d its periphiery.^b on the other side is a pin o rubbing continuosly upon said periphierry. This pin is connected rigidly to the lever P which is connected rigidly with the lever Q by means of the shaft 10, so that when the lever P is raised it raises The Lever Q and drum R with it^b T is a spring to keep The pin o down aupon the periphery of the wheel M where there are no teeth. The shaft A slides endwise, but is prevented from doing so when not operated, by the Spring K secured to the shaft and standard L^b The manner of arresting the rotation of the shaft and throwing it forward of endwise is quite simple

N is the finger key pivoted on the shaft F, which runs in the bearings H and G^b and the end of the key N is bent in the manner shown in the drawing, so that when The key is depressed the cam or bent end E is thrown into the path of the pin D son the revolving shaft A.^b the pin D first strikes the bent end at 15 and the shaft continuing to rotate, the it is cammed forward or endwise and then suddenly arrested by the straight part of the key at 16^b The moment that the shaft is moved endwise the pin O on the lever P is thrown further That portion of the periphery on the wheel M which has the teeth is thrown into the path of the pin O on the lever P which riding upward on one of the teeth lifts the lever Q and drum dR and paper up to the letter which corresponds to the arm D upon the wheel .S. with sufficient force to cut it out^b Now the moment the key N is allowed to be released, The spring K pulls the shaft back and throwing the teeth on the wheel M out of the path of the pin O, and the shaft commences to revolve again.^b before this is done the pin O would have passed over a tooth on the wheel M and effected the cutting out of the letter & dropped down out of the way before the shaft was released. The shaft A could be provided with 28 or 30 pins set in different positions upon the shaft and directly in the path of as many keys similiar to N so that by depressed any key a certain character upon the die wheel S could be brought in the desired position. In practice it may be found necessary to dispense with the teeth and on the wheel M and substitue in their place undulatory “races” as shown in Fig 35 This would be a positive movement and prevent any momentum being given to the levers P & Q by the suddeness with which the teeth strikes the pin O.

When the Wheel M is thrown forward the pin O enters one of^c the undulatory cams at its lowest point and rides up and down one undulation when twhich lifting the Levers P & Q and punching the letter is thrown out of these slots by the wheel M moving back and then the pin O rides up on the smooth portion of the periphiery^b

Fig 36 & 37 shows how these slots are made XX being fitted inside of X and both secured together and with the shaft= The manner in which I propose to move the paper, I will now describe

Date of written between July 31 and Aug 4 1871

Witness— Jos T Murray^f

Newark N.J. Aug 5, 1871

Record of ideas conceived, and experiments tried on miscellaneous Machinges and things, to which dates are appended, and such record to be used in any contest regarding or disputes regarding priority of ideas or invention.

[Newark,] Aug 5 1871^a

Device for recording upon chemical upon chemically prepared paper, by a “jump spark” or [-] Current of electricity of high tension Fig. 1 will give the principle of the device

Page 334This device I do not consider fast but and not applicable to Automatic or fast telegraphy, but that shown in another^b figure 2 is.—The main result which I have endeavored to obtain in this device is procuring or effecting a visible record by an infer a avery feeble current. Sir Wm Thompson² some time since invented what is known as the Syphon Ink Recording Galvanometer,³ which is used on the Atlantic Cable and is the first recording Apparatus which had no friction in its parts. In my device I am enabled to move the recording parts which much less Current than the Apparatus of Sir Wm Thompson and also dispense with a large amount of apparatus which^c accompanies that apparatus.⁴

In my recorder the pen B^b consists of an exceedingly fine steel neede of about 1½ inches in length and suspended within a helix A of very fine insulated wire, and held by a single fibre of silk to the adjusting screw E. the endlower end of the suspended needle B after passing through the helix A nearly touches the paper H^b uchemicaly prepared, upon the drum G which is rotated by suitable Machinery The helix A is connected to the line and battery K and break key J so that by opening & closing the key alternate positive & negative Currents will be sent of the line and the needle B deflected back and forth over the paper but not touching it With the exception of having the chemically prepared paper under the end of the needle, so far it is but a Common Galvanometer.

C^c is a point adjusted quite closely to the needle B but not touching it This point C is connected to The secondary Coil of a powerful “Inductorum”⁵ by The wire T and the Drum G to the other end by The wire U so that when the Vibrator N and primary Coil is working powerful Currents of electricty will be generated of sufficient tension to jump from the point C to the needle B thence jump through the wet paper to the drum & back to the Inductorum forming a complete circuits. this current in passing through the chemically prepared paper decomposes the substance with which it is saturated and leaving a Mark if the paper is carried along Continuously by The drum G a cand the needle B is at rest a Continuous mak mark will be left on the paper, the positive & negative Current passing with such inconceivable rapidity through the paper that the line is continuous If now the needle is moved back and forth by operating the key J a Zig Zag line will be given to the right by a positive and forming a dot and to the left by a negative and forming a dash—Fig 2

The word “this” would be recorded⁶

Above drawn & written Aug 5 1871

Witness. Samuel Edison^d

[Newark,] 8th August [1871]

I will mention here that the inductorum can be dispensed with and a magneto electroic machine used to generate the high tension currents.² I do not wish to confine myself to any particular device for making the high tension currents” go in a Zig Zag motion right to left & left to right and recording the jump spark upon Chemically prepared paper as it can be done in innumerable ways amany of which I could mention but which I consider quite unnecessary. What I will probably claim when I apply for a patent will be the General features or principle underlying the Combination to produce the effect.³

I will now explain a modification of this device for receiving very rapid writing. In this Case—No I will not—I was mistaken=

An Idea strikes me that sulphuretted hydrogen⁴ or some other gas that will discolor certain chemical solutions Could be used in Chemical Telegraphs. Supposing a long Strip of paper was prepared with a chemical Solution Which would be discolored by a certain gas, and A fine jet of this gas was let play upon the surface of the paper, and the paper Carried forward by clock work a continuous mark or line would be made on the paper If the Jet was controlled bso that it could be let off and on by an electro magnet placed in the main circuit, it would produce the same results, as the decomposition of the Chemical Solution by the electricity itself, and an advantage gained would be that the marks would not tail out and that the mark could be made large or small without regard to the strength of the Current which worked the magnet.

Page 337Ink recording Telegraph

F^b a paper carrying drum over it suspened and held by E is a Air tight bulb B filled with ink into which is connected the main line wire D and .C. at every closure of the Current, gas⁵ is generated by the current passing through the ink and decomposing the Water contained in it. this gas expands & pushes the ink out at the End of the bulb B at X through an very fine aperture, and it falls on the paper, so that as long as the Circuit is closed gas is made which continues to force the ink out through the aperture X on the paper which passing along leaves a continuous Mark if the Current be now interrupted no More gas is generated and the ink ceases to come out of the aperture X—

Witness Jos T Murray^c

[Newark,] 1 August 8th, 1871

Device for receiving by chemical Telegraphs=

In the ordinary way of receiving on chemical paper the pen or stylus .C.^a always remains in contact and the circuit of the main line is connected to it and the drum A, and the circuit opened and closed at the distant station leaves dots and dashes formed by action of the main line current upon the paper. But one great drawback to the practicability of receiving in this manner either by the main or Local circuit is that the dots and dash Tail out, (ie) mcontinue to make a mark after the Current has ceased, the reason of this has not yet been explained² The above device is to prevent this “Tailing” and is brought about by connecting the Magnet E, pivot in the main Circuit, and the stylus C Drum A chemical paper B armature D in a local Circuit within which is the battery K. H is a stop screw for D & G a spring to draw D from the magnet the armature Lever & pen stylus^b holder D is pivoted at .P.

When the Circuit on the main line is closed it operates the Magnet .E, brings the stylus C down on the paper and the current of^c Battery K decomposes the solution in the paper and leaves a mark as long as the magnet is closed if the Magnet is now opened the pStylus C is lifted entirely off the paper by the action of the spring G etc thereby effectually preventing the tailing of the Character which is being received which would otherwise be the case if the pen was allowed to Stay on the paper and the Current through it simply broken.

The chemical paper might be dispensed with entirely and the record made from an inking ribbon.

If the stylus C had a point or roller at its extreme end and an inking band passed gradually by Clockwork between it and the the paper every time the magnet was actuated by the CurrentPage 339 the roller would be brought down and pressing the ink band on the paper leaving a mark.

Or the Drum A might behave an inking band wound around it and the pressure of the roller on the End of the stylus C would be sufficient to impress the ink upon the paper uon the underside of the paper Or the drum A umight havine an inking roller to ink a slight line in the middle of its periphierry directly under the roller on the stylus .C. so that when the roller was brought down the pressure would be sufficient to make the paper take ink as long as the pressure Continued=

Witness. Jos T Murray^d

[Newark,] Aug 8 1871.

Rock shaft for giving motion to the paper feed in my large perforator. ²

A is a fork peice secured to the shaft N by a screw or other means B is a pin having a roller on it G is a square peice upon the upright R. When the key X is depressed the uprightPage 340 R is carried with it and the roller B coming in contact with the fork peice A at n. this rotates the shaft N, and at the same time the m end of the fork A comes in contact with the square G and the n end being down so far below the center that it ceases to act as a lever or means of rotating the shaft and the wheel or roller B slides down the straight part at N. It is obvious that by the two prongs being long and being arrested at two different points makes a perfect “lock” of the rock Shaft N and prevents any momentum, of that shaft from taking up the dead motion, occassioned by imperfect mechanism There being a dead lock in this case and no loss motion to take up Fig 9 will show the position of the fork and key when it is depressed to its full stroke and a dead lock takes place anof the Rock shaft

Boston, Aug 9 1871^a

T. A. Edison

To Please send something on acct of this bill= How about that voter machine made for Roberts

[Newark,] Aug 25 1871^a

Jointed Printing Lever. The object of jointing the Printing Lever is to dispense with the device I have now on my universal Printing Telegraph Machine, which consists of an Electrical Cam and Throw over.¹ When the Type wheel is suddenly arrested and the Current through the Printing Lever Magnet^b closed the A peice Springs forward and the arm D & Screw C eekept in contact with the springy impression Lever B by the spring E brings that forward. at the moment that the peice A is suddenlly arrested by the screw .X. the Lever B spring forward by its momentum and impresses a Letter and flyies back till it Comes in contact with Screw C and when the Current is opened in the Printing Magnet all the devices fly back.

It is obvious that the printing Lever made in this manner will impress a Letter instantly & fly back out of the path of the type wheel leaving it free to start of [f].

Page 342

Device^c for arresting the rotation of the break wheel on my Universal Ptg Machine by a Magnet instead of Mechanically. A Description Unnecessary²

All previous Written Aug 25 1871

Witness Jos T Murrey^d

[Newark,] Aug 31 1871^a

A new system of Telegraphy, using neither dots nor dashes, but receiving the message by a Puncher or Embosser and Running it through an Automatic Translating Printing Machine I do not wish to confine myself to any particular Translating Printing Machine, as I have innumerable machines in my Mind now which I shall continue to dillustrate & describe day by day when I have the spare time.

The Printer which I propose to use for translating from the punched or embossed paper, is as follows though I may improve it in time or adapt an entirely new one using Magnetism or dispensing with it and make the paper perform a mechanical Operation.

Page 344A is the type wheel^b B its shaft^b C is a small ratchet wheel rotated by E Magnet armature Lever pawl & detent, and D another ratchet wheel rotated by the magnet F Armature Lever click & detent.² The first Magnet E pushing the type wheel ahead one Letter and the magnet fF, 4 Letters. G is a pawl for preventing the type wheel from returning to Zero which it would do by the action of the rubber cord m secured to its shaft. The Printing throws this detent out of the path of the ratchet when it takes an impression^b When this takes place the type wheel returns to Zero. This click is placed back in its original position by the first forward Movement of either ratchet Lever operated by the Magnets^b

The Printing Lever is jointed near its fulcrum sand held to the other part of the lever by a tension, and when the Magnet attracts this Lever the forward part goes farther by its momentum than it would if the Lever was actuated Slowly and in so doing effects the impression and immediatly springs back out of the way of the type wheel and at the same moment when the Lever has reached its extreme Limit, the click G is thrown out of the ratchet and The Cord m pulls the type wheel back to Zero^b The circuit of The type wheel rotating Magnets are is opened & closed by perforated or Embossed paper. The characters being^c in two rows one row rotating E The type wheel 4 letters at a time and the other but one Letter at a time, the 4 Letter Magnet & devices might be dispensed with but the characters of the perforated paper would be too Lengthy. The Printing Magnet is closing when the Both^d Escapement Levers have ceased to work and touch the back points of the printing Circuit^b They both rest on these points for an instant, according to the length of the space between the Letter on the perforated paper^b

To translate The Word “This” The perforated character should be thus= the holes in Line No 1 rotate the type wheel 4 Letters for each one and as T is the

20th Letter 5 dots are used when the space between the Letter Comes^b this gives the Escapement Lever time enough to close both points & close the printing Lever & effect the ptg of that Letter.

The Letter H being the 8th Letter but 2 holes are necessary^b the letter I being the 9th Letter in the Alphabet 2 holesPage 345 in Line No 1 turn the the type wheel to the 8th Character & one hole in Line No 2 one more^c Letter bringing it to I. S being the 15th Letter 4 in the upper line bring it to 12th Charctr & 3 in the Lower to the 15th which is S. 3 rows of holes could be used but it would be hard to transmit Them over the wire.

The Device for Running the perforated Embossed or otherwise prepared paper through may be a Drum Carried by Magnetism Weight Spring & any other force or force storeing device.

There are several ways by which this translating paper May be prepared by an instrument operated by similiar paper at a distant station.

first 1st= An Electro Magnet may have a very delicate Valve fitted to its armature Lever and this Valve Operated a cylinder & piston worked by Compressed air or other force or power, and the piston of which has a punch like a belt punch, Cutting upon a block of Leather, Raw hide or Compressed paper and at every hole punched feed the paper ahead, or the punching May be done while the paper is being fed Continuously by other means. The Magnet should be a polarized one working two valves & pistons^b one cylinder & piston punching or Embossing holes in one Line & the other piston in another Line, which line being determined by the polarity of the Current. The paper might be Embossed.^c The Lever of an ordinary Morse Register³ being operated by the cylinder & Compressed air or Chemical paper might be used, the decomposed portion being of such a character that by immersing it in another substance an action would take place to form a salt or other matter & so raise the character in relief—which Could be made to raised a very delicately poised Lever & open & close an the electric circuit= of the Translating Printing Machine^b or an Ink Recorder Could be used the ink of which would be a conductor and two points closely together & Connected with either end of a battery & magnet the mark would clo connect the. two points together or the ink could be a Chemical & dipped in some solution like that which I proposed to dip the Chemical paper.

Above written Aug 31 1871

Witness. Jos T Murray^c

In the spring of 1871, even as Edison manufactured his cotton instruments, he began developing a new printing telegraph design—the universal stock printer. The Gold and Stock Telegraph Company received a wooden model and a prototype on 3 June and a second prototype on 14 June,¹ and in late summer Edison began manufacturing the universal machines. By the end of the year he had delivered 600 to Gold and Stock² and had finally executed a covering patent application.³ Although the new ticker superficially resembled the cotton instrument, it incorporated several changes Edison had made in the earlier instrument and also displayed some novel constructions. The fundamental design became a standard in the Western Union ticker inventory for many years.

The original design of the universal stock printer refined two of Edison’s earlier innovations—a mechanism that shifted the typewheels (U.S. Pat. 123,006), and the screw-thread unison (Doc. 158). Edison redesigned the shifting mechanism toPage 347 reduce friction. This, together with a new paper-feed mechanism, reduced the power requirement of the printing lever magnet. When a dozen instruments were on a circuit several miles long, the cumulative reduction significantly lowered battery consumption. In addition, Edison altered the unison so that the release was done by the printing lever itself, rather than by a separate set of levers actuated by the printing magnet. ⁴

Edison improved the printer in two other important ways. First, he mounted the magnets so that the gap between a magnet and its armature was adjustable. Second, he changed the mounting of the shafts that carried the printing lever, the escapement lever, and the typewheels and made them laterally adjustable (cf. Doc. 136). Consequently, parts fit together far more readily and were considered completely interchangeable.⁵ For several years, company instructions warned service personnel not to “attempt to file, bend or tinker with the different parts of the instrument, as they are interchangeable and accurately made, and if any part should in time get defective, supply it with a new one which will be furnished from the New York Office.” By mid-decade, however, the company had decided that “it does not pay to furnish new parts for instruments, as the instruments are not all alike and consequently the parts do not always fit.”⁶

Edison continued working to improve the universal stock printer after filing the patent application. Although he executed patent applications for many variations on the basic design during 1872, these features were not incorporated into the production model.⁷

[Newark, August 1871]¹

Page 349

M (22 cm dia. × 11 cm), MiDbEI(H), Acc. 29.1980.293. This universal stock printer has been modified in three ways. First, a 15-tooth ratchet wheel has replaced the original 30-tooth wheel on the typewheel shaft, allowing a doubling of the transmission speed. Edison first experimented with such a wheel in May 1872 (Cat. 1183:111, Accts. [TAEM 20:915]) and was making the change on his stock printers by that fall, as evidenced by the 15-tooth wheel on the model for U.S. Patent 138,869, submitted in October 1872 and now at the Edison Institute in Dearborn, Mich. (Acc. 29.1980.1335; the ratchet wheel is not covered in the patent claims; see also Doc. 338). Second, there is an adjustable spring for the printing lever in place of the original, fixed spring. Third, there is a stop to limit the upward travel of the printing lever. It is not known when or by whom the last two changes were made.

[Newark,] Sept 4, 1871

Or^a the ink of the ink recorder could be mixed with a sticky or gummy substance and just at the moment the recorded characters were made by the Roller a fine Spray of hard substancePage 350 could be thrown upon it^b it adhering to the ink and raising it in relief. Sand, flour Emery, Pumice Stone, Sugar, or some hard substances of a porous nature, having an absorbant power & ground fine Could be used, or the ink might Contain an acid or chemical substance which would burn eat or rot holes in the paper.

or a lead pencil might be used instead of the ink roller and the plumbago² mark wCould be made to close an a circuit having a very high tension Battery in it. or the end of the magnet lever might have a fine needle and prick holes in the paper and the burr which would be thrown up on the other side be made to close a circuit by means of lifting a delicately poised Lever.

or a sharp groove might be cut in the paper carrying drum and in which the roller having a sharp edge would just fit, and tissue or other thin paper being used When the roller came down it would enter the groove and shear the paper^b

I^a will now explain my Compressed air receiver

A & B are the Levers having ordinary belt punches pCutting on a raw hide surface or roller C^b D & E are the punches, F is the paper feed drum have VTwo V shaped ratchet Wheels^b the End of Lever A & B having wedges which throw the paper forward after it is punched^b K is a magnet having a lever H which is provided with a pawl working a ratchet on the paper feed drum F. This is to feed the paper ahead between the wo Letters^b The two Levers A & B being provided with closing points so that when both Levers are at rest the[y] close the Circuit through this Extra Magnet.Page 351 But when operating they do not stop at the Contact point Long Enough to allow the magnet to act owing to the tremenduos rapidity with which the Levers act. O P are the air cylinders^b the Valve being operated by the Main Line Magnets, one Magnet responding to Negative Currents and the other to positive Currents.

I do not wish to Confine myself to any particular form of Air Cylinder or Valve. I merely claim Punching paper or Embossing paper by Compressed air controlled by Magnetism, also postive & negative Currents for doing same^b thing. I have been experimenting this day upon a novel idea by which the paper may be Embossed at a tremenduos rapidity & requiring very little power to Control it.

I do it by means of and Endless Chord.

A^a & B are two rollers rotatd by power and closely held by together by immoveable bearing one r & carried around by gear wheels. One Roller is very hard substance and the other soft. The paper passes between the rollers, and with it a Hard thread, or watch chain. This thread or chain in passing through these rollers with the paper of Course the thread or chain is impressed its full depth in the paper and leaves an endless embossed or raised mark upon the paper. This chain or thread is Endless band like, and the Thread passes through a little hole on a head at the extreme end of the Armature Lever X at D. E is a guide roller for guiuding the chain and worked by gears or other device, from the roller A.B, so that the thread or chain will always be slack where it passes through the point on the magnet Lever. The Characters are formed by guiding the thread either one side or the other^b When a loop either one seide or the other is Thus made the rollers seize the thread and imme’y indent this loop in the paper. This paper after being prepared has a follower with a point, the point Running in the groove^a and of CoursePage 352 giving a back & forward motion to the Lever which closes a circuit each time it passes to the right and clsg another in psg to the left.³ Thus

Though this may be done in many other ways^b The Charcters being made to lift a lever or two Levers & closing the circuit that way^b This chain band or thread might be wound around the roller itself and a slight slack made, to allow of making characters & the thread guided by a fork afrom the armature lever of the Electro or polarized Magnet.

or the roller could have two flanges at its end higher Than itself and innumerable little wires passing from End to End around the cylinder & free to move endwise^b These^a little wires could have teeth on them two teeth in Each and when in their normal position These teeth would form two continuous wheels but if the armature lever should throw one of the little bars forward [-]One of the teeth would indent out of line & thus form a charactr. A Cam on the other side of the roller would throw the rod back in position after the impressed was taken

Witness Jos. T. Murray^c

[Newark,] Sept 13th 1871

Wm Unger by note D[ebto]r to T A Edison with Inst at per cent

[Newark,] Sept 15 [1871]

The ink used on the Ink Recorder, or any recorder which I may adopt could be of a gummy nature, and as quick as The Record Should have been made it could be quickly Covered with gold Leaf or other atenuated metal^a or very fine metallic dust² Could be mixed with The ink or thrown on after the record was made^a

—Instead of the Thread or chain wfor embossing after the manner described Sept 4 1871, The armature Lever Might be a tube within and placed at an angle and Continuiously fed with very fine Shot or round, or small substances^a there could be near the two rollers a stopper, and the End of The tube when in its normal position would rest against this & thus prevent the shot from Rolling down the tube. if now the armature Tube is deflected to the right the shot run out are Caught between the two rollers & the paper and they are indented in the paper, and when deflected to the left the shotPage 354 roll between the rollers in another line. These indentatins Can be made to close & open an electrioc circuit in Connection with the printer. the mechanism Which rotated the Indenting Rollers all also Carries the shot back to f Be fed through again.

At^b the present writing I am inclined to believe that I am the originator of the idea of using perforated paper for controlling or working printing Telegraphs ³

Witness. Jos. T. Murrey^c

New York, September 22, 1871^a

Whereas, George Little of Rutherford Park New Jersey, has invented and patented a system of automatic or fast telegraphy, and has a contract for the developement of said system so that the same may be adopted under the direction of George Harrington of Washington D.C. by the Automatic Telegraph Company of New York, and extended over the United States, the said Little having agreed by contract to dispose of said system and patents for certain stipulated sums of money and amounts of stock of said Automatic Company.¹

And whereas, the said George Harrington is interested to the extent of one third in certain inventions and patent rights useful in automatic telegraphy including a copying printer ² of Thomas A. Edison of Newark New Jersey.

Now therefore, in order to avoid all difficulties, as to the relative value of Edison’s invention as compared with Little’s inventions and for the further consideration of one dollar paid in hand, one to the other, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, it is hereby agreed by and between the said George Little and the said George Harrington that they will mutually and equally divide one with the other all such sums of money and stock as they may or shall be entitled to out of or from the payments to be made by said Automatic Company for the said inventions and patents of said Little and said Edison in so far as such inventions are applied by said CompanyPage 355 to Automatic telegraphy and used by them in the United States.

It being understood, that the amount of interest in his own inventions and patents retained by him (the said Little) vary in none less than twenty seven one hundredths parts thereof.

In witness whereof, the said Little and the said Harrington have hereunto set their hands and affixed their seals this 22nd day of September, Eighteen hundred and seventy one in the City of New York, State of New York

Geo. Harrington^b

Peekskill,^a Sept. 26/71

Dear Mr. Edison:

I want you to give me your own suggestions as to an arrangement for the introduction of your machine,¹ but as you asked me to tell you what I thought was right, I will do so, to a certain extent—but first, let me tell you what I can do:—

If you will finish three or four machines, I will have good wires put up in the city, & provide three good offices where the machines can be thoroughly tested, and if they work satisfactorily, I can raise in a single day, all the capital necessary to pay for the manufacture of all the machines that can be introduced, and to build all the lines we can find a use for.

I will undertake that you shall have cash and liberal pay for all the machines that can be introduced, in all the cities.

I will also guarantee my undivided and best efforts to work this business up,—will furnish all the capital that can be judiciously used, and give you one half of all the advantages I may obtain in connection with the business—and I firmly believe I can make your interest worth at least $5,000 per year, & probably much more.

All this I can do at once, & without serious trouble.

Of course, I can raise some money beyond what I havePage 357 above stated—but that will be a real trouble, & I hope you will not feel that you ought to put a very heavy load on to me. I have done all in my power to promote your interests during the past year, and expect to continue to do so for many years to come, and our appreciation of your great abilities has certainly not had a tendency to lessen the appreciation or liberality of Lefferts & his company.

Any kindness that you can feel justified in extending to me, will not be wasted. I claim to have more real hard work in me than any other ten men except, only, yourself—and I have all the ambition in the new field that you could possibly desire me to have Truly &c

New York,^a Sept. 27/71

Dear Mr. Edison:

I have just learnt of an entirely new movement for a strong opposition to the G.&S. Co.,¹ and I am sure you ought to sell your stock. There is intense hostility to the Co. & all the more since the W.U. Co. swallowed it, and any party of common sense with any decent machine can render the Co. powerless to pay another dividend.

As I have not yet got the promised specimens of your Printing (I want several short messages for interested friends) I suppose you did not get your machine² up, as expected, yesterday.

Give me your views, as promised yesterday, & be merciful

Peekskill, Oct. 3, 1871

Dear Mr. Edison:

In thinking over your talk, today, I am moved to write you my reflections.

First, let me say, that it seems to me your programme is not calculated to advance the immediate introduction of Automatic Telegraphy—you are proposing to travel over, substantially, the same ground as Lefferts, Little and I travelled over many times between 1868 & 1870. We reached perfect Transmission at any speed up to 1000 words per minute,¹ and also the most perfect recording, both on iron (permanent) and platinum, (fleeting) paper-marks. ² Our great wants, a year ago, were a rapid perforator and a good copying printer. I take credit to myself for having discovered in you the genious we required, and I hope you will not refuse to let me suggest to you the proper way to utilize your great inventions.

We want, to give the required confidence in our new system, the Edison perforator and printer—nothing more, and we do not need 48 hours to illustrate all we need to illustrate, after we get machines for N.Y. Phila Balto. & Washn offices.

I know, of course, that you have many most capital things to bring in to improve our operations, but I am sure we ought not to be delayed a da[y?]^a or an hour, in dem[onstr?]ating^a what w[e can do wi?]th^a the aid of your [perforator?]^a & printer. There [will be plent?]y^a of time for you to [pres?]ent^a & develop your ideas after we prove to our impatient friends that we have got a practical working system.

I know^a there is the most urgent necessity for immediate operations by the Co., and as the Line is now all right, I hope you will bring over the perforator & printer & spend all the time needful in the office to have them well-worked, and then we can have a full test and prove all we need to prove to assure the complete suceess of our enterprize. Do, pray, use your influence to have no more [t?]ime^a lost. If we stan[d?-------]^a our fingers no[-------]r^a the great mom[ent?-----]ll^a have themselves [-------]^a out to the Govern[ment boots?]^a & breeches. They are prepared to spend $10,000,000 if necessary, and Orton expects to go in to the Cabinet and will be the Engineer of the impudent fraud.³ Do, pray urge and aid Harrington to get full tests this week, or at the earliest possible moment.

I cannot use that sample of Printing, as it is full of blunders. Will you not oblige me with several perfect & clean nice samples, soon.

Page 359Do not delay telling me what I may do about the Domestic Telegraph scheme.⁴ I will do you no harm in trying.

New York Oct. 6/71

Friend Edison:

It is now nearly two weeks since you promised to give me your ultimatum in regard to the Domestic Telegraph invention,¹ and I have not a word from you, yet. I certainly think this is cruel. You say that the G.&S. Co. have no right to the invention and that you can arrange with me through other parties, so that you will not have any trouble with the Co.

Whatever I now do is to inure to the benefit of the Automatic Co. of which you are destined, no doubt, to be a very large stockholder.

I beg you will say something decisive at once—if you are not willing I should carry out the programme which I had supposed was settled between you and me a year ago, you have only to say so; & I shall not annoy you any farther. But say yes or no now.

Sholes has very greatly improved his printer, and it now does such work as I inclose² right along, and I have no doubt an expert can average 50 words per minute & change the paper besides.—

I strongly advise that you should not hold the wire a moment beyond what is necessary for you to test your Perforator & Printer. We have absolutely perfect Transmitting & Recording devices, and at the present moment it will make seriousPage 360 trouble with Little, if he sees an effort being made to supplant him in what he justly regards as a discovery of the means of very rapid & correct Telegraphing. We cannot afford to have any wrangling. By and by it will be in order to make improvements in the Little System—but we are now in too much haste for practical work, to afford even one hour for any unnecessary tests. Give us perforations & plain Print. There is glory enough in that for a whole life-time.

The W.U. Co. are very anxious to know our secrets—and I suggest the utmost care & prudence to keep every fact of possible value from their legions of spies. They begin to see that we are not the d——d fools they said we all were. Truly &c

Peekskill, Oct. 26, 1871.

Dear General:

It is a good while since I posted you upon the subject of Automatic Telegraphy, and I will now proceed to relate to you what has occasioned our long delay.

In 1869, when you relinquished your interests to myself, Little and others, you will recollect that the Perforating Machine, though performing very accurately and beautifully, could not be worked up to more than 600 to 700 words per hour. Shortly afterwards, we engaged in a long series of mechanical devices to get greater speed, and after nearly two years of hard and expensive work, we have now attained our utmost desires—having three different, and strongly patented Perforating machines, which have been worked at the rate of more than 5000^a words per hour.—3,000 words per hour can be done, accurately & regularly. See sample.¹

We have also obtained a Type-Writing Machine, which is worked by Girls at the rate of 2000 to 3000 words per hour. See sample.

Our Transmitting and Recording machines are substantiallyPage 361 as they were first produced by Little under your direction in 1868-9, though we have in some respects considerably improved the mechanism. In the matter of speed of transmission, we have gone more than five hundred per cent above even your most sanguine hopes, and we can now Transmit, in longer circuits (we fully believe, in circuits 5 to 8 times greater) than can be worked by the Morse system—and we have actually transmitted over 300 miles of wire 1050 words per minute, with one wire and the services of two girls. You see, therefore, that whilst we used to think 12,000 words per hour over one wire, would be an enormous advantage over Morse, yet, in truth, we can do more than Sixty Thousand words per hour, if necessary, over one wire. See sample of dots & dashes.²

Here, I take it, are the main elements of fast & cheap Telegraphing, and as every part of the labor can be performed by Girls, I am sure you will concede to us such enormous advantages over the Morse system, that competition is entirely out of the question. If you will make an estimate even upon the basis of 2000 words per hour for the Perforators and Copyists (printers) and 30,000 for the single wire transmission, you will find that we can better afford to send 50 word messages from Chicago to New York for 25 cents, than the Morse lines can send 10 words for $1. In reality, we can, counting all things that enter into the business of Telegraphing, beat the Morse system more than 10 to 1. But I have given you the facts and you do not need my estimates or deductions from those facts.

Three years ago, you will recollect that you promised me thyou would entertain a proposition to assume the management of our new system whenever we got ready to make a vigorous demonstration looking to actual business, on a large scale. That time has now arrived. We have good men, with ample capital. We have a fully tested & complete system, capable of strangling all opposition. I see nothing more to be wished for except one thing—we need a practical man to go forward and properly systematize the introduction of our new system, and I need not tell you that of all the practical gentlemen connected with the Telegraph business of the country, you only come fully up to my ideas of the right man for our leader. I have reason to know that all of my friends and associates will gladly unite with me in a call for your services if you now feel about this matter as you did in 1868–’69. I am aware that your position has greatly changed for the better, during the past three years, and I naturally suppose that in your present comfortable quarters, you would be less likely to entertainPage 362 my wishes than you would have done two or three years ago. You, I am sure will take it in no unkind spirit, when I tell you that you are not long to enjoy your present monopoly of Local telegraphing. We have an entirely new system of rapid Telegraphing, by which we can do at least twice as rapid work as you are now doing, and we can do it even more reliably than you can^b possibly do with your last improved Edison machine. I mention this only that you may see what is coming—and you may be sure that we shall leave no stone unturned to secure and maintain all the advantages we are entitled to. I shall regret to be placed in a position, as manager of the News Department in the Automatic Telegraph Co., to oppose you, but if this should be unavoidable, I trust we shall agree to disagree , and manage our rival interests in a gentlemanly way. Of course, I know I shall beat you out of your boots, as a News Manager, and I hope you will render this disagreeable thing unnecessary by saying to me that you will now entertain an official call to assume the management of our new system.

I judge that my friends will willingly pay you $6,000 the first year, $8,000 the 2d & $10,000 thereafter, and I will give you outright ¹/4 of my patentee interest, and Little & others will do the same.

Your answer will, of course, be entirely private with me, but let me have it soon, as now is the time to act. Faithfully yours,

Newark.^a [October 1871?]¹

“An American Idea.”^b

News Reporting Telegraph Company.²

This Company have already started a Private Printing Telegraph line in this City, and are locating a number of their Printing Telegraph Machines in the offices and dwellings of some of the most prominent citizens.

They are intended for giving all general news of thePage 363 world—financial, commercial, domestic and foreign—the moment such news is received in the main Telegraph Office in New York, and several hours in advance of all newspapers. ³

The advantage to those who become subscribers we scarcely need enumerate, for hardly any event of consequence can occur in any part of the world reached by the telegraph, but which is instantly transmitted over our wires and printed out on a continuous strip of paper, in Roman Letters, hours before such news is published in the papers, and if the event should be of great consequence minute telegrams will be transmitted during the day and at a late hour at night.

The instruments are novel and very ornamental, are quite noiseless, and require very little attention.⁴

On request we locate these instruments in the Drawing Room, Library, or any part of a dwelling Free of Charge.

For furnishing ink, paper and the news, $3 per week is charged.

Our agent will call and exhibit and explain the instrument in a few days, and take the names of persons who desire the machine.

News Reporting Telegram Co., Daily Advertiser Building, 788 & 790 Broad St.,⁵ Newark.

Newark, N.J., Nov. 21 1871^a

$100⁰⁰/100

Received from Thomas A. Edison the sum of One Hundred Dollars as a payment on House and Lot¹ known as No. 535 Wright St.² Newark N.J. sold him this day³ for the sum of Five Thousand Five Hundred Dollar upon terms as follows: $1500 in Cash and Balance in Bond & Mortgage⁴

[Newark, September-November 1871¹ ]

Improvement^a in hand Transmitters, and their appliances, whereby The Second or Printing Circuit Cannot be closed by the key until The break wheel & point are on an open circuit=²

The Sketch will explain itself. This appliance may be used with one wire.³

Page 366

Another Device to produce the same thing—⁴

[Newark,] Dec 10 1871^a

[Witness:] Jos T Murrey^b

Electric Pulsator For Printing and other Telegraphs and adopted on my universal Printing Machine.²

The point X is insulated, and to it is connected the main Line B is the break spring also Connected to the Main Line. when the armature lever C. is up against the point X the frame and break wheel D is connected to the main Line So that when the Engine Shaft revolves the wheel is carried around and at every revolution 2 breaks are made, but if now the armature lever C is drawn down by the magnet the Main Circuit is broken and the Wheel D arrested.³

G is a screw insulated and having a disk on top Which disk rubs on another disk on the Governor slide when the Engine has reached a certain speed The disk G being Connected to the Engine Magnets The current is cut off when the Governor brings the slide N up to the disk of G, or the current may be closed altogether and the magnet used to retard the motion and effect the regulation quickly or the engine Current Can be cut or broken entirely or th

I do not wish to confine myself to using a wdisk as in G as the a lever might be used= or any Governor, but I prefer this Governor as it is both electrical & frictional

Page 368Neither do I wish to confine myself to using a magnet Whose lever opens the main circuit before it arrests the Break wheel thus [-]ensuring against a failure to arrest Said break wheel and prevent an extra break being made, as the magnet may be dispensed with and the same arrangement used as described in my Application for patent for my Universal Machine and the Main Line break attachment used.

I will mention here that the break wheel is covered with platina and the Little wheels of the break springs are of Copper—also that I provide a Brush rubbing Continuously on these break wheels to keep the Oxydized matter off and keep wheel clean to insure Correct breaks

Following is arrangement on the type wheel shaft Which rotates in path of the finger keys and is used for arresting type wheel and closing circuit of the arresting Magnet on the Engine, and preventing further breaks being sent.⁴

[Witness:] Jos T Murrey^b

G shaft D collar insulated F continuous rubbing spring for bringing Current to D. and spring B. R is Collar with 2 arms N.M. has slot X with a stop pin in it connected to shaft to prevent ke sleeve going to far around when arrested by a key. C is a spring on collar R. J is a spiral to return sleeve to original position before arrested by key K is a Center in which shaft G works. The Collar R being connected to other end wire when a key is depressed and the arm say N comes in Contact with end of key while shaft is in motion the sleeve is slightly turned around an to a distance governed by the pin in slot X, bringing the point B & C in Contact and closing the circuit=

[Newark,] Dec 12 1871

following is another device.

[Witness:] Jos T Murrey^a

D is the shaft X a long Collar of insulating material with 3 Raised Collars on it the middle one having a brass ring on it and a wire leading from said ring to the two arr ConnectingPage 370 springs a a′. C is a spring for carrying Current to Collar and springs a a′ B B′ are arms behind these springs to as to ensure the arresting of the shaft should the springs and key fail to make a good electrical Connection. F F′ are bridges to Connected to the arms B B′ to prevent the spring from coming out too far from the arms when the proper tension is placed on them.

Fig 2 shows how the arms and springs are secured to the rubber flanges.

[Newark,] Dec 12 1871

Escapement for Printing Telegraphs.¹

[Witness:] Jos T Murrey^a

Edison’s design for a transmitter for circuits using his universal stock printer is shown in Doc. 211. When first introduced, the universal stock printer used a hand-cranked breakwheel as a transmitter. In Doc. 211 Edison was working on an adaptation of the electric motor and keyboard from his universal private-line printer. As on that device, the motor drove a pulsator (a small breakwheel). For this transmitter Edison added a gear train connecting the pulsator to a lever that swept under the keys. Depressing a key stopped the lever and, through the gears, the pulsator. Edison made the transmitter practical during the first months of 1872 at Joseph Murray’s shop andPage 372 executed a patent application to cover it in June.¹ Others in the telegraph community, including Patrick Kenny and George Scott of the Gold and Stock Telegraph Co., were developing transmitters for printing telegraphs at the same time.

[Newark,] Dec 15 1871

[Newark,] Dec 19 1871^a

Devices for a two wheel printing Telegraph, figures and fraction wheel and Letter wheel, and preventing one from Printing while the other is. The principle is that the rim of the wheels are divided in 3 segiments, and these segiments have a space between them clear of about the distance of a space between the Letter these segiments are raidiated out from the Center to their full size, and then drawn in to a smaller size wheel, by the action of the printing lever. when one w the segiments of one wheel is swelled or radiated out to its limit the segiments of the other is drawn inward thus increasing the diameter of one and increasing that of the other

[Witness:] Jos T Murrey^b

Page 375a b c segiments n n n studs on flange wheel with pins from segiments sliding in them to guide segiments R arms with crooked slots as fig 2 for giving outward or inward motion to segiment

Shifting shaft

T Peice Stationary

Ratchet & evything shifts.^c

[Witness:] Jos T Murrey^b

[Newark,] Dec 24 1871

[Witness:] Jos T Murrey^a

Loose type wheels with an incline slide sleeve so that when shifted one wheel is made rigid while The other is Loose. each wheel is provided with a flange and the Printing Lever has atwo springs (flat) on each lside So that when Ptg Lever comes up to Print the springs touch both wheels, but one being ridgid bows spring down while other being Loose the spring throws it up and keeps it away from paper=¹

[Newark,] Dec 24 1871¹

Sliding pasted reel for pasting strips of a printing Telegraph machine ein a mss form

____________

To prevent sthe saws composing a gang saw from running out of Line file or cut small teeth on the side of the main cutting teeth, so that when the saw runs out the strain will make the side teeth cut and work itself back to its normal position² Dec 204 1871

____________

Device for printing on two strips on the Universal Stock Printer, the usual type wheel shaft being provided with an extra lever Type wheel and an independent Printing lever beneath it, and paper driver So when you wish to stop Printing on the main strip you rotate the Type wheel around to the Letter Z where there is a pin actin. When the printing lever is brought up this pin strikes a slide bar and shoves it underneath the extra ptg lever and locks the two levers together, soPage 377 that by working The main ptg lever the other one goes with it & prints characters from the extra wheel but the pad on the extra ptg lever being much higher than on the main lever it does not allow main lever to touch type wheel consequently it does not print. Now when you desire to stop ptg on the extra lever & type W, you turn around to the main dot and strike the Ptg lever and a pin from the shaft of the type wheel Throws the slide back from underneath the extra Ptg lever consequently it ceases to Print

I do not wish to confine myself to any particular way of doing this, but claim printing upon two strips of paper by Double Ptg Lever and their selection controlled by the position of the type wheel in conjunction with the power derived and the upward or downward motion of either Printing Lever Dec 24 71

____________

I claim in a Printing Telegraph for type wheel bands of Rubber type, not hard rubber but pliable rubber type in bands and streached over a flat disk.³ Dec 24 71

____________

I claim fitting a band of sl silk or other fabric closely over the Type wheels of a Printing Telegh and allowing the ink roller to ink this band instead of the type direct, the object of which is to prevent clogging up the type wheel with fuz from the type wheel= Dec 24 1871

[Witness:] Jos T. Murrey^a