The Edison phonograph monthly (Mar-Dec 1907)

14 Edison Phonograph Monthly, August, 1907 The Edison Phonograph at the North Pole Walter Wellman, the special correspondent of the Chicago Record-Herald, the explorer who hopes to reach the Pole by airship, has taken an Edison Home Phonograph to beguile the dreary hours in the frozen North. It was presented by the National Phonograph Company, together with a hundred Records and a number of blanks, and is now being used in the expedition's headquarters at Dane's Island, on the northwest coast of desolate Spitzbergen, which lies in the Arctic seas, six hundred miles from the North Pole. In his latest despatch from this inhospitable region, Mr. Wellman, after speaking of bear hunting and preparations for the ascent, writes: "Tonight, June 10, we had an Edison Phonograph concert after supper." Our president, W. E. Gilmore, presented the Phonograph through Major Henry E. Hersey, of the Rough Riders and the United States Weather Bureau, who has promised to let us know at the conclusion of the expedition how much it has been appreciated. The Major, who accompanies the explorer as the representative of the National Geographic Society, is no stranger to ballooning. Last fall he sailed with Lieut. Lahm, in the International Balloon Race, which started from Paris and was won by the American airship largely through his meterological knowledge. The Wellman airship is of enormous size and of the dirigible kind. A steel car is suspended from it, having a promenade deck fifty feet in length, and there is also space to carry fifteen dogs in case the vessel has to be abandoned and the return made by sledges. Mr. Wellman believes it can remain in the air for more than three weeks and hopes to reach the Pole and return to his headquarters in ten days. We wish the Wellman expedition every success and hope that it will gain the coveted distinction for America. We trust that it will escape the tragic fate of poor Andree, and his companions, who started from the same place just ten years ago, in the "Eagle" balloon, and have not since been heard of. Our Bill Board Advertising Appreciated "Your bill board advertising was given the first showing here yesterday afternoon and we followed it immediately this morning with an 'ad' in the local papers and are sure we shall be greatly benefitted. We want to express our appreciation of the assistance rendered by the National Phonograph Co., and think that a man who cannot sell Edison Phonographs with the amount of advertising that you people are doing to help, cannot sell much of anything." — A. G. Caldwell, Manager Talking Machine Deft., Standard Music Co., Chattanooga, Tenn. Visiting Jobbers Visiting Jobbers at our New York office during July were the following: Fred and Henry Babson, of Babson Bros., Chicago; W. D. Andrews, Syracuse, N. Y. ; P. E. Conroy, of Conroy Piano Co., St. Louis, Mo.; G. R. Youmans, Waycross, Ga. ; W. E. Henry, of Powers & Henry, Pittsburg, Penna.; J. W. Willys, of Elmira Arms Co., Elmira, N. Y. ; C. H. Rundel, of Southern California Music Co., Los Angeles, Cal. ; J. W. Barnhill, of Penn Phonograph Co., Philadelphia; J. MacFarquarhar, of S. Kann Sons & Co., Washington, D. C. ; C. B. Haynes, of C. B. Haynes & Co., Richmond, Va. ; E. Percy Ashton, of American Phonograph Co., Detroit, Mich.; Mr. Davidson, of Perry B. Whitsit Co., Columbus, Ohio; J. F. Bowers, of Lyons & Healy, Chicago; C. N. Andrews, Buffalo, N. Y. New Life Into German Homes "We wish to congratulate you on the new list of 90 German Records just distributed. They are winners and will bring new life into many German homes, as they are certain to please. The quartettes are grand, and for jollity you can't beat 15391. I predict a very large sale on this number." — Metropolitan Phonograph Co., 1035 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. This letter is the kind we are very glad to receive, for it shows a desire on the part of the Metropolitan Phonograph Co. to make our foreign records go. They are exceptionally fine, and the Germans are selected from those which have attained the greatest success throughout the Fatherland. The German people love good music and if they know the ease with which they may obtain these new Records there is certain to be a large demand for them. The Ubiquitous Phonograph It becomes more difficult every day to discover uses to which the Phonograph has not been put, or places where it has not been seen and heard. Recently it was used in Russia to marry a couple who had quarrelled with the priest, and now, in France, it has been put to another sacred use. A priest having no altar boy to make responses during celebrations of the mass, uses a Phonograph into which he has previously spoken the sacramental words. The experiment is said to meet with great success. Opportunity is said to come knocking at every one's door once in a lifetime. But so many of us are a little hard of hearing that it is safer to call on Opportunity.