The Edison phonograph monthly (Jan-Dec 1916)

EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY, JANUARY, 1916 Within the Edison Gate — Continued The Edison Blue Amberol Vault group. They are the Disc Vault and the Blue Amberol Vault, where the master-moulds are kept. In each building there is just one man — the custodian. His work is to see that the interior is kept as nearly as possible, summer and winter, at a temperature of 60 degrees; that not a particle of dust is allowed to collect; that the ventilation is attended to by means of an electric fan exhaust; but above all, he is to handle most carefully the master records and to see that they are stored away systematically; that a transcript is kept of their number, date of entry, and such other items as are desirable. To this custodian is. entrusted the careful keeping of the original master-moulds and to him are returned the sub-master-moulds when the process of manufacture has released them. It takes a man of intelligence, system and reliability to care for these precious moulds. Evidently the two men chosen for this work are well fitted for their tasks. The storage capacity of the Disc Record Vault is 40,000 master-moulds; the capacity of the Blue Amberol Vault is 60,000 moulds. Both structures are the result of lessons learned by the fire, for while no original records were lost at that time, it was found prudent to have all master records separately housed. Our "Holy of Holies," shall we call these vaults? Here are enshrined the immortal voices of Edison artists; here are kept the imperishable records of instrumental skill on violin, on harp, on piano — on all musical instruments. If the names of these illustrious artists are considered, we might style these vaults our "Westminster Abbeys," except that instead of holding the mortal remains of the illustrious dead they hold the imperishable songs and art of illustrious immortals. THE DEAR OLD "LAB" MADE MORE FIRE-PROOF MR. EDISON'S private Laboratory— the old brick building that the fire did not touch — has now been fitted with all steel wire-glass windows and (outside) doors. Every wooden casement has been banished. From the exterior at least it is fireproof, or nearly so. The large boiler room at the east end of the structure, heretofore used to generate power, is now unused, the heat and power being brought from the central power house on Alden Street. This arrangement not only works for economy in operation, but lessens the danger from fire. EDISON FACTORY NOW A GIGANTIC LABORATORY ONE of the first things Thomas A. Edison did when he went to Washington recently to act as chairman of the Naval Advisory Board was to recommend that the Government establish a 35,000,000 laboratory and appropriate $2, 500,000 a year to run it. The suggestion was heartily approved. That was Mr. Edison's first step toward providing the nation with an invincible defense. It shows the trend of Mr. Edison's mind. It shows why Edison products are superior. Invariably the design, material and process of manufacture of Edison products are based on deep scientific research. Do you, Mr. Dealer, realize the significance of this? Do you properly distinguish in your own mind this wonderful scientific product from the numerous devices for the mechanical reproduction of musical sounds known individually by their various trade names but collectively as talking machines? There can be no comparison of the Edison products with talking machines, because the Edison is incomparably superior. The Edison Disc Vault