80 A. Edison was sensitive labor costs and
practiced continual pruning his staff. The West Orange laboratory was one the largest industrial
research facilities built that date, perhaps the largest the world, some of
his employees thought. Less than year after its
opening, the West Orange laboratory was operating full capacity, the first great
experimental campaign the phonograph full swing while other experimenters
maintained the effort electricity and ore milling.
28
. This was time rapid growth the electrical
supply industry and new equipment was being developed hectic pace.A. is
safe assume that during the 1880s and 1890s many different pieces of
equipment were tested the power house that the staff knew the "dynamo
room". This period began with flurry experimental activity. provided the realization Edison’s grand plans, and in
his words was "the best equipped and largest laboratory extant.O. Edison now had the means test dynamos and other
central station equipment.—Outgoing Correspondence, D-88-
18).
The new laboratory had been constructed and the staff had already begun
experiments.
* *
At the end 1887 Edison and Batchelor could look back year well spent.
Tate, reported that had about 120 men work about different
experiments around 1888. David Trumbull Marshall, Edison
88 TAE Hood Wright, November 1887, Notebook N-87-11-15.60
The little evidence have from payrolls indicates high turnover employees
and constantly changing work force. Tate Frank McGowan, July 1888 (in 1888, Edison, T."59
ANALYSIS HISTORIC OCCUPANCY
Period Summaries
Period 1887-1900.
Edison was full enthusiasm, full ideas for experimental projects, and had
plenty money coming from the electric utility and manufacturing industries
to pay for experiments undertaken their behalf.Not long after the laboratory opened, Edison began run power lines to
Glenmont and other houses Llewellyn Park, with Batchelor running the first
wires December 1887. Edison’s secretary, Alfred O
