Walter Miller began his career with Edison age 17, entering
the laboratory when opened 1887 and later becoming expert on
phonograph recording techniques. Ryder R. Building was now designated as
"experimental '.
With the demise the ore milling venture 1900, part this building was left
empty.W. Kellow, March 22, 1919, D-Box Collections Box D10 West Orange. Dickson worked the ore milling project Building the 1890s. 50-52, and Notebook
N-29-09-12, pp. 5-9.
145 Dyer, Martin, and Meadowcroft, Edison: His Life and Inventions, 655. took variety ofjobs and worked late at
night with the other men. Once had proven himself was given pay raises
and more demanding tasks.
147 Mary Childs Nerney interview with Walter Miller, Notebook N-28-11-01, pp.145
In 1918, this building was divided between disc record development and Edison’s
experimental projects directed eliminating the surface noise discs and
improving phonograph reproduction.L. The "plant" was experimental installation of
the machines that would eventually duplicate millions records Building 24.Building 4
W. Dyer and Martin reported that Building was used general stock
room after Edison gave the ore milling project.M.K.
Walter Miller.146 Talking picture experiments were also carried out in
Building 4.
In the 1890s another part the building was set produce blank cylinders
and duplicating equipment was moved in.144 This was the Recording
Department, what the employees called the "record plant" "Wurth’s plant,"
named after Wurth, the experimenter charge the duplication records
(see for more Wurth).147
Recording experiments probably continued the music room the third floor of
Building and the new facilities established Building least through
50
.
Wurth continued work the duplication problem throughout the period 1900-
1914.
146 "Thomas Edison Personal Floor Areas Laboratory Building," November 25, 1918 (in 1918,
WOL- General); G.
144 Harold Anderson interview, nd, Oral History Project, 12. In
addition, blacksmith and blacksmith’s helper are noted the February 1890
payroll and these men could have been work the forge the rear this
building
