This office, the north side the
central hallway, was later used the office the chief engineer.
218 Nelson Durand Frank Dyer, December 17, 1909, "The Ediphone Division TAE, Inc, Records,"
Box 1.
He was become the nucleus new laboratory department, the Engineering
Department, that was take over production engineering West Orange.
Although did not hold the official title superintendent the machine shop
(this belonged John Ott), supervised the workers the shop the main
68
. came West
Orange 1910 and was appointed chief engineer 1911."221
R.West Orange laboratory.219 worked with
the electric motor department the Edison Phonograph Works possible that
he had his work space the first floor, perhaps the machine shop. Bliss was the first hold the title chief engineer West
Orange.
219 His contract stipulated the generous sum $3,500 per annum for five years with commission (in DF
1910, Phonograph-Manufacture).
2a> See Edison Manufacturing Company folders the Document File for examples patents assigned by
Bliss the Company.
Part Bliss’s job was production engineering the disc and storage battery
projects, and this meant overseeing work carried out the machine shops of
Building was involved the design and production cylinder
phonographs, primary batteries, and motion pictures addition special jobs
such designing small electric motor for prospective Edison lawn mower and
building complete electric delivery wagon.220
He was clearly under lot pressure from Edison who drove him hard and had
little patience with him—Bliss was not hustler. was hired work electric motors and regulators had
considerable experience designing electrical machinery.218 Schiff! was tool maker, draftsman, and foreman. October 1912, was fired. Later was move the second
floor and work design and development new products. Bachman. During the period 1901-1914, the laboratory payroll records
describe Bachman "M.
221 TAE Francis Applegate, October 26, 1916, Letterbook 114, 606 (LB114606). At
first worked Building probably close the heavy machine shop,
supervising the construction prototypes.M" which probably stands for master machinist.
Donald Bliss. the
other hand, his duties would have involved close coordination with the precision
machinists the second floor and this may have established his office the
second floor, adjacent the machine shop.
Some years later Edison explained that Bliss’s work was not satisfactory "due
perhaps the conditions here, which are rather exacting