and the brilliant tone the diamond disc
records depended their condensite finish. But Edison had built his laboratory meet the
demands this situation.
Edison's phonograph business had made him major importer of
chemicals from Germany, for example. The
experiments diminish the surface noise disc records had
pointed the poor quality the phenol used manufacture. West Orange Edison had an
excellent chemical laboratory, and staff with considerable
experience finding substitutes for chemicals.
self-sufficient strategic chemicals and made handsome
profits selling off his surplus.
The shortages chemicals became evident the very
OI
beginning the war, the fall 1914. The war severely disrupted
this network and placed TAE Inc. Edison mobilized
.S. quickly made made TAE Inc. The demands of
quality control record manufacture had led thorough
investigation the chemistry the raw materials. precarious position.XII-12
THE WEST ORANGE LABORATORY DURING THE WORLD WAR.
The Edison enterprise was founded the international
flow information and materials. The sudden elimination of
this source raw material might have crippled another
company.
Edison's chemists knew that this was area for improvement. Edison was
concerned with good reason; was the largest importer of
phenol the U
