This folder contains incoming correspondence and interoffice communications relating to the commercial and technical development of Edison's alkaline storage battery at his laboratory and by representatives of Thomas A. Edison, Inc., in the United States and abroad. Included are several items written by Edison or bearing his marginalia, along with many communications to Edison from his personal representative and chief engineer, Miller Reese Hutchison. Among the documents for 1913 are items concerning the use of Edison's batteries in submarines, locomotives, trucks, and automotive ignitions, as well as in arc lighting, household lighting, and the illumination of hospital operating rooms. Some documents pertain to electrochemical research. The correspondents include Ralph H. Beach of the Federal Storage Battery Car Co.; Charles A. Coffin, Elihu Thomson, and other representatives of the General Electric Co.; and Edison's brother-in-law John V. Miller.
Approximately 40 percent of the documents have been selected. The items not selected include invoices, letters of transmittal, and unsolicited correspondence that received no substantive reply from Edison. Also not selected are routine technical notes, calculations, and drawings relating to flake separation, the refinement of nickel carbonate, and filtration. Courtesy of Thomas Edison National Historical Park.