The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-27
THE BEST OF EDIsoN's BAND.
John Kruesi Made the First Phono-
graph-His Faithful Work. d

Boston Evening Transcript
The man who made the first phono-
graph was buried at Schenectady on
Feb. %. He was one of the little band
of men who worked with Thomas a.
Edison at Menlo park and through
whose skill and faithful assistance We're
developed the many inventions which
gave to Edison the name of the VIZ
ard" 1t was in those days that Edlson
used to become absorbed in the devel-
opment of an idea, work at 1t without
rest or sleep for two or three days and
nights and keep all those about him
busy at the same time. He would call
in an organ grinder from the streets
to keep his men awake, or resort TO
some. other such device, and when the
strain was finally over, charter a boat
and take all hands down the bay ON a
fishing excursion. Among the most TIRE
less of the men about the Wizard"
about that time was John Kruesl, the
man who made the first phonograph.
The idea. had come to Mr.. Edison as an
inspiration a few days before while ne
was experimenting with telephone
disc The disc was not enclosed, and
there was a harp-polnted pm on the
back of it. AS Mr.. Edison spoke against
the face of the disc its vibrations drove
the pin into his. finger.
If the disc has power enough to
prick my finger thought the Wiz
ard. lit has power enough to make a
record which can be reproduced
A few days later he called kruesl to
him. and, putting into his hands a
rough sketch of the photograph, ex-
planned what the thing was to do and
told him to make it. 1t was a roll ma
chine. the roll covered with tinfoil to
take the record.
Kruesi made the machine and
brought it to Mr.. Edison. Edison set it
going and spoke into it;
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to &C.
Then he started it 10 repeat his
words, expecting at the best but
hoarse murmur in answer. He was
almost awed when he heard his words
actually repeated in clear tones by the
little machine. That machine is now IN
the patent museum at South Kensing-
ton.
Mir. Kruesi remained with Edison and
became one of his partners in the de-
velopment of the electric light, and in
1886, when the Edison machine works
were removed to Schenectady, he went
there as assistant general manager,
under Mr.. Samuel Insall. In 1892, when
the General Electric company was
formed and the whole plant Of the great
combination was consolidated, Mr..
Kruesi became general manager of the
works. 1t was under his supervision
that the Schenectady works, the larg-
est and most complete of their kind in
the world, were designed and built. At
the time of his death Mr.. Kruesi was
the chief mechanical engineer of the
General Electric company. OF the
original Edison band of workers only
three were absent from the funeral.
These were IT. C. Martin, editor of the
Electrical Engineer; Luther Stieringer
and z. II. Johnson, all of whom were
unavoidably detained elsewhere.
Mr.. Kruesi was native of Switzer-
land, and was born in 1S43. He came
to this country in 1870 and went to
work for the Singer Sewing Machine
company at Elizabethport. In June,
1872, while Edison was making gold
and stock exchange instruments in
Newark shop, Kruesi Joined him, and
was one of the first of his workmen to
be transferred from commercial to ex-
perimental work when Edison got
money enough to open a shop for the
development of his ideas in 1875. That
shop was in Greene street, Newark.