The sun., 1912-08-04
FROM $40 A WEEK TO A BUSINESS IN MILLIONS
f lie Was Penniless Machinist Fourteen
Years Ago-Some Of His Previous
Inventions That Failed

that he did not regard it favorably. but
he would show 1t at the directors meet
ing In n bored fashion the directors
eyed IL and then concluded that It was not
| serviceable. When the artist called for
decision the manager told him that the
picture was not available. He noticed
the young mans disappointment sym
pathetically and remarked:
Around the corner there is little firm
who might like to see It. They may feel
It will do something for them"
The "little firm" happened to be the
London ally Of the Victor concern and
they did think the dog would help. They
were quite right. As few trademarks
have done it caught the popular fancy
and has held It.
The way the Victor plant has grown in
Camden illustrates graphically the prompt
triumph Of the machine. Up to a short
time ago when most Of the old buildings
were torn down 1t was rambling. over
grown looking place. The company had
bought all the land and buildings for
several blocks. but it was difficult for the
old concerns TO find time to move and the
Victor factory shot up amid small build
ings bearing strange names.
| About three years ago the old cabinet
building became too small. Then the
firm planned a new shop covering a good
deal OF ground and three stories high.
This was regarded as large enough. but
before the three stories were up it was
decided to build four. No sooner were
I the four completed than 1t seemed wise
to put upa one story addition in the roar.
The one story addition was not finished
before it was seen that 1t would have to
be run up the entire four stories. But
even as this was being done orders kept
pouring in to such an extent that the man
agement found it wisest to make both the
original building and tho addition not
four but six stories high.
Everything il made by the company
in its own shops. In the machine shop
queer little engines that are consider
ably more than human in their accuracy
and ewiftness turn out bushels and
bushels OF screws. enough for all the car
penter work in the world it might seem
There il a cabinet factory where the
combination of machinery and skilled
hand work puts together and smooths
and carves innumerable rows OF cabinets
There are the testing rooms. where every
record and every part Of machinery hal
to be tested before being sent out. Their
is tha room where the shellac mixture Il
made for the disks. The company is thu
largest buyer Of shellao in the world
There are offices by the score where thu
accounting IL done. and then in the centr'
OF all is the recording laboratory.
At the end Of this room there II . cabine
which looks not unlike the boxes ou
Of which mediums evoke spirits ant
through the black draped little windov
horns stick out. not at all suggestive o
what il in process. No feature Of tn
laboratory Ia more interesting than th'
arrangement OF the orchestra Of sixteei
pieces. This orchestra is composed OF frs
class musicians. who receive high salaries
They would look natural enough whei
they play IL they sat around as or
chestras usually do. but instead thu
musicians are perched on stools at vary