389 - Thomas Edison War-Dated Typed Letter Signed on the 1914 West Orange Laboratory Fire

Thomas Edison War-Dated Typed Letter Signed on the 1914 West Orange Laboratory Fire World War I-dated TLS signed “Thos. A. Edison,” one page, 8.5 x 11, personal 'From the Laboratory of Thomas A. Edison' letterhead, December 12, 1914. Letter to Charles L. Clark of the General Electric Co., in Schenectady, New York: “Allow me to express my appreciation of your kind note of sympathy in regard to the recent fire at my plant. I want to thank you for your good words and wishes in this connection. We are actively on the job of rehabilitation of the plant, and I shall be back in the game within the next 30 days.” In fine condition, with faint edge toning prom prior display. On the evening of December 9, 1914, a catastrophic fire swept through Thomas Edison's West Orange laboratory complex, destroying buildings devoted to phonograph manufacturing, motion picture production, and chemical research. The blaze caused an estimated $7 million in damage—roughly $230 million today—with only about $2 million covered by insurance, while approximately 250 employees were working in the complex when the fire erupted. Despite the enormous losses, rebuilding began almost immediately under Edison's direction. Written just three days later to Charles L. Clark of the General Electric Company, a corporation descended from Edison's own Edison General Electric Company, the letter acknowledges Clark's message of sympathy while expressing Edison's characteristic optimism, assuring him that the laboratory was already undergoing rehabilitation and that he expected to be "back in the game within the next 30 days." The correspondence offers a firsthand glimpse of Edison's determination in the immediate aftermath of one of the greatest setbacks of his career.