[GreenKeys] EE Kleinschmidt

[gil at baudot.net]

Hello Tom:

I have been dropped from the greenkeys list twice now (most perplexing,
since I am the list moderator), due to the automatic bounce stuff built
into the mailman program which powers the lists at qth.  Anyway, the
last time I was dropped was apparently a result of the following
message from you, which I have just now found buried in the bounce
notice!  Comments to your message are strewn about below.

While on the bounce topic: has anyone else had problems like this?  If
you have been dropped, you will not see this of course, but if you have
been droped and re-subscribed, please let me know.

And now onto the real topic: 

>Subject: Uncaught bounce notification
>Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2006 20:13:12 -0400
(snip)

>Subject: failure notice
>
><gil at baudot.net>:
>The user does not accept email in non-Western (non-Latin) character sets.

WHAT THE?

>--- Below this line is a copy of the message.

(snip)

>From: "Tom Kleinschmidt" <tomkleinschmidt at comcast.net>
>To: <gil at baudot.net>, <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: RE: [GreenKeys] Kleinschmidt, Morkrum, M-K, M14-TP,
>         and other early stuff
>Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 19:13:39 -0500
>
>Gil, Here goes....
>
>Per E.E Kleinschmidt's partial Autobiography: "Printing Telegraphy...A New Era Begins"

Tom:  I got a photocopy of this book years ago, and just uncovered it
again tonight.  My copy ends at page 63 -- is this the last page?  I
have been enjoying reading it again.  I also found a little 1925 book,
"Printing Telegraph Systems" which has drawings and descriptions of
some Kleinschmidt, Morkrum, and Western Union machines.  Between the
two books and the well-known history papers, I am making some sense of
the early Kleinschmidt days.  Please correct me if I have anything
wrong.


>I.
>Kleinschmidt Electric Co. was founded in 1913. He made his first printer
>in 1911 and demonstrated it to Western Union. 
>It appears he did freelance
>inventing / engineering before that.

Sounds like he invented the first fax machine, before technology was
available to make it commercial!


>II.
>Products, there were a number of typewriter based printers:
>1. 3B page printer (Western Union's unit was designated 1A and Mr. Potts
>unit was 2A)

EE's book says the 3B (the refined version of the original 3A), based on
an Underwood type-bar typewriter mechanism, was designed for Western
Union's "multiplex" (not stop-start) system.  The 1925 book mentions a
"No. 4 type" Kleinschmidt printer which was for start-stop use, and the
drawing is identical to the 3B picture in EEs book.  I presume he
adapted the 3B for start-stop systems, and then called it a No. 4 (?) 
Do you have a date on this?  Were there production models of this No. 4
printer, as implied by the 1925 book?

The Nelson/Lovitt paper mentions that Kleinschmidt's patent filed in
1919 (issued in 1923) on the start-stop principle, "employed a modified
version of his earlier multiplex distributor."  Was this the No. 4
printer?  The paper indicates that this patent (1,463,136) conflicted
with Krum's start-stop patent filed in 1910 (1,286,351, issued in
1918), leading up to the Morkrum-Kleinschmidt merger.


>2. "Kleinschmidt Telegraph Typewriter" 1919

Was this multiplex or start-stop?  The Slayton paper calls this a Model
5, and says it is start-stop.  It also says that it is a moving-platen
design -- the pictures in EE's book seem to bear that out.  There is no
mention of this printer in the 1925 book.


>3. 21A and later 22 for gummed tape

The 21-A is mentioned in the Slayton paper, which says it was for
multiplex use.  Do not see a pic of it in EE's book, but there is a
drawing and description in the 1925 book of the "Kleinschmidt Tape
Printer," which looks like an M14 TP, but taller -- it indicates that
it is start-stop, so I am wondering whether the 22 was start-stop, and
the 21-A was multiplex?

I found it interesting how EE described Western Union's desire for a
tape-printer so that corrupted sections  of messages could be repeated
without repeating the entire message.  All this time, I thought that
telegram tape printers were used since the mechanisms were simpler,
when in fact they were for easier editing!  


>4. The Keyboard operated Morse that sometimes show up on Ebay as the
>1940s version made by Teletype corp. Except for wrinkled paint job vs. gloss
>enamel and the brand name they are almost identical. And they almost always
>launch a "what is it?" on Greenkeys!

Ahh, yes, the four-row-keyboard morse (not baudot) perforator, which he
mentions saw quite a bit of use with Western Union,  Creed, and the
British Post Office Telegraph.  He also mentions that it was later
manufactured by Teletype Corp under the name Teletype Perforator).  I
have a Teletype wooden case for one, but no perf to go inside.  One
went on ebay for about $50 a year ago, but I missed it.


>III.
>
>EE stayed with MK through the sale of Teletype Corp to Western Electric/
>AT&T in 1930. He was on contract with AT&T until late 1934. He then
>"retired." In 1944 he got involver with the Army Signal Corps though his son
>Bernard (My great Uncle). Kleinschmidt Laboratories Inc. was established
>in 1949 to build printers for the Government.
>
>IV.
>EE has a number of patents on the M14 mechanism - the selector is one that
>comes to mind if memory seves.
>
>V.
>The Book: Perhaps we should scan the book and post it. I do have photocopies
>available if you want a copy. They do show up in used book stores now and
>then. Some are even autographed. It was self published
>
>Tom

I presume you hold copyright at this point.  I think a scan would be a
great addition to the historical docs now online.

Are there any surviving machines from the early days?  Any good pics?

thanks,

gil


>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>[mailto:greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of gil at baudot.net
>Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 3:27 AM
>To: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: [GreenKeys] Kleinschmidt, Morkrum, M-K, M14-TP,and other early
>stuff
>
>Hi folks:
>
>I am curious about some of the early days (pre-Teletype Corp).  As I
>understand it, the Morkrum Company existed from 1915 to 1925.  EE
>Kleinschmidt was doing his thing up until 1925, when the merger created
>Morkrum-Kleinschmidt -- the M-K name lasted until 1929.  The M-K name
>was changed in 1929 to Teletype Corp.  A few questions come to mind for
>anyone who might recall (anything not in the Krum, Nelson-Lovitt, or
>Slayton docs):
>
>- During what years did Kleinschmidt's (original) company exist? =20
>    One reference says 1905-1920, but this ends before the M-K merger.
>- What was Kleinschmidt designing/producing until 1925?
>- For how long did EE Kleinschmidt stay on with the M-K company?
>
>This all came to mind when I was looking into history of the Model 14
>Tape Printer, a design that spanned  approximately 1925-1955.  This
>printer was also commonly know as the Western Union Simplex Printer
>2-B.  Western Union 2-B printers made by Morkrum-Kleinschmidt are
>around, which puts start of production of the M14-TP to at least
>somewhere between '25 and '29.  I have heard that a model 1-A was made
>by Kleinschmidt before the M-K merger, though I have also read about a
>1-A produced by Western Electric.  Ahh, this goes before '25.  Was this
>1-A design essentially the same as what would become the 2-B and the
>M14-TP?  But one reference says that Krum and Morton filed a patent
>application for the M14-TP in pre-merger 1924.  Hmm. =20
>
>The M14 tape printer is clearly a relative of the later M14 typing
>reperf and the M15, as evidenced by the design of the selector and
>other sections.  But I never knew where the technology originated prior
>to the M-K merger.  I presumed much of it came from Morkrum roots, since
>they were producing the M11 and M12 before the M-K merger -- the M11
>introduced the "cam-and-contacts" type of sending distributor, as well
>as the "Teletype" scroll symbol branding plate (1921).  I am curious
>what technology came from the Kleinschmidt side of M-K merger.  I am
>also interested in what designs came from Kleinschmidt, Western
>Electric (1-A maybe?), and Western Union (eg: the 100-family -- I have
>a 103).
>
>Here are the production dates I have of some other early models:
>
>- Morkrum Printing Telegraph (Blickenderfer-based page printer):
>     1910 to 1925 under Morkrum Company
>
>- GPE Perforator (aka green code perf, iron-horse):
>     1913 to 1925 under Morkrum Company
>     1925 to 1929 under Morkrum-Kleinschmidt
>     1929 to 1963 under Teletype Corp
>
>- Model 11 Tape Printer:
>     1921 to 1925 under Morkrum Company
>     1925 to 1927 under Morkrum-Kleinschmidt
>
>- Model 12 Page Printer:
>     1922 to 1925 under Morkrum Company
>     1925 to 1929 under Morkrum-Kleinschmidt
>     1929 to 1943 under Teletype Corp
>
>Any insight appreciated.
>
>thanks,
>
>gil