Pathé phonograph and record info

[icemandan01]

hello to everyone. i have an opportunity to buy a Pathé phonograph. unsure of the model # it appearance came from france. it is a cabinet style that looks very close to my edison c-150. from what i can see from the picture it has a straight tone arm and forward facing reproducer. looks in rough shape and in the pic. there is a standard lateral cut record on the turntable but the reproducer looks like it should have a sapphire stylus on it. i asked the owners if this was the only record that comes with the machine and they said yes and it works.? question (1) would a sapphire stylus actually track in the groove of a lateral cut record and produce sound that resembles music. question (2)how much damage is being done to the stylus. question (3) is there any tell tale signs that a sapphire stylus is damaged or needs replacing. i have a stack of Pathé discs from france they are double sided and are not actuelle needle cut. should i presume that these are vertical cut and would be acceptable to test on this machine. i am going to look at the mach on saturday. this stack of Pathé records are in excellent to near mint cond. so i do not want to chance damaging them. i also have a stack of edison D.D.s would it be acceptable to test the stylus with one of these as these discs have seen better days. anyway if anyone could help me out i would greatly appreciate it. thank you dan