October 12 Friday – The Clemens family was at sea en route from London to New York on the SS Minnehaha. Sam wrote a letter to John Y. MacAlister, the only one extant from the voyage. He did not date the letter but headed it, “2,000 miles at sea,” which would have put the ship just short of 2/3 of the way to New York on a ten-day voyage; thus it’s estimated at six days at sea, or Oct. 12. The letter was postmarked Oct. 16 after arrival in N.Y.C.

We have had no seasick people to plasmonise, (except our maid) but we had a man who had been on a long spree & his stomach had struck & would retain nothing; consequently he was getting in a weak & bad condition. Day before yesterday the surgeon plasmonised him, & now he is all right; is up & around & takes his meals. We took our maid out of bed & out of her seasickness with a single dose of plasmon; since then she takes plasmon daily & has had no return. Servant maids are usually sick all the way across & have to be nursed; but this time plasmon has changed all that…

For some days I have been thinking we ought not to get up a big company at all, but jog along as we are for 6 months longer; then raise £70,000 privately & go ahead. I will write further about this after I’ve been ashore a few days [MTP].

Frank Bliss wrote a note to Sam enclosing statements; also sending them to H.H. Rogers. Bliss showed over $9,300 due to Sam for the period Jan. to July 1 [MTP].