August 13 Saturday – In Elmira Sam responded to Charles Hopkins Clark, who evidently had asked about the inclusion of some material for the Library of Humor. Sam answered that he would ask Webster, and in the meantime Clark might “rake together an uncopyrighted page or two from Warner & Howells” [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore, upset about the mounting expenses connected with the Paige typesetter. He’d lent $4,000 to Paige for office expenses — was that amount exhausted already? The addition of a dynamo to the typesetter had delayed the drawings and was not needed for the exhibition machine under construction. Would Whitmore drop into the Paige office every day and ask when office expenses would end?

I got no sleep last night. I suppose this type-setter is going to break this forty-thousand-dollar book up & ruin it ANYway, so you may as well resume your letters to me. Shut off the motor-expense. If I had known — but I ought to have known, long ago, that when Paige thinks a thing will cost $100, that is proof that it will cost $1000.

Good land! The new machine was to cost $8,000; drawings $4,500; patents, $5,000. Total $17,500! That machine is going to cost all of $15,000 yet [MTP].

Arthur H. Wright wrote for Webster & Co. and forwarded a letter from an unspecified lady who wished to reprint excerpts from Grant’s Memoirs. Wright also reported good initial sales for the Hancock book in the first week’s effort [MTLTP 225n1 & 226n3]. Note: Sam answered on Aug. 16.

Orion Clemens wrote to Sam that he’d received his letter and he would “attend to the matter of the invitations by answering for you in a manner which I trust will justify your kind confidence.” Ma had been going to Salvation Army meetings and the races with “impartial interest.” [MTP].

Stephen A. Hubbard with the Hartford Courant wrote to Sam, to “give…some account of my stewardship. I divided your telegraphic donation between my two old veterans” [MTP].

Check #  Payee  Amount  [Notes]

3800  H.E. Patten  7.50  Furnaces