Day By Day Dates

August 29 Tuesday – Sam telegraphed from Hartford to Adolph H. Sutro, asking how long the tunnel into the Comstock Lode would be (planned to be 4 miles long). He also asked Sutro to send his London address. Sam wanted the tunnel information for Roughing It [MTL 4: 450]. Note: Since Sam and Sutro were in New York during the same time (Sutro from Aug. 22, Sam Aug.

August 30 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Ella Trabue Smith, a second cousin on his mother’s side, telling her of his family’s trip and how well his mother looked, but for his son “life is almost despaired of.” Sam had gone after a doctor and wrote the one page letter while waiting [MTL 4: 451].

August 31 Thursday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Orion.

We have scarcely any hope of the baby’s recovery.

Livy takes neither sleep nor rest.

We have 3 old experienced nurses.

Three months of overfeeding & surreptitious poisoning with laudanum & other sleeping potions is what the child is dying of [MTL 4: 452]. Sam’s only son would live until June 2, 1872.

September – Sam’s new lecture tour was announced in the September issue of the American Publisher [MTL 4: 414]. “A Brace of Brief Lectures on Science. Part 1” [Camfield, bibliog.]. (See Gribben 230-1.)

September 6? Wednesday – Sam left Elmira bound for Washington, D.C. to file for a patent on his “Elastic Strap,” a strap placed at the back of a vest to tighten around the waist. The invention itself made the strap elastic, detachable and adjustable in length. It fastened to the vest with buttons and buttonholes and could be removed. It could also be used with pants and even ladies’ corsets.

September 7 Thursday – Sam arrived in Washington, D.C. [MTL 4: 454n1].

September 8 Friday – Sam wrote from Washington to Livy. His only subject was the patent search [MTL 4: 453].

September 9 Saturday – Sam filed his patent application for the garment strap and left Washington this day or the next for New York [MTL 4: 454n2].

September 10 or 11 Monday – Sam stayed at the St. Nicholas Hotel probably one night, and then left for Hartford [MTL 4: 454n2].

September 12–13 Wednesday – Sam stayed two days in Hartford and then returned to Elmira on Sept. 13 [MTL 4: 454n2]. In Hartford Sam secured rent on the John Hooker house in Nook Farm, Hartford for a temporary residence, and probably looked after his book at the American Publishing Co.

September 14 Thursday – Sam wrote to an unidentified man:

“Dear Sir, /Your proposition is received. In reply I am obliged to say that my engagements are such that they debar me from accepting”[unknown amount of text and complimentary close missing; MTPO]

September 15 Friday – Sam wrote from Elmira to James Redpath: “…we will take up our permanent residence in Hartford the last day of this month.” Sam refused to lecture in Buffalo because of past treatment there by the G.A.R. Sam wrote he would be sick and remunerate Buffalo rather than lecture there [MTL 4: 454-5].

September 16 Saturday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Orion about the advisability of Orion applying himself to the invention of a steam brake for the railroads. However, such a brake had been invented already [MTL 4: 457-8].

September 17 Sunday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Orion, enclosing a letter from Benjamin B. Bunker (b. 1815), who had been an attorney for Nevada Territory. Sam asked Orion to write Bunker, since Sam had “touch[ed] him up a little” in Roughing It [MTL 4: 458].

September 18 Monday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam about his invention: “You are right about the immense advantage of such a railroad brake—but has it not already been invented?” he recalled seeing an article about such a brake on the Missouri Pacific RR. “I think it was the way you suggested—by steam under control of the engineer.” He drew a hinge he proposed to have made for the brake [MTP].

September 21 Thursday – The Washington National Republican ran a summary of a conversation, “Mark Twain Takes Out a Patent — Why He Did It,” about a patent for suspenders based on Sam’s take on Horace Greeley’s pants [Schmidt].

September 22 Friday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to James Redpath. Livy was sick in Elmira and Sam and the servants were packing. He and his wife were to take possession of their Hartford house on Oct. 1. Sam liked the Young Men’s Association in Buffalo and wouldn’t mind lecturing for them, but not the G.A.R. [MTL 4: 459-60].

Orion Clemens wrote to Sam:

September 26 Tuesday – Sam again wrote from Buffalo to James Redpath, setting Feb. 2 as the final date for his lectures [MTL 4: 460].

Sam and Livy also wrote to Charles C. Duncan, steamboat captain, regretting that they could not attend:

September 27 Wednesday – Sam’s article, “The Revised Catechism” ran in the New York Tribune [Camfield, bibliog.].

The City of Buffalo receipted Sam for $222.25 for city tax on the “Delaware st. house; Outer lot 50ft, front feet 60 ft, Feet deep 118” [MTP].

Napoleon Sarony, photographer, wrote from NYC to ask Sam to sit for a photo “any time you are in the city” [MTP].

September 28 Thursday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to John A. Lant, a printer Sam had worked with as a boy, probably in St. Louis.

“Thank you kindly for the picture of the baby. But it seems to me you did not economise material to the best advantage: there is meat enough in this youngster for twins” [MTL 4: 461].

October – Sam’s article “A Brace of Brief Lectures on Science, Part 2” ran in American Publishing Co.’s in-house promotional monthly, American Publisher [Camfield, bibliog.].

October 1 or 2 Monday – Sam left Buffalo and met Livy in New York City, staying a day at the St. Nicholas Hotel [MTL 4: 462n1].

October 2 or 3 Tuesday – Sam and Livy arrived in Hartford and took possession of the Hooker house on Forest Street in Nook Farm, a small community on the western reach of the city. John Hooker, descendant of Hartford’s founder, Thomas Hooker, began Nook Farm with a 100-acre tract.

October 6 Friday – Sam wrote from Hartford, with an affidavit by John Hooker, to Mortimer D. Leggett (1821-1896), Commissioner of Patents, about the date of his ideas for the elastic strap. Sam included his first drawings, for use with vests and pants. Henry C. Lockwood had applied for a patent on a similar device only six days after Sam’s application [MTL 4: 462-4]. Note: the Oct.

October 9 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to James Redpath, asking him to send the first part of his lecture list “& let me see where I am to talk.” He requested a copy be sent to Bliss.