[D8736AEL], Letter from Samuel Insull to Thomas Alva Edison, November 5th, 1887
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Title
[D8736AEL], Letter from Samuel Insull to Thomas Alva Edison, November 5th, 1887
Editor's Notes
"Our sales for October were more than I estimated last Monday. The total amount was $189,068.01, made up as follows: ## Tube A/c $105,384.16 ## Dynamo A/c 41,573.15 ## Sprague Motor A/c 24,415.16 ## Pulleys & Shafting A/c 9,168.92 ## Wire Insulating A/c 8.776.62 ## $189,068.01 ## From this you will see that independent of the Tube Department, our business runs a million dollars a year. The dynamo and Sprague motor sales should be classed together. For instance, if we are not shipping as many Sprague motors, we would be shipping more dynamos, so that we can fairly say that our dynamo and motor sales combined, will average sixty to seventy thousand dollars a month. None of these dynamo sales were for central station work. The Pulleys & Shafting Department sales are low. They can be brought up to a larger amount. In fact, I think directly after we get the new foundry runnin, they will come up to at least one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. Our Wire Insulating Department sales are higher for October than they have been before. By pushing this deparment, I have managed to creep up from $700 to $1000 a month this time last year, to $8000 to $9000 a month now. I see no reason why cannot make this Department fifteen thousand dollars a month at least, after we have doubled our capacity, which will be within a month or two. ## If we can get another quarter of a million dollars worth of business a year from outside sources, I am confident that we are safe for a million dollars worth of business per annum, taking good and bad years together. On this million dollars worth of business per annum, we ought, after the 1st. of January next, to have $100,000.00 of profit for distribution amongst the stock holders, unless our business takes another tremendous jump we have to extend our business still further. Please show this letter to 'Batch.' ## Our sales for November will, I fancy, reach two hundred thousand dollars. They certainly ought to be as high anyway, as the month of October. ## To give you some idea of the amount of offices work our present business involvesw, I may mention that 10[-]0 bills were made out against our customers during the month of October, and about 1500 bills were received from the people we buy from. About 3000 communications in the shape of letters, advices, etc. left the office and about [-]00 orders were issued for material. ## You will see that all this involves a great deal of office work, yet I am able to find out exactly where I stand on the fifth day of the month following."
Author
Recipient
Date
1887-11-05
Type
Folder/Volume ID
D8736-F
Microfilm ID
119:1170
Document ID
D8736AEL
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University