[D8835ADO], Letter from Samuel Insull to Thomas Alva Edison, July 26th, 1888
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Title
[D8835ADO], Letter from Samuel Insull to Thomas Alva Edison, July 26th, 1888
Editor's Notes
"I think it is essential that you should come to some decision immediately with relation to Mr. Porter's Engine. We ought not to go on spending money unless we are going to get something out of it. What with the cost of our Experimental work at your Laboratory on other matters (the investigation of which is essential to the success of our business); the investment we have had to make and must continue to make in the Edison United Manufacturing Company; and the necessary investment we have to make here, in order to take care of our business-------all our profits will be absorbed unless we look sharp after leakage. ### I cannot give you the exact investment up to date on the Porter Engine, owing to the long delay that always occurs in our bills being rendered from the Laboratory. I presume, however, money is being spent at the same rate that we were spending it here. If such is the case it will not be long before we have upwards of $25,000 invested in Mr. Porter's experiments. ### You will remember that I was unwilling to close down this work without your personal opinion of the matter. Mr. Porter has certainly been at your Laboratory long enough to enable you to make some decision. All along I felt, and still feel, that the decision will be adverse to the Engine. If I am wrong of course I shall be only too glad to hear that we have got something to represent the money we have put in. I feel, however, that we should call a halt unless some results have been attained, inasmuch as we have now been spending money on Mr. Porter's work for two years." Yours very truly, Saml Insull [Marginalia: "Porter has not been here being sick--we have Engine up and are ex[unclear]--Tate give him weekly cost=say that inside month we will go ahead or shut Porter off. E" "Ans 31/7/88"]
Author
Recipient
Date
1888-07-26
Type
Folder/Volume ID
D8835-F
Microfilm ID
123:553
Document ID
D8835ADO
Publisher
Thomas A. Edison Papers, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University