December 26th, 1899 letter from George Scherff to Nikola Tesla

New York, Dec. 26th, 1899
46 & 48 E. Houston Street

Nikola Tesla, Esq.,
Colorado Springs, Colo.

Dear Mr. Tesla:

I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your check for $200 for shop account. I presented the same at the Bank and obtained $50 in addition to the amount drawn by me last Saturday and have now on hand $72.82 cash. 

I am mailing together with this letter a note from Mr. Uhlman. The information it contains will no doubt be considerable disappointment to you. It has been apparent for the past few months that Mr. Uhlman was in bad health, and especially during the last couple of weeks he has failed visibly, until at present he is so weak that he is barely able to move about. I was shocked this morning when he told me that, after a thorough examination, two physicians have pronounced his illness to be consumption. He has been advised by them to leave this City as quickly as possible for a milder climate, and he expects to be ready to depart the early part of next week at the latest.

Nearly all parts of the new oscillator are now finished except the condenser which will be started in a day or two - the rest of the work being mostly assembling. As the work is slacking up, Mr. Uhlman begs for instructions in regard to further work in order to keep all the men busy. He says he will try to arrange everything satisfactorily in case you do not return before he has to leave.

Mr. Lindeke came to the shop this morning more or less intoxicated and in his work committed an error in drilling and, Mr. Uhlman says, when he called his attention to it and to his intoxication, he left in a huff. Mr. Uhlman also wishes to mention that a number of times Lindeke came to work on Monday mornings considerably under the influence of liquor and that his work has been more or less disappointing.

The inclosed letter was received to-day. 

Respectfully,
Geo. Scherff