May 22nd, 1899 letter from George Scherff to Nikola Tesla

New York, May 22nd, 1899
46 & 48 E. Houston Str.

Nikola Tesla, Esq.,
Colorado Springs, Colo.

Dear Mr. Tesla:

Your two letters of May 19th have been received this morning.

The Okonite wire has already been shipped to-day per American Express Company.

The cables around the room and the one from the roof will be sent off to-morrow; they are all ready, and we are only waiting for a large drum to wind them on, which the Okonite Company is sending.

All the other instructions are being carried out to the letter as quickly as possible.

I regret to say that the balloons seem to be a failure after all. One of them has now twelve coats of varnish, but it is still impossible to fill it up with air. The varnish remains sticky and comes off in patches. The varnisher is this evening trying spar varnish on a small piece of silk; I will communicate the result of the experiment to-morrow. If it is impossible to make the balloons useful, shall we send some kites?

In view of the enormous expense of sending the heavy apparatus by express I hope to get further instructions in regard to this matter. The Merchants' Despatch Transportation Company guarantee to deliver the apparatus in five days, at $2.50 per hundred pounds.

May I ask for authority to sign orders, at least for Patterson, Gottfried and Hunter?

I hope the Rocky Mountain climate is proving invigorating to you.

Respectfully,
Geo. Scherff