This is an 1869 letter to a man named E. N. Winslow.
Ephraim Nicholson Winslow (1824-1880) worked for the Cape Cod Railroad,
and for the Old Colony Railroad. Winslow started as a construction
engineer, and rose through the ranks to become superintendent,
treasurer, and a director.
The letter is from a man named Edgar Robinson.
Edgar Robinson (1836-1918) was the owner of the Wareham Nail Company.
Robinson was born in Raynham, Massachusetts. He fought for
the Union in the Civil War, serving as Captain of Company C,
Seventh Massachusetts Volunteers. Many members of Robinson's
family were associated with the ownership and management of
iron foundries in Massachusetts.
The Wareham Nail Company was founded in 1836 in South Wareham,
Plymouth County, Massachusetts. It appears to have gone out of
business sometime between 1890 and 1894.
The letter begins as follows:
South Wareham, Aug. 16/69
E. N. Winslow Esq.
Dear Sir,
I regret to say that since
my interview with you I have had no cars left
at this station to load with nails. After writing
that I had a lot of nails to go on board vessel
which was ready to take them I certainly expected
to be accommodated. The chances now are that
the vessel will refuse to take this lot & the sale
thereby rendered void causing much damage to
all parties concerned. I think that cars might
have been left for me to load last week if there
had been a disposition on the part of your freight
conductor to have done so, without injury to any
one, excepting it be to the road itself......
The letter is signed "Truly Yours, Edgar Robinson ".
The letter is on a folded sheet of paper. Unfolded,
the sheet is about 9.5" by 15".
Interestingly, the second page of the letter has left
a mirror image imprint on the facing page, which
would otherwise be blank (see last scan).
The letter is in good condition, with some general wear.
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