Box 10, Folder 4: Correspondence 1867

Chicago Jany 6th 1867

Dear Sir,

I am extremely obliged to you for the table of temperatures, and shall carefully place it where I can get to it when it is needed, as it will be very often.

It seems to me that I am now considerably in your debt, and will be very glad to do anything I can in return.

Yours truly,

T.H. Safford.

D. I.A. Lapham Milwaukee Wis.

Mathematician & astronomer, when in his ninth year could multiply 4 figures by five figures in his head & could extract the [degree?] & cube roots of nine or ten places of figures as rapidly as it could be done with slate & pencil.

Director of Chicago Observatory in 1867

Dr. A. Gray

[Illegible] Mass. 7, Jan'y 1867

Answered

My Dear Mr. Lapham

My colleague & friend Prof. Nyman, I presume has written to you, before this, to solicit your interest in our new archaeological establishment.

I add a word about Botany. There is a small parcel of Lapland Millers, coll. & sent by Anderson himself for sure we who sent him M. S. Millers through me. I guess it was you. Shall I send them on to you? These are such little collections of Australian

plants 50 species or so - and I suppose more in plenty, if you want them, shall I add one of these or [illegible] you can for outlandish plants? And will you send pr F Miller as many or more good Wisconsin plants — specially such as are not Eastern?

I am very hard at work with new ed. of Manual - this is [illegible] very much.

With heartiest good wishes for the [illegible]

Very truly yours,

Asa Gray

(Patented January 14th, 1862, re-issued Oct. 11th, 1864.) J. Leffel & Co., Manufacturer of LEFFE'S AMERICAN DOUBLE TURBNE WATER WHEELS, And Mill Gearing Especially Adapted to our Wheels.

Springfield, O., Jan. 8th, 1867

I.A. Lapham Esq. Milwaukee, Wis.

Dear Sir,

Your favor of Dec. 23rd, has been received.

I have carefully examined your improvement-in [administering?] water to the wheel, but as an experiment alone can determine its value. We [correctly?] express an opinion [as?] [illegible] if I have long since beveled the two surfaces of [illegible] of covering. So as to make it funnel thus

[illustrations]

it has been adopted by us on all small wheels. but as we have not made any experiences with and without that feature we cannot say whether we have joined by it or not.

Mr. Leffels' own opinion about it was that the join would hardly justify the trouble, however as we [elected?] before if you by careful experiments (as experiments alone can [determine?]) can satisfy us of the utility of your implement–we would like to possess it–as we are [given?] all that is of volume in hydraulics. We thank you for your suggestions in regard to the wheel just-put-in [our?] Milwaukee. And will try and have the [illegible] [concluded?]

Hoping to hear from you at your leisure.

We [summon?] very respectfully,

James Leffel & Co.

J. Leffel & Co. Jan 8. 1867