j. langdon,
office of j. langdon & co. miners and dealers in
j. d. f. slee,anthracite and bituminous coals. 6 baldwin st.
t. w. crane,
c. j. langdon.elmira, n.y., Sept 16 187 1
Dear Bro—
I believe I would not bother with that knife.
Bear in mind that your wheel, to supplant others, must break ice 3 or 4 inches thick & plow through it without damage to itself.
The biggest [thing is] the world is to invent a steam [railroad] break that the engineer can apply throughout his train without needing breakmen. The N. J. RR run 105 trains a day, & employ say 7 seven breakmen on a train at about $2 a day apiece. Figure that up & you will see that that one railroad could afford to pay you $250,000 a year for the use of such an invention. Can you contrive it?
As to the button. One form of it might be a simple hinge without spring. 
The screw ‸(button)‸ would hold it together—passing through above the
pants. But I suppose the spring is the best pattern of the two. How does it strike you?
1
Ys
Sam.
Personal | O. Clemens Esq | 149 Asylum st | Hartford | Conn [return address:] return to j. langdon & co., elmira, n. y., if not delivered within 10 days. [postmarked:] elmira n.y. sep 16
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
Orion was correct about the train brake. George Westinghouse received his first patent for a compressed-air (not
steam) brake on 13 April 1869. The brake had been previously tested in December 1868 on the Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinnati and St.
Louis Railroad.
Source text(s):Previous publication:
L4, 457–58.
Provenance:see Mark Twain Papers in Description of Provenance.
Emendations and textual notes:
thing is • [sic]
railroad • rail-|road
