Auction Date:2012 Apr 18 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
ALS signed “Your loving Alec,” four pages, 8 x 10.5, Beinn Bhreagh letterhead, April 17, 1917. Letter to his wife Mabel, “My sweet little wife.” In full: “Home here at last after a whole week of travel. I have telegraphed you every day and now, before doing anything else, will give you some written account of my movements since leaving Washington. Left Washington Sunday afternoon (April 8) for Boston. Reached Boston Monday (Apl 9) two hours late and was unable to make connection with St. John [New Brunswick, across the Bay of Fundy from Nova Scotia] train. Stayed at Parker House, and left for St John N.B. by the evening train (April 9). Reached Truro [Nova Scotia] late at night on Tuesday (April 10). Went to Stewiacke [N.S.] Wed morning April 22 and drove to Davidson's over awful roads full of holes and deep in mud. Spent Wed. April 22 at Davidson's examining sheep returning to Truro at night (Apl 11). Left Truro Thursday morning (Apl 12) and reached Orangedale the same evening too tired even to think of a forty mile drive to Beinn Bhreagh over perfectly fearful roads. Navigation had not yet opened although the ice was beginning to break up—and there seemed to be no way of reaching Beinn Bhreagh excepting by driving to Whycocomagh—thence to Baddeck and Beinn Bhreagh. I found Casey and John McDermid [Bell's coachman] at Orangedale with your open Carriage perfectly plastered with mud and with horses practically upon their last legs. John said the roads were fearful and that it would take us at least two days to drive home. There was a nice clean looking hotel at Orangedale so we decided to remain there overnight and start next day (Friday Apl 13).
On Friday (Apl 13) after lunch we were just about starting for Whycocomagh when a telephone message reached us that the steamboat had left Baddeck for Iona. So Casey and I decided to take the train and let John find his way home alone. The morning train was reported as seven hours late on account of a freight train off the track. Just before starting for the station Kathleen [Casey's wife] telephoned that the steamer had met with heavy ice on her way to Iona and had turned back to Baddeck. It was too late however to re-call John McDermid as he was well out of reach of telephonic communication so Casey and I went on by train to the Grand Narrows and put up at the Grand Narrows Hotel to await developments. Reached there Friday evening (Apl 13).
The town side of the straights was filled thick with ice, although there was nothing on the Grand Narrows side to prevent the steamer from going through the draw. We could see however heavy fields of ice floating in the middle of the Lake far away and the tug-boat that is taking the place of SS Blue-hill did not dare to tackle it.
Saturday (Apl 14) was a rainy day and, although there was considerable ice on the Lake, there seemed to be nothing to prevent the tug-boat from reaching the Grand Narrows safely—Iona side still blocked. The Telephone line was kept busy both from Grand Narrows and from Beinn Bhreagh, with appeals to the steam boat people to make the passage—but nothing would induce them to move. The next day was Sunday so there did not seem much chance of relief reaching us before Monday or Tuesday.
Sunday (Apl 15) opened bright and fair, and no reason existed why the steamboat should not come excepting that it was 'the sabbath day.’ The railroad people were not so particular—Freight trains were eventually passing—at least one every hour.
At last Casey evolved a brilliant idea. Here we had a beautiful spring day and the ice was fast disappearing. We were informed that there was very little ice beyond Christmas Island. Why not then go down to Shen Acadie on a freight train and take a boat with us and row over to Beinn Bhreagh from there. The Hotel and Train people were obliging. Mr. McNeil lent us a rowboat and the train hands took the boat on board a freight car and put it in the water for us at Shen Acadie—and we opened navigation on the Bras d'Or Lahrs. We were well provided with warm wraps and rugs and Miss McNeil provided us with a thermos bottle full of hot tea, and an ample lunch. A twelve mile pull was no joke, but I thought that Casey and I could take turns at the oars and thus relieve one another. The wind sprang up against us and there was quite a rough sea.
Casey would not allow me to change my seat as he feared an upset. I have considerable difficulty in moving from one part of a boat to another and altogether find that I am not as young as I used to be [Bell was 70, Casey was 35]. An upset was an uncomfortable thing to contemplate; and even a drift on a rough sea towards the Grand Narrows would be frought [sic] with danger, at a time when no help could reach us.
We passed several large fields of ice—When the wind and the tide were opposed, the ice seemed to be stateouary [sic] so we took refuge in the quiet water of a sort of boat harbor in an ice-floe and ate our lunch and smoked our pipes…The rowing was specially hard as the wind was blowing on our starboard bow thus throwing the strain of rowing practically upon one arm. He struggled manfully for four and a quarter hours before we reached Beinn Bhreagh Point. Here, under the shelter of the Point he allowed me to change places with him; and I rowed the boat to the Central Wharf which we reached about 8:30 p.m. (Sunday Apl 15).
Half frozen we took refuge in the farm house while a team was prepared to take us to the Bungalow. From the farmhouse Casey telephoned to Kathleen to find out when she thought we could get to Beinn Bhreagh.
She, thinking that the voice came from the Grand Narrows Hotel replied that she thought we might have to wait a day or two more before being rescued. Kathleen would hardly believe me when I told her by telephone that we were already on Beinn Bhreagh, and would be at the Bungalo in a few minutes. We soon reached there and found brandy and a hot supper awaiting us.”
A one-page letter handwritten by Bell to his "darling little wife" on April 21, 1917, four days after this one, is in the Bell Papers [photocopy included]. It begins, "Just a word to say I am alive and well…" Also present is a photocopy of a May 3, 1917 letter (in the Bell papers) penned to Alec by Mabel requesting he "sign enclosed cheque."
Intersecting folds, aforementioned pencil notations, scattered toning and soiling, mainly to first page, staple hole to top left corner, and a few brushes to text, otherwise fine condition.
This 1917 letter details Bell's rather amazing trek from Washington back to Nova Scotia, including a dangerous rowboat trip across an icy channel with an assistant in an attempt to circumvent a closed passage to his estate. Making frequent use of the telephone during an emergency, Bell and his lab assistant, pioneer aviator Casey Baldwin, rowed across icy Baddeck Bay to his Beinn Bhreagh estate after Casey's wife "Kathleen telephoned that the steamer had met with heavy ice on her way to Iona and had turned back to Baddeck…too late however to re-call John McDermid as he was well out of reach of telephonic communication…The Telephone line was kept busy."
This letter was not known to exist until it was found in the stamp collection of scientist Arthur Westphall Clime, one of Bell's employees, and features Bell's own use of his invention, "I told her by telephone" of a safe arrival home. Letters by the inventor which mention the telephone are always sought after and this one is highly desirable for its several such references.
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5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
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