Intrigue


I am fascinated with this bookmark. I want the full story.

It looks like a photocopy of a typed letter on stationery from "The Lake To..." company," designers and builders.... submarine...." - I am guessing that it's The Lake Torpedo Boat Company of Connecticut.

The letter is addressed to the Hon. J.R. Burton, Washington D.C. - (could it be this Burton?)

The letter:

Dear Sir:

The submarine boat question in...
attention by all the principal Government...
We are sending you under sepa...
Torpedo Boats, and also a paper on "The...
These papers contain a very c...


No writing on reverse nor any other pieces of the letter found in the book, which is "The Chief of the Ranges" by H.A. Cody, published by Hodder and Stoughton, 1913.

-Click to enlarge photos-

2 comments:

  1. Probably not that Burton *and* that Company simultaneously, because Burton wasn't in DC - and certainly wasn't Honorable - when the Lake Torpedo Boat Company existed. The company was around from 1912 to 1924, but Burton was convicted of accepting money from a company in 1905 and resigned his Senate seat in 1906. I'm going to keep looking at this, though. You're right...very intriguing.

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  2. Correction: while the Wikipedia page says the Lake Torpedo Boat Company was founded in 1912, the company published a book in 1901 (http://bit.ly/QI3Tbc), delivered a submarine to the Navy department in 1902 (http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/laketorpedo.htm), and was corresponding with Congress in 1903 (http://bit.ly/QI3XYH). So it was probably the same Burton. I'm going to guess that he served on a committee that mattered to the Lake Torpedo Boat Co. in their fight against the Holland Torpedo Boat Co (later the Electric Boat Co.).

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