December 23, 1847. J.J. Speed to Ezra Cornell from Chicago: "You speak of trying to get wire from Buffalo to Cleveland. Had we better not finish this end? I have repeatenly written you that it is utterly impossible to collect our subscriptions until we get the line down?" December 24, 1847. E.B. Cornell to Ezra Cornell from Erie: "?there is no probability of getting any more wire shipped to Detroit this winter as all the harbours are closed up tight along the lake, the sleighing is good now from Buffalo to this place and the wire might be carted cheap?" Topics: Telegraph business correspondence: construction of lines, finances, materials and supplies, western lines, stock subscriptions, disputes over western lines; Erie & Michigan Telegraph Company. Personal names: Tillotson, D.T.; Speed, J.J.; Cornell, E.B.; Haviland, J.; Morse, Samuel F.B.; Dunham, J.; Wood, Benjamin; Wood, M.B. Geography: Milwaukee; Chicago; Buffalo; Erie, Penn.; Detroit; Vermont; Troy, N.Y.; Michigan