1910 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT HANDWRITTEN LETTER FROM NEWFOUNDLAND IMPORTERS THE STEER BROTHERS TO A SUPPLIER, DETAILING A BUSINESS TRANSACTION SOON TO TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THEM

On offer is a short and interesting handwritten letter by the “Steer Brothers Importers and General Merchants” of St. John's, Newfoundland to a Mr. James Storgood. The letter is dated August 17th, 1910. It details a recent telegraph between the Steer Brothers and Mr. Storgood for a large purchase. “We telegraphed you to get us 150 brls. Squid Salted at $2.50 per barrel.” The brothers will be sending the “steamer ‘Floria’” to pick it up. It also says (in red ink presumably written by a different Steer brother) that “we are sending you our house flag by thursday morning train” and implored Mr. Storgood to “Hoist our flag Friday Morning so that steamer will know where to go” to pick up the salted squid. The latter is a very simple, but interesting look into the daily business of a Newfoundland general store in the early 20th century. The letter is one page long, in good condition. The handwriting is legible and easy to read in black ink. The letter is written on stationery from the Steer Brothers themselves, showing them to be located at “379, 381, 383 Water Street, St. John's, Newfoundland.” (Background: John Steer Ltd., a dry goods firm, was established by John Steer at St. John's, Newfoundland, ca. 1860. His sons entered the business in 1890, but the firm failed in the Bank Crash of 1894. John Steer and his sons formed a new company, John Steer and Sons, which became Steer Brothers and later Steer Ltd. The firm was bought out by a group headed by Calvert Pratt in 1925.