Newspaper Page Text
20
GETTING DOWN TO
WORK IN PANAMA
BLUNDERS OF FRENCHMEN
NECESSITATED ENTIRE RECASTING
OF CAN AI, PLANS.
Million* of Feft of Lnmbfr Bonahf
for New WKarve at Colon, and
•he Ho*|iltal at Colon and Pan
ama Hove Bren Enlarged and Im
proved— Practically All the Work
Done by the French Canal Com
pany Inadequate and Ineflleient,
and Mnat Be Done Oyer Again—Of
the Huge Maaaea of Machinery
Collected by De l.eaaepo Only n
Fen Dump Cara Can Be I‘aed.
By Henry R. Whipple.
"They are getting a move on with
the work down in Panama,” said an
American engineer who returned to
the United States the other day, after
spending some months on the isthmus
on the staff of Chief Engineer Wai
aee, who is in charge of the con
struction of the isthmian canal.
‘‘Millions of dollars are already be
ing expended, merely for the prelim
inary work," the man continued. “One
of the tirst things Mr. Wallace and
his assistants found, on reaching
Colon, was that the dock accommo
dation was grossly inadequate. There
were not enough wharves, or good
enough wharves, to unload the vast
bulk of engineering material that will
Ibe required. The first thing to do,
therefore, was to erect new wharves,
and great quantities of lumber have
been imported from Portland, Me.,
and other points for this purpose.
At one dumping place on the docks
at. Colon I saw no less than a million
feet of lumber, and that was only a
DEAD MAN TALKED BACK TO LIFE
Miraculous Rescue From Crave.
Medical Science Completely Upset by Rochester Wonder-Worker, Wlio
Restores Life and Heals the Sick W'itliout the Use of Drastic Drugs
or the Surgeon’s Knife.
HOPELESS INVALIDS RESTORED TO HEALTH.
Gives Service to Rich and Poor Alike Without Charge—Cures Men and
Women Thousands of Miles Away as Easily as Those
Who Call in Person.
Rochester, N. Y. (Special Correspond
ence). —"If 1 charged a thousand dol
lars a treatment I could do no more
than I now do for nothing. It is use
less for you to offer to pay me for my
services,” said Prof. Thomas F. Ad
kin of this city to a wealthy patient.
"When I say that I make no charge
for certain help to those who are ill
and suffering, I mean every word of
it. I am able to practice my profes
sion because I love it, because I feel
that it is my duty as a Christian to
use this wonderful power that has been
given me for the benellt of all man
kind, to cast out from their bodies the
evils of disease. That is why I give
my services free to so many people,
why the poor man receives the same
attention and care as his more fortu
nate neighbor.
“Yes, you may say that I talked Mr.
C. A. Hubbard of Cuba, N. Y., back
to life,” replied Prof. Adkin to a ques
tion put by the reporter. “'A dead
man' was the verdict pronounced by
doctors and friends. Yet I saved him
from the grave, proved to him that I
was gifted with the ability to combat
any or all diseases; that I am suc
cessful in overcoming bodily ills. But
that Is only one of hundreds, thousands
of similar instances. Some of the
worst cases in the country, men and
women on their way to the grave, have
been brought to me by their physi
cians when all hope was abandoned,
and I have cured them so quickly that I
have been credited with working mir
acles. Letters blotched with the tears
of pain and sorrow have come to me,
Imploring the aid I am so glad to be
stow, and in a few days others have
come from the same sources fairly
singing with joy and gratitude over
the wonderful restoration to health my
treatment has accomplished.”
Prof. Adkin disdains the use of all
•'isms" or dangerous drugs, saying:
"While it is true that I cure thou
sands whom I never see, there is noth
ing supernatural about my method. It
is scientific to the highest degree, how
ever wonderful and puzzling it may
be to doctors and scientists. I have
at last discovered the long lost secret
of nature that sages and chemists
have been unsuccessfully seeking for
centuries past. I was convinced that
there was a power above and beyond
drugs and medicines, as superior to
them as electricity is to a tallow can
dle. Almost by accident this wonder
ful secret was revealed to me in all
its majestic simplicity, and now I
know that, by means of this law of
life, I can combat any disease, can
restore to health people In the last
stages of what are usually fatal ill
nesses. It Is nothing what other doc
tors may say; no matter how chronic
the trouble or how hopeless or In
curable the case may seem.” Over
twenty physicians, specialists In their
practice, have taken up the study of
Prof. Adkln's methods, some of them
staying with him and dally witnessing
the almost miraculous cures he per
forms. From him rich and poor alike
receive the same treatment and uni
form courtesy which have won him so
many friends among the influential
men of the country.
One of the most marvelous things
about this man's miraculous curative
powers is his proved ability to cure
those thousands of miles away as easi
ly and quhkly as though he stood by
their bedside. It would seem beyond
doubt that thought-transference, mag
netic waves of the will, or some mys
terious esoteric energy can be shot
through space as telegrams are sent
without wires; but the nature of this
potent electric fluid and how It takes
hold and quickly rids the body of ma
terial disease, Is beyond explanation.
The reporter, desiring to learn more
about the case of Mr. Hubbard and
other patients cured by this sovereign
law of life, requested Prof. Adkin for
further details. In response the won
der-worker said: "Perhaps It would be
better to allow you to convince your
self by reading what Mr. Hubbard said
In a letter he wrote to me. Mr. Hub
hard was pronounced a dead man, and
Bays Vltniqmthy brought him back to
life. His case was very serious when
I took It In charge. He now sends
his sworn statement as to the benefits
he has received. Could any one doubt
the evidence that Is contained on this
sheet ? The aworn statements of
those who have taken the Vitaopu
thetic treatment ought to convince
the most skeptical that Vltaopathy l
way shead of the ordinary forms of
tram intent " Hare Is a copy, word for
word, of extracts from tin letter hand
•* * the reporter;
portion of the great stock which has
been bought.
Cleaning Ip the Isthmus.
“The cleaning up of the isthmus, so
as to prevent another enormous death
rate like that under the French
regime, was another matter that had
to be attended to from the very start.
One of the first things done was to
take over the hospital at Colon and
enlarge its capacity by adding anew
wing and a water tower. The hospital
at Panama has also been enlarged and
improved.
"These hospitals were the greatest
pride of the French Canal Company.
Millions of dollars were spent upon
them, and they were undoubtedly the
most efficient branch of the com
pany’s work and the best hospi
tals all the way from Mexico to Peru.
But they were not good enough for
the American doctors who Were sent
down to take charge of the sanitary
work. They have been vastly im
proved in many respects.
“This is only one example of the
inadequacy of the French work, as
judged by American ideals. Before
we went down there we had heard a
great deal about their blunders and
their graft, but we had not heard the
hundredth part of the truth.
Material Cvallnlile.
“We were led to suppose *that there
would be a great deal of engineering
material available for use on the con
struction work right at the very
points where it was required. But we
found this was not the case. With
the exception of a few dump cars and
other bits of second-hand stuff that
can be used successfully, everything
will have to be new. The French
working locomotives, river launches,
drilling and excavating machinery, and
material of all kinds have simply been
allowed to rust to pieces.
“Even if they had been properly
cared for, it is not probable that we
would have been able to use them to
any considerable extent. They are
old-fashioned and inefficient, accord
ing to modern ideas, and they could
not be economically used on a great
work which has to be completed with
in the shortest possible time. Even
when they were bought, away back
in the eighties, they were not of the
latest types, and since then there has,
of course, been a great improvement
"I am a little ashamed to write you,
as I never told you you had saved my
life. I was pronounced a dead man
by physicians and friends, and the
grave was ready for me. but you
brought me back to life, and made
me a w r ell, strong man, and I am
more than thankful to you and your
staff of physicians. Now. Prof. Adkin,
I shall ever appreciate the great good
you have done me.”
"Another case I remember,” contin
ued Prof. Adkin, when the reporter
had finished reading this remarkable
letter, “was that of Mrs. L. A. Phillips
of Trawick, Tex., who was all but
dead when I took hold of her case. I
never saw her, but I cured her Just
the same as if she had come to my
office. This Is the letter she wrote
to me: ‘When I first began your treat
ment I had no faith in it at all; had
tried so many different kinds of medi
cine with no benefit. I had been un
der the treatment of twelve different
hospitals, with no relief. Then I em
ployed two home doctors; but they
soon got so they did me no good, and
told me they could do nothing for me,
and that if I could find anything that
could do me any good for me to get
it, for they had done everything they
could. I suffered from every disease
that flesh is heir to. I had been bed
fast for five years, unable to stand up
longer than ten minutes at a time. If
ever woman suffered I did. I could
not lie but on one side. I had two
large bed sores that gave me a great
deal of trouble, and I suffered so much
in other ways; I had kidney trouble,
catarrh of the bladder and also gravel.
I used to suffer at time until I had
spasms. I also suffered from falling
of the womb, ulcers and chronic indi
gestion. and, of course, all of these dis
eases left my nerves in a terrible con
dition, when I finally wrote to you.
You have done for me what no one
else ever did. My friends all say that
I have been raised from the dead. I
■was nothing tout skin and bones; now
I am feeling splendid. I say to every
one that if they would place their case
in your hands you would do the same
for them. All they need to do is to
give you a trial.’ Then here Is a let
ter from W. S. Swayne, Ph, G., of New
Haven, Conn., proprietor of the Clear
Spring Lithia Water; 'I cannot ex
press my gratitude for what you have
done for my wife. She was on her
death bed; she was paralyzed and had
a clot of blood on her brain. Phy
sicians said there was no hope that
she could recover, tout you have saved
her life. She Improved from the very
first day she commenced your treat
ment. The clot of blood has disap
peared. she sleeps well and has a
splendid appetite. Refer any sufferers
who doubt your marvelous power to
me, or let them come to my home and
witness the wonderful cure you have
performed in my wife's case. My neigh
bors all know the condition my wife
was in when she commenced your
treatment, and they were hourly ex
pecting her death. I hope and pray
that I may be at your command to
help those who suffer, and get them
to write you for free help.’ Mrs. Mac-
Donald of Millville, Tenn., writes: 'I
must say that’lf it had not been for
your treatment I would not toe on this
earth to-day. Before 1 began your
treatment I thought I could not live,
but now I can do my housework. I
am so thankful to you and your treat
ment.’ Mrs. Addie E. Hough of Oma
ha, Neb., says in her letter: ’There
are no praises too high for your won
derful Vltaopathy. I was 111 for fif
teen years and spejit a small fortune
In doctoring, but did not get well. Have
had seven doctors treat me (the best
in the state), but they failed to under
stand my trouble. Then I had two
operations, which left me worse than
ever. I took your treatment and now
I am well and hardy, free from pain,
happy and grateful for the great bene
fits I have received.’ ”
The reporter noticed that the above
letters were taken almost at random
from among scores and hundreds, com
ing from all parts of the world. This
flood of letters Is due to the fact that
all that any one who Is ill has to do
Is to write to Prof. Adkin, stating
their symptoms, age and sex, and he
will diagnose their case and prescribe
the proper home treatment for them
absolutely free of charge.
Those who tint *n k and want to be
cured may reach l*rof Adkin by ad
dressing Thom i* K. Adkin, oflii • |t
V Rochester N y , u. g K )*,.
ter doe* just as much good as a per*
aonl vlall, and Prof. Adkin take* an
InUooe pleasure In curing rtsi wbero
froth doctors and medicine hove failed.
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY. DECEMBER 4. 1904
in engineering machinery and meth
ods.
All the Latnt Appliance*.
"Mr. Wallace will have at his com
mand all the latest appliances of
modern mechanical genius. When
you consider this fact alone, and con
trast it with the antiquated machinery
of the Frenchmen, you are justified in
assuming that the work will not take
us more than half as long as they
thought it would take them. De Les
seps proposed to dig the canal in eight
years. We ought to do it in four, once
we get really started, and in the fifth
year ships ought to be sailing through
from ocean to ocean.”
It has often been said that the
French engineers employed by the Ca
nal Company were much more skillful
in drawing plans than in carrying them
out with the needful professional and
executive ability. This judgment has
been thoroughly justified by the experi
ence of Mr. Wallace and his assistants.
The money paid to the Canal Company
by the American government was far
in excess of the value received, unless
it is to be regarded as having been
paid for the franchise merely.
French Work Badly Done.
Very little of the French work, or
even of the French plans, will be
available for the carrying out of the
American scheme. iMr. Wallace and
his men speedily found out that many
egregious .blunders had been made by
their French predecessors. Their levels
were wrong, and so were their reports
on the geologic conditions to be met
with in excavation, and even their
maps. In view of these blunders, it
was thought necessary to cast aside
the French plans and do all the work
over again.
De Eesseps proposed to have a sea
level canal, but the American scheme
is for a lock canal, which will dis
pense with the need of an immense
amount of excavation, and will there
fore be much quicker in construction.
Unfortunately, this change of plan will
render a great part of the French ex
cavation useless, because the American
scheme involves a different method of
disposing of the surplus water in the
artificial lake to be filled by the dis
charge of the river Chagres. When
the American government first had
dealings with the French company it
was commonly said that at least a
third of the digging had been done,
and some of the French agents went
so far as to claim one-half. It now
appears that not more than one-fifth
of the excavation that will be need
ed under the American plan has been
done.
Excavation* Filled In.
Even the French excavations that
can be used are not satisfactory or
efficient. They have been badly carried
out, and in many cases landslides and
tropical rains have plaved havoc with
them. A great part of this work will
have to be done over again, according
to the reports of the numerous engi
neers who have been busy surveying
every inch of the ground from coast
to coast for Mr. Wallace.
“The only really efficient thing,
from an engineering standpoint, that
we found on the igthmus was the Pan
ama Railroad,” said the returned en
gineer who has already been quoted.
“It Is a fine piece of engineering work,
and has been kept in splendid condi
tion. It is now practically owned by
the United States government, as is
also its sister concern, the Panama
Steamship Company. Both are prov
ing of the greatest utility in trans
porting material for the canal work.
Without the railroad, the building of
the canal would be much more diffi
cult and expensive. Indeed, it would
probably be necessary to build a rail
road before starting on the canal.”
The Sanitary Problem.
The sanitary problem is not proving
so difficult or serious as was at first
expected. The epidemics that have so
often decimated the isthmus have aris
en from filthy conditions of living, and
an almost total neglect of sanitary
precautions. The American doctors
and engineers are carrying out water
supply and drainage schemes for the
towns of Panama and Colon, and par
ticular attention is being given to the
task of preventing the pollution of the
water supply at all points along the
canal strip where laborers are likely
to be massed In considerable numbers.
The swamps are also being drained
and the rivers cleaned out.
These rivers were found to be full
of decomposed vegetable matter,
which made them foci of malaria
and other diseases. The burning of de
composing vegetation all along the ca
nal zone has been one of the princi
pal sanitary works.
Up to the present It has not been
possible to impose a proper regard for
the laws of sanitation upon the ignor
ant population of Colon and Panama.
They are reluctant to abandon their
immemorial privileges of wallowing
in the filth collected in their houses
by generations of ancestors. Some of
the conditions found in these houses
by American investigators would not
be believed, even if they were fit to
print, whijh they are not.
But the people are being brought to
see reason, and in time Panama and
Colon will be made as healthy as the
average civilized tropical city. It is
not probable that they can ever be
made as healthy as Havana and other
Cuban cities have been.
I.nhor Problem a gerlona One.
The most serious question at pres
ent perplexing the constructors of the
canal is the labor supply. Indeed, it
is not too much to say that there is
nowhere an adequate supply of suit
able labor in sight. The Island of
Jamaica supplied the bulk of the labor
for the operation of the French Canal
Company. This island has always
been relied upon by contractors who
have great works to carry out any
where in the neighborhood of the
Caribbean. But the Island’s legisla
ture has at last come to the conclu
sion that it is a serious mistake to
allow its population to be depleted in
this manner, and it recently passed
a law which makes it practically im
possible for Jamaicans to leave the
island as contract laborers.
The hiring agent is required to pay
SSOO to the government for each man
he takes, and also to enter into a penal
bond that the man shall be properly
looked after in sickness and In health,
and be sent 'back to the island after
his term is over. Furthermore, the
Jamaica government Insists on having
its own inspectors on the spot, with
power to see that the men are proper
ly treated, and it even requires the
contractors to pay the cost of this in
spection service.
No Laborer* From Jamaica.
Under these circumstances It is not
likely that any laborers will be taken
from Jamaica, although many en
gineers, surveyors and foremen ex
perienced in carrying out engineering
work In the tropics will undoubtedly
get Jobs. The railroads. Irrigation
companies and public work depart
ments of the various West Indian
islands are already beginning to com
plain that their best men are flock
ing to Colon to usk Mr. Wallace for
a job. You cannot open a West In
dian newspaper nowadays without
finding some complaint of that nature.
A number of men have been sent
round the West Indies toy the canal
authorities to Investigate the question
of available labor, but they have not
found the outlook a promising one.
The West Indiana sre shy of the
isthmus, for very nisny thousands of
their fellow countrymen have gone
there and died. The governments of
HuyU. Han In Isiniliigu. Barbados,
Trinidad and other Islands have pass
*d lama restricting labor emigration,
almllsr to that of Jamaica.
TANARUS Dealt Labor From Forte tUr*.
, it is thought probable that, in the
The Christmas Spirit is Onl
The Metropolitan is at the hight of preparedness—ready
for the inevitable rush of the holiday season. A line of
Christmas goods whose scope embraces the tastes of the
multitudes. The new things so appropriate for presents are
shown and are priced so selling will be fast and furious.
Early selections will be held for Christmas Eve delivery if
LADIES’
SILK UMBRELLAS.
Novel New anti Unique
Handle Designs in Gold and
Silver.
AN ELEGANT GIIT.
FANCY SUSPENDERS
IN BOXES FOR GIFTS.
Solid Silver and New Enam
el Mountings,
75e. $l.OO,
$1.25 $1.50, $2.00.
LOUNGING ROBES.
$5, $6, $7.50, and $lO.
MEN’S UMBRELLAS
AND CANES.
o*'
A 7 jg&FjfX 0
3 e/jQUOWrOfit
SAVANNAH' —
end, it will be found n- essary to
draft a large number of laborers to
the Isthmus from Porto Rico, '“he
Porto Ricah is not a good laborer, for
he cannot do half as much work In
a day as the average Janfaican negro;
but if he is the best available, he will
have to be taken. It is hardly likely
that the canal will be dug by negroes
from the Southern states. They would
require too high wages, and would be
just as susceptible to the unhealthy
climate as white men. The labor, even
when obtained, will cause the Ameri
can engineers a good deal of worry
and probably upset their calculations
as to the time required for carrying
out the undertaking.
“In the work on the Panama Canal
there should not be expected a day’s
work such as is exacted in New York,
because the lethargy of the South is
there," said Mr. D. Collazo, himself
a Porto Rican. “There Is little fire
in the nerve when there is little ozone
in the atmosphere. The Northern
man makes a mistake on the thres
hold of things if he expects a North
ern day’s work in the tropics.”
At present the American construc
tors of the canal are not handling
tropical labor in great bulk, and the
men who are carrying out the pre
liminary work under their direction
are mostly experienced and energetic
Jamaican negroes who have remained
on the isthmus since the palmy days
of the French Company. When the
Americans begin to handle a thousand
men where now they have a score,
their real troubles ‘are likely to com
mence.
UNCLE MINGO ON ESTI
MATING THE COTTON CROP.
(Continued from Page Thirteen.)
de ban’; nebber did kndw ob sich a
werry po’ year for cotton!”
“Wot gits nex’ to me,” said the wait
er, “is how fellers wot talks an’
changes dat-a-way kin eber git any
body to pay any ’tention to wot dey
say."
“It do look funny,” said Uncle Min
go; "but maybe it’s owin’ to de prin
ciple dat dem wot talks de loudes’
makes de mos’ noise, an’ is heard by
de mos’ people.”
—Knlcker —"There’s one strange fact
I’ve noted.” Bocker—“What’s ithat?”
Knlcker —"A boy is christened with
water and afterward takes booze, while
a ship is christened with booze and
afterward takes to Water.”—New York
Press.
A PARADOX.
Qn to the Golden Gate,
| n comfort all the way,
Let any one gainsay:
Burn oil to keep you clean.
Unhealthy smoke
Reminds you no more.
Nor cinders in your eyes
galore.
Exhaust your patience and
pleasant mien.
Remember the
SOUTHERN PACIFIC to all
points
Louisiana, Texas, Mexico and
(’ullfoniiu. s|xtlhl rate* (o
Louisiana, Tcxua, New Mexico
null Arizona In November and
December.
Information cheerfully given.
J. K. VAN REVBHELARR,
General Agent,
IS Peachtree street, Atlanta. Ga.
BOILER TUBES
j. D. WEED A CO.
BATH ROBES.
New Designs In Oriental Ef
fects.. Guaranteed Fast
Colors. Many Beautiful Pat
terns.
$l, $5, $6.50, $7.50.
PAJAMAS.
Silks of the Richest Colors,
Greys. White and Fancy
Trimmed.
NIGHT ROBES.
NECKWEAR
IN BOXES FOR GIFTS.
Rich Effects.. Just as Ele
gant a Present as a Gentle
man could want.
$l.OO, $1.50, $2.00.
CHECKS BY
THE MILLION
UNCLE SAM’S INTEREST SUPS.
OVER 5,000,000 OF THEM IN THE
REGISTER'S STRONG ROOM.
The Largest Single Payment Ever
Made By the Government to an
Individual Was fMHO.ROO To Wi
liam H. Vanderbilt for One Quar
ter's Interest on His Holdings ot
4 Per Cent. Consols of 77-07—Van
derbilt’s Interest on That Loan
Was gt.S5 a Mliinte, Day and
Night—How Efforts to Defraud the
Treasury Are Detected.
Washington, Dec. 3.—There are a
great many persons in this country
who have no idea of the system that
Uncle Sam keeps with regard to the
interest checks that are paid quarter
ly on registered bonds. There are nu
merous instances, incidents that hap
pen almost every day in the register's
office of the Treasury Department, that
go to prove this assertion. A man
will write to the office saying that he
• has not received his check for interest,
payable, perhaps, eight or nine years
ago, and that he would be much oblig
ed if the department would make him
out another check for the amount. The
clerk to whom this letter is referred—
for every one receives the most cour
teous attention—goes to his books,
finds what is called the report num
ber and then goes to the file room,
where all of the old checks are kept,
and ninety-nine times out of a hun
dred, or, it would be more correct to
say nine hundred and ninety-nine
times out of a thousand, picks up the
check which the gentleman avers he
did not receive, indorsed by him and
returned to the Treasury Department
as having been paid. There are very
few times that the department is found
to have skipped any of the thousands
of holders of United States securities
in the shape of registered bonds. The
system by which this accuracy is pos
sible is not a complicated one, except
that it deals with numbers embracing
the third period.
System Not Complicated.
The loans of the government are in
two forms—registered and coupon. Of
course, in the case of the coupon bonds
no such record is kept because it is
not needed, since the holders of such
securities have only to clip off their
coupons and have them cashed, but
in the case of the registered bonds
an individual account with every hold
er of any and all such securities ever
issued by the government is kept in
the office of the register of the treas
ury. When the time comes for the
quarterly payment the registers office
prepares the schedule, which is then
sent to the treasurer’s office, where the
checks are drawn.
The checks are then sent out and
are returned In good time to the reg
ister's office after they have been cash
ed. Checks are not always cashed
in, however, at that time, many per
sons who are careful with their mon
ey holding them and perhaps sending
them to the treasury for payment years
after the original quarterly payment.
When an old check of this descrip
tion comes in it is referred to the
register's office in the same manner
that a complaint would be or is and
the matter is carefully looked up to see
that there is no possible chance of the
government paying Interest twice.
When the checks are finally returnd
to the register's office the number is
entered in books for that purpose and
the checks themselves are then tagged
and placed in the file room, so that
it is a matter of a very few minutes
for a clerk who Is familiar with the
routine to And any check that has ever
been presented to that office.
Five Million Cheeks.
The books of the register's office up
to the end of the last fiscal year, June
30. 1004, show that there are now 6,-
checks registered and tiled away
for possible reference. These checks
aggregats a sum uf 1*21.953,U17.74. this
sum being the total amount of Inter
est paid out by the government on reg
istered bonds up to that time. Dur
ing the flw aJ year ending June M, I*o4,
I there wars 304. tie checks received at
1 the register's attce far rsglMratlas and
SMOKING JACKETS.
A Gift always appreciated
by Gentlemen. The very lat
est things,
$3.50 to $lO.OO.
SILK MUFFLERS.
New Colors, White and
Fancy.
MEN’S DRESS COLLARS.
MEN’S PRESS SHIRTS.
HANDERCHIEFS.
Initial half dozen in box,
75c.
Initial, half dozen in box,
$1.50.
SILK HANDKERCHIEFS.
MEN’S FINE GLOVES.
Perrin’s, Dent's and
H. & P.’s.
DRESS SUIT CASES AND
BAGS.
filing, aggregating an amount of $19,-
200,988.51. As an instance of how per
sons retain checks made payable to
them for interest, and do not cash
them in until years after the payment
is made, one of the checks under the
funded loan of 1881 for $6.25 was turn
ed In just sixteen years after, while
four aggregating $3,394 under the con
tinued loan of 18S1 and sixteen aggre
gating $9,875 under the loan of 1882,
were received seventeen and sixteen
years, respectively, after they were
sent out by the treasurer's office.
There have not been any checks under
the first four loans received at the reg
ister’s office for some time.
Defrauding Uncle Sam.
There are more ways than the one
outlined in the beginning of this ar
ticle to which persons resort to de
fraud the government in the matter
of bonds and checks. Half bonds are
received at times, the other half, it is
alleged having been destroyed by fire
or some other destructive means.
Then during the course of years
comes along the other half, the send
er—often the same in both cases—al
leging that the other half, previously
redeemed at the department, had
been destroyed by fire. But the
trick always falls flat and the decep
tion is always found out, so com
plete is the system now in use.
It is practically impossible to pass
a forged check through the depart
ment. It is often the case that checks
come in with signatures that are im
mediately questioned or with Imper
fect indorsements, or, perhaps, with
forged indorsements. Then they are
immediately held up and sent to the
register's office and a comparison is
made with the check Issued under the
last previous quarterly payment.
Should, however, the check be inad
vertently passed by the treasurer’s of
fice it rarely and it may be said nev
er, gets through the auditor's office,
through which it has to pass in rou
tine on its xvay to its final resting
place in the file room of the register’s
office. When a check is caught in
this way, payment is immediately
suspended and the paper is sent back
to the bank that paid out the money
on it. This, of course, is all connect
ed with registered bonds, the holder of
a coupon bond handling the coupons
that have matured just the same as
he would so many treasury notes.
A Lucky Individual.
With all the precautions, however,
the government was caught napping
once. When a bond is certified as hav
ing been destroyed by Its holder the
government requires a bond of Indem
nity to protect Itself from paying the
same twice. In the ‘sixties, three
bonds for SSOO each. Issued under the
act of Feb. 25, 1862, a 6 per cent, loan,
were reported as having been destroy
ed, and affidavits substantiating this
claim were filed with the department.
The bonds, of course, were made good
by the government, and the substitutes
were in due time cashed in. Shortly
after they matured, or were presented
for redemption, however, the original
bonds, which had never been destroyed
at all. as sworn, turned up and the
substitute bonds having been destroy
ed, and not saved as they now are,
the amount was paid a second time.
The treasurer of the United States was,
of course, required to pay the amount
from his own pocket, but a special act
was passed by Congress reimbursing
him. This Is the only instance on rec
ord where the government ever made
a mistake of this character, or where
any Individual got ahead of Uncle
Sam by this method. This record is
truly remarkable, when It Is consid
ered that sometimes a score of at
tempts of this character are made
every day by men who are the smart
est and shrewdest in the worl<Lln this
line of defrauding, and it is probable
that this one case would not have oc
curred had the bonds been kept on file
then as thev now are.
When an issue of bonds is called in
at the maturity of the loan now the
securities are carefully tagged and filed
In much the same manner as the
checks, and this precludes any possi
bility of a forged bond or one that has
been certified as having been destroyed
being paid the second time as In the
case quoted.
Will lie Cleared Out In Time.
In the course of time the file rooms
will be cleared out, but not, In all
probability until every check that
could possibly stir up a controversy
had been turned In and the account
dosed. The bonds will probably be
kept much longer than the checks.
Tl>e work of registering and filing
the ks Is not so complicated now
as It used to be, as the only active
loan# of ths government on which In
terest Is being psld quarterly are the
consols of lttff. im II IMft and IMP
thus entailing the work on hut four
NECKWEAR.
The wide and medium Four-in-hand.
Ascots, Puffs, and the Graduated
Four-In-Hands,
50c, 75c, $l.OO, $1.50.
JEWELRY.
Solid Gold LJnkn and Pina In
Boxea. Highest Quality.
i'
Scarf Holders, Fobs, Buttons
and Stickpins.
sets of checks.
The file rooms are most interesting
places to visit. The rooms are given
up to shelves; shelves on every side of
them and cabinets packed as closely as
possibly in the center consisting of
nothing but more shelves. Each set
of checks is wrapped up in a separate
bundle, each bundle bearing a tin label
that determines at once the nature of
the loan, the amount and the report
number by which the bundle is re
ferred to from the hank.
Highest Kates of Interest.
In this connection, it is interesting
to note that the highest rate of in
terest paid by the government on any
loan was on the seven-thirties, as the
bonds were called, of 1861, 1864 and
1865. The rate of interest on these se
curities was 7.3 per cent.
It is also interesting to note that the
best counterfeit ever made in this coun
try of a government security was of
these 7-30 notes, but the author of the
work was caught with all his tools and
the notes in his possession before he
had time to circulate any of them.
It is probable that had they been put
in circulation the genius, who made
them would have secured millions of
dollars.
The interest checks on file at the de
partment show some enormous hold
ings of United States securities by in
dividuals. The largest check ever
drawn in favor of William H. Vander
bilt as a quarterly payment on his
holdings of the loan of 4 per cent,
consols of 1877-1907. The check on ex
hibition was dated. April 1, 1882, but
It was only one of a series for a like
amount that the famous financier re
ceived quarterly for several years and
was signed by James Gilflllan, then
United States treasurer, and counter
signed by W. H. Gibson. Mr. Van
derbilt received a yearly interest of
31,922.000 on his holdings, which
amounted to $48,050,000, so that tho
check in question called for 3480,500.
It is now in the possession of the cur
rency bureau of the treasury depart
ment and is exhibited to visitors and
sight-seers, who daily throng the cor
ridors of the building. It is indorsed,
"W. H. Vanderbilt,” and was turned
over to the bank of the Metropolis in
New York for deposit.
Vanderbilt's Interest.
It is rather an interesting occupa
tion, for some, to compute the interest
Mr. Vanderbilt was receiving on this
one great loan. Every year he re
ceived 31.922,000, which amounted to
3480,500 quarterly, $160,166.66 monthly.
$5,265.75 weekly, $219.40 hourly and
$3.65 every .minute of the night and
day.
Of all the loans of the government
that known as the popular war loan
of 1898 entailed the most clerical work
on the clerks of the treasury depart
ment, since bonds as low as S2O were
sold. As much care is taken to keep
track of a S2O bond as is exercised in
the case of one for many, many times
that amount so that the time and la
bor that had to be expended on this
loan was almost incredible.
Phenomenal Values
for the coming week from
Savannah's greatest
underselling store.
Children’s Buster Brown all lin
en Collars, worth 15c, special
at 7C
Children's Felt Sailor Hats, all
colors, 50c values, at 25C
Small Bovs’ Eton Caps, flan
nel, lined with satin, worth 25c,
IOC
Boys' Worsted Pants, all sizes,
45c values, at 26c
Ladies’ Beits, brown, burnt or
ange, green and black, 50c val
ues, at 25c
“Peggy from Paris” Hand Bags
in all the new colors, worth soc,
at 25C
Extra Special— soo Ladies’ Cor
sets, v/hite and drab, all styles,
soc and 69c values, for Monday
only at 25c
Mail Orders Filled.
J. T. COHEN’S SONS
2i( Broughton Street, West.
Ga. Phone 970. Bell Phone 8$!.