The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-23 00:00:00

A NEW YORK CLUB,

(From the Old Merchants of New York City. By Walter
Barrett.)
Thomas H. Smith built an enormous tea-store in South-
street, u 2 by Dover. It extended through to Water, and was
100 feet wide. It was the wonder of the city when it was
built. The docks near it wets named India-wharf. Scanta
also built famous stores at Perth Amboy, and had his tea
ships laud cargoes there. The travellers to Philadelphia by
the old route must often have wondered what thou immense
stores were doing in such au insignifie.int place as Perth
Amboy. Thomas H. Smith, besides being the greatest tea
merchant of his day, was also the greatest Sprecite of his
day. He,was:the president of a club called " The Firs Club."
It held its meetings in Franklin-square, on the corner of
Dover-street. Boys have a mode of amusement called " fol •
low your leader." This was adopted by the club of which
Smith was president. Many men who are now aged and re-
spected, or dead, belonged to the Fire Club. Joseph Foulke,
a trader at Curaooa, a Dutch island in the West Indies, and
the Staggs. There was old Peter Stagg, cashier of
the City Bank, and John and Benjamin Stagg. Theue
was eld Matthias Bitten, and many inuro whose names
were on the club list. They gave grand suppers, and
their entertainments were very expensive. They would
invite a guest to these suppers, explain the rules, and it
he refused to join, or could not curry out the idea, the floe
was one dozen of champagne. These fines were occasioned
by a refusal to follow the leader. On one occasion a great
cotton merchant from New Orleans was a guest. He agreed
to all the conditions. It was late in the evening,in the dead
of winter. The ice in the East River was floating up and
down with flood or ebb of the tide. "Follow leader," shouted
Smith, and from the warm, luxurious club-rooms poured the
members of the club. Out of the square, round the corner
into Dover-street. "Follow leader," and on rushed Smith,
the president of the club, with 30 men behind him, down
Dover, past Water, past Front, into South, and thence on
to the pier. One of Smith's own ships lay at the dock. A
lighter lay inside of the main wharf. 'the ice was loose
and dashed up around the vessels. "Follow leader," ex-
claimed Smith, as he plunged from the dock into water.
Some drew back, but others followed the leader, who suc-
ceeded in getting out of the ice water, on to the lighter,and
from thence to the dock; and shouting "Follow leader,"
he led off with frozen clothes, up Dover, and into the room
of the club. Plunge, plunge, plunge, one after another,
and so on until all had successfully accomplished the ter-
rible and dangerous feat. The Southern cotton merchant
was last. Some of the regular club members remained un-
til they saw him reach the dock again safely, and there
they left him shivering. He did not remain long. As he
walked up from the dock, he noticed a large store open,
in South street, He entered. It was a wholesale and
retail ship-store. "I have met with an accident—give mo
a glass of cognac, hot, with sugar and water." It was done,
and he drank it, "Do you keep gunpowder," he asked.
Receiving an affirmative reply, he bought and paid for half
a keg, and then took his way to the club-room. At the door
were standing Mr. Lowe and Mr. Town, two members of the
club. The latter exclaimed, " Bravo, Southern stranger—
you have passed the ordeal safely. You are now leader, and
we are deputed to place the club under your command, if
you choose to exert your sacred privilege." " Thanks, my
friends, I shall do so, but I will not ask you to go out of the
room this cold night. Let us drink!" and as he entered the
room he sought a side closet where bung his cloak. There
he placed the keg, and then returned and took a seat at the
long solid mahogany table. President Smith called the
club to order. The stewards for the night opened a dozen
of champagne amid shouts, calls, and songs of the most
stirring character. " Order, come to order I" exclaimed
President Smith. When order was partially restored, he
said :—" Members of the club, our guest has parsed the
icy ordeal. He has now the right of becoming leader for
the balance of the night, or until a failure in our sacred
rites. What says he I The cotton merchant took from
his bosom a bundle of tow and laid it on the table. All
eyes were fixed:upon him. " I accept the command. I
will lead now. Wait until I give the word, and then do
as you see me do." By this time he had spun the
tow into a string that would reach from the table to the
grate. He placed a tumbler on one end of the tow, to
hold it on the table, and then passed the other to the pan
under the grate, and made that fast with a piece of coal
from the coal scuttle. Not a word was spoken. All felt
that something unusual was to occur. Cotton merchant
now deliberately went to the closet, and returning with
the keg took his seat. Then he went to work and removed
the hoops until he could take out the head of the little keg.
Nut a soul moved. Then he took a very little of what ap-
peared to be black sand in his hand, walked to the fire, and
flung it in. The considerable explosion that followed
startled all, " Powder, by Jupiter," exclaimed Smith.
Cotton merchant took the end of the tow line from the
glass, and pushed it down deep into the powder in the keg,
and there reseated himself. "Now, Mr. President, and
the members of the club, I wish you to hear what I have
to say. You have tried my pluck ; I come from a hot cli-
mate, and you have made me go through an icy ordeal. It
is my time now, but I will not be so cruel. I will give you a
fiery ordeal to g) through. If you stand it you will never need
more wine ; and if you do not, the fines will amount to a
small fortune, and you will have wino enough to last your
club a year. Look at me." He walked to the fire, kicked off
the coal lamp, and placed the other end of the tow-line in
the red .hot coals. Then he walked back, and as he brought
his fist down upon the table said in tones of thunder as he
sat down, "Keep your seats, and thus follow your leader."
The fire curled up in fitful spouts from the burning tar
—it burnt over the grate-pan, and began to crawl along
the carpet. It had 18 feet to go. Sixty and odd single eyes
watched the burning train. One rose from his seat, then
another ; finally one exclaimed, " we shall all be blown to
old Nick," and made for the door. The panic increased.
Down stairs the club members plunged like a Rock of sheep.
Even old Smith, the president, w..s among the first to bolt
from the room. Before the tow-line had burned as far as
the table, all were gone but the cotton merchant. As soon
as he saw that he was alone, he placed his feet upon the
burning tow and extinguished it. Then he opened the
window and emptied the keg into the snow, and again re-
Burned his seat. He waited long for the return of the club
members ; one by one did they come back. There Cotton
sat, until Smith took his seat as president. " Now call for
the fines," he said, and a severe lecture he gave them for
their follies and real cowardice. The club died long ago.