Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-26
KEROSENE AS A BEVERAGE.
Dickcrson, New York al" Road
Porter, With Bad Habit.
FrOo, the Ne,c York Star,


Porter, With "a Bad Habit.
From the Neu York Star.
Inspector Metsger OF the Third avenue
elevated railroad sat IN his snug Office at
the Thirty-fourth street terminus on FRI
day last, puzzled. Before him lay huge
official blank, on whose shiny surface
columns OF bulky figures were arrayed in
squads, like guests at the Fat Mems clam
bake.
cit is extraordinary" sighed the in
spectOr, drumming on the table with his
finger tips, what quantity of kerosene
oil those fellows use every week up at the
SlXty-seventh street station. Here's an
extra gallon and there's an extra gallon +!
Tney'n bankrupt the company If they
( keep it up. The queerest thing about it
Is that when we change around aud sup
pir them with non-eXplosive signal oil
they don't use any more than any other
station, This must be looked into" and
the inspector began to look into il forth
with. lie had not far to 90 for an eX-
PLANTATION OF the mystery.
William DickersOn, the colored porIer
and cleaner at the SlXty-seventh street
station, furnished a satisfactory expana-
ti0n. William Is saturated with combus-
tibie matter. William contains more in
/
his swarthy carcass Than the most pep
perry of King Killer M0sts dynamite
harangues. In short, William DickersOn
drinks kerosene and thrives on 1t. He has
drunk it continuously and unlnterrupt-
Cdiy Tor the last three yenrs-eVer since
he has been employed by the elevated
company. He began the practice when
he was an infant away down on planta-
tion near Bowling Green, Ky.
Motouar rnoaa his dfoo0uar1,
on Saturday, and he summoned the negro
porter 10 his Office yesterday. William
frankly confessed his fOndness for inter-
nal fabrication, and indeed he could not
do otherwise, Tor tue proofs against him
were overwhelming. He stoutly main
tanned, however, that he had imbibed
none of the company's supplies since
three months ago, and his state
ment was believed because it is
borne out by the figures, and moreover
because on that date the now non-inflam-
mable signal oil was first served out.
The pOrter's comrades have known of his
strange habit for considerable time, and
only last winter old Hank Corners, the
gateman on the uptown station, had a fit
because DIckerson, after q petroleum
orgie, persisted in sitting in front of the
redhot stove and blowing his breath
against it. Hank took refuge on the
tion, and could only be coaxed back after
Dickerson promised to give the stove a
wide berth.
While waiting for the oil fiend to return
! from his interview with the inspector, the
station hands RECALLED the reporter with a
plumber of anecdotes illustrative OF the
porter's extraordinary craving for coal
| oil. Finally DickersOn himself appeared.
! He is a robust built negro with a very
1 oh L. l. - a l.
married. and is the father OF six children.
He told his story in a straightforward
| way.
"Ise been drinkin' ile," he said, "most
as long as | can member. L was riz
| down in ole Kaintuck on a plantation
where we didn't have nuthin' to eat 'cept
hoe cake, and not a pow'ful lot OF that,
nuther. | drink de lie wheneber ! feel
cramps. It's pow'ful good Tor cramps,
| boss; chokes 'um of most always, shush.
! | likes lie. Most times | take half tea.
cupful for dose, and OCCASIONALLY, when
Use took bad, takes a tumberful or
more"
"Do you ever experience any i'll effects
from itr'
Cant say, boss, that does. 1t goes
down slicker'n anything you ever tasted.
No burnin' or nuthin'."
Ibid you ever get drunk on oilp
$40 de Lawd sake, boss" cried Will
lam, opening his eyes and showing his
! cleaning teeth, ''you don't know a
| pow'ful lot about lie, an that's a fac.
! One can't 'toxicate himself with lie, no.
how. IL don't effec' one that way.
| tasted that signal lie, webber, that they
nave here lately, and dis chile don't wan
no more of it, he don't. 1t doubled me up
| like a razor, fo' shuah, it did" And
! William made n wry face at the bare
recollection of his misery.
Neither Dickerson's wife nor his chill
dren, nor his brother Paul, who works on
the Fifty-nlnth street station, is addicted
TO the oil habit. Dickerson's fellow en-
ployes say that the porter not only takes
| the oil for its supposed medicinal proper
| ties. but that he imbbes it constantly as
a beverage. The guard OF the Thirty
fourth street shuttle train said that be
had frequently seen tue negro catch live
flies and swallow them; but this state
ment was emphatically denied by Dicker-
son. He says he has received an Offer
from the manager OF a dime museum to
exhibit himself az freak. "He ken up
beah," said the porter, with a diamond
| In his buzzum as big as a lookin' glass.
| hut wouldn't hab muffin To do with him.
Use got good job, boss, an l means to
| freeze to 1t, shuah."
IL would read we'll on the bill boards
that 'fOr one week only" the manager
had ACQUIRED 1.-THE great South AfTidAfS5L
drinker, captured in his native wilds OF
Zanzibar and brought TO this repa ntrs NJ
an enormous expense" ~
DR.. J. A. Smith, OF No. 207 Fest Sixty
ninth street, is frequent travefef over the
Third avenue elevated and always takes
the cars at the Slxth-seventh street sta
ton. He refused to believe that Dickerson
| could possibly drink the quantity of petro-
Ieum he said be did and live TO tell the tale.
ar he does drink atumblerfulat time"
remarked the physician, 81 would like 20
ace the coat OF his stomach, that's all.
Coat did I say2 Tatters, Imean."
Prescriptions compounded by ocmpeten,
Il o,,.hfou gtreat Pharmacy.