New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-24
COLLECTING THE DUTIES.
A GLIMPSE AT THE WORK OF THE CUSTOM
HOUSE.
GENIAL COLONEL ERHARDT AND THE WAY HE
SPENDS HIS BUSY DAYs-H1s VISITORS

GENIAL COLONEL ERHARpT AND THE WAY HE
SPENDS HIS BUSY DAYs-H1s VISITORS
SOME OF HIS ASSISTANTS
About 6 80 every working-day morning snort
ruddy aced man. whose friends tell him that ne look
I'm Bismarck, leaves his home In west Fifty 'nfthst
and boards a downtown train on the SMthave
elevated railroad lie leaves the train at Rectorst.
and steps brsky along to the Custom House. Quickly
climbing tho steps at the dngy wlliam-st entrance
he hurrses into little room adjoining the Collector
roonn throws of his coat and hat, bustes into tn
uplectors room and quickly seats himself at desl
In the corner Of the room He picks up a large
bundle Of mail, glanoes over it rapidly, mods TO hi
assistants as they gather around bis desk, touches
an elte trcs bell and says: (" Mr.. Hunt, tell Hall
want TO see him."
II Is in way like this that Collector Joel r. Erhari
sets the machinery in the big Custom House in motion
He does II in a Characteristic manner. He is man
who In business wastes neither time nor words. lie
thinks straight, clearly and comes TO the point
every time. There is fuss feathers" as the
old employees at the Custom House say, about his
methods. and q stranger TO these shores recognizes
the feet In an instant.
Take foreigner to the Custom House on Mohual
for example. Show him the building first that great
Pile In Wall and William SITS. The classic entrance
In wanst. might suggest TO HIM visions OF pomp anu
hunhes inside. But there IS neither. Inc imposins
steps, heavy door and massive columns are Oh no
earthly use to the Collector, and perhaps serve Only
10 make the gloomy, forbddng STRUCTURE loon noI0
like European jail with special entrance for oioAo
down potentates than great business ONCE LOT on0o
Sam. In choosing entrance the employees Toilo"
the Collectors lead rule. and so do visitors VINO
do not want to lose themselves in lsoyrpth Vi
corridors or get banged by swinging DOORS or pu'heu
about by hurying brokers or employees
Politicians take the back route They calmly
walk into the Collectors private room ana walt ior
N adm
Collector through the messengers room, ease of &C
cess to the Collector depending upon the size OF the
crowd In waiting Once admitted the visitor finds HIM
self In large and pleasant room that looAs our
upon Well and william SITS 1t IS carpeted, lastly
furnished and decorated with few pictures Oh DID,
time Collectors. shield and a handsome FIRE.
place II one Of the most interesting rooms In the
city, considering the business transacted there.
the strange medley Of people and the curiousY
constrasted errands that bring them there
SCENE IN THE COLLECTIONS ROOM.
Monday morning OfIce-seekers' day. Thirty or
forty people waiting to Colonel Erhardt The two
sofas full and all the chairs along the wall appro-
prlated Plenty of people standing and Others walt
ing in the messengers room. Enters the Collector III
q hurry and seats himself at his desk. MI NC
cleland the special Deputy Collector. looks up for
moment from a mountain Of papers and law books and
deposits few of them on the Collectors desk for bis
attention. colonel Erhardt his eve over state
ment which shows the amount OF business transacted
in the Custom House and the Public Stores the day
before and knows at glance how matters stand In
every department. Of the great machine Of which nc
"a tho head So many thousands Of goods have been
entered and perhaps 100000 in duties coleced-the
daily average since November l. Here's point inc
Collector wants to investigate He touches the bell
Enters Dandy Jim" Smith, the polite messenger VINO
delights in protesting TO be the first Republican 10
rosign under Cleveland. Tell Deputy Collector So
snd-so want 10 see him. says the Collector Smith
catches the order without stopping as he circles around
Colonel Erhardt
aMr Collector puts in Mr.. McClelland, with his
hands in his pockets, and craving his cigar as ne
approaches tho Collector with legal problem IN bis
mind these merchants who appeal to you from the
decision of the Appraiser and the General Appraiser
base thor claims for reveleon on the seventeenth sec
ton Of the seventh tariff Of 1892"
send for Esterbrook,' replies the Colonel, grow
ing a. terse as General Grant and looking more ike
Bismarck the deeper he punges into business Deputy
collectors arrive and " state their cases. 10 each
one the Collector listens intenty and says fow words
which mean q volume. The Office seekers look weary
and each man pulls his mutache gaes at his neiehbor
and again and again feels In his breastpochet to see
whether those precious papers arc safe
HOW THE oFF1CE-sEEKERS ARE DISPOSED OF.
Now the Office seekers havo brief inning. Their
faces brighten they the Collector suddenly drop
his papers and step UP TO the man at the head Of
rapidly and returns IT with some brief comment One
man hears "File your application Can't do anything
more for you than that" The next man, perhaps
an old soldier hears: Your appointment will como
next week glad of it. too" Out goes the OLD soldier
filled with dizzy 10y The third man hears IN SORROW
ing silence: "No vacancy: sorry for you, but can't
do anything now A few old FOUNDERS grin, hope
,essly and the Collector laughs he dsmisses them
far the fortieh time with the assurance that he is
not going 10 make any changes just now. little
woman in the corner gets his sympathetic attention
and some terse and kindly advice
Mr. Hunt the Collectors private secretary, susvely
interposes for a moment as group OF politicians
or sfatesmsn are moving down Colonel Erhardt,
with the information that Jackenhem, Spelmghaus
and a lot OF other importers are ready to charge on
the Appraiser the Merchant Appraiser. the tarh eA
merit Mr. Esterbrook and even the Collector ABOUT
that re-apprasment Colonel Erhardt quickly turns
around draws his hand over his forehead with
Quick movement, seats himself at his desk and hears
An tnvolved dispute over tariff laws, appraisemens
of all kinds of goods imported here and the opinions OF
every man in the crowd Mr.. Estcrbrook knows by
heart every tariff law ever passed by the Government
Of the United States and every item in IT, He is
loaded and he goes OF when the Collector touches
him. The importers look on aghast. The Collector
grmly enjoys the situation, tie jovial Appraiser
Marvelle W. Cooper, contenedly strokes his whsRers
and the Merchant Appraiser smiles sereney'
COLONEL ERHARDT'S TACT.
The Collector gives his decision in few words with
a tact that smoothes the ruffed feelings of tbs dis
putants. Indeed, Colonel Erhardts success in 10
is due TO tho tact with which he handles men. His
tact comes from his knowledge Of human nature,
gained A. lawyer, soldier, polt clan, Police Commits
sioner, United Stairs Marshal Provost Marshal and
United States Assistant District Attorney AS young
man he awed crowd Of bloodhirSty copperheads
in tn, draft riots, a politician he won the good
graoes Of Chester A. Arthur and the head of the
Custom House he can remove men without hurting
thdr feelings. 1t was william +. Greed. the recent
Democratic auditor Of the Custom House, who said
in praise Of Colonel Erhardt Somehow, that man
takes the barbed edge off my partisanship." II