The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-21
LuNcHrSa WITH THE COLLECTOR.

LUNCHING WITH THE COLLECTOR.
of the pickerel. 1t is an inconvenient
stone quarry with fiuted columns, and, l
would say, seems to be cross between
a long neglected cistern and a second
hand sarcophagus.
If this be treason make the most of it.
I've already had an Indian outbreak
this winter, and / do not mind little
set-to with the government, as / had
funds left over after adjusting the In
dian difficulty.
The New York custom house is tri-
umph of inconvenience, a miracle of
misfts and architectural deformities. 1t
is sort of compromise, so far as COM
fort goes, between the massive, rectan-
gular residence of the cave dweller and
the root cellar of the renaissance.
There is no room in it, no elevator, no
effort to be freproof above the first
floor, no light, no air, no method, no
comfort and no economy. Venerable
officials and employees who were there to
show Henry Hudson over the building
are still using the same tin cuspidors
made of the inverted lid of the tin din
ner pail of the past. The same sand is
In them yet.
Monarchies have risen, fourisfed and
decayed, kings have been born, cut their
eye teeth, reigned few lonesome weeks
and moldered back into plebeian dust.
Emperors have risen, and in few years
practically dictated to the world for
time, but their dust is in the mighty
brick yard of the past, and the winds of
heaven are whistling through the tat
tered upholstery of their vacant thrones,
but the gray sand in the tin cuspidor of
the custom house of the United States
smiles mockingly at the swift and hungry
centuries.
The custom house is ornamented with
a big granite porch, supported by the gov
eminent and row of massive f1uted col
umns as devoid of beauty as the ami
mated drumstick Of the antique chorus
girl. This porch is expensive, but with
out use or beauty. In this respect it re-
sembles the average case Of typhoid
initiative Englishnian.
The first thing encountered in the in
terror is rotunda, which presents the
bright and ever changing scenery no
ticeable from the bottom of a drilled
well. 1t started out to be the arena for
a cock fight, changed its mind and sought
TO he a dry cistern; then securing POI
htical pull it proceeded to become the
rotunda Of the custom house, and every
effort to remove it has so far proved up-
availing.
Entering the large corner room where
sits the collector of the portland other
dutiable beverages-I found Mr.. Err
hardt with his back to the fire and his
face TO the foe.
lie comes down about . a. IN. and
works TIL o'clock in the evening, lunch
ing in his Office.
BY hanging around till about / o'clock
| was invited to lunch with him. Hon.
James W. Hustled sat and conversed
while we ate. The artist will kindly
make rather pleasing drawing Of the
three scholarly gentlemen as they APP
peared at the time.
A man went by the door and looked
cautiously in. Afterward / heard him
say to another man that he understood
the Sutherland sisters were lunching to-
gether today. They then, both Of them,
burst into low, coarse laugh.
The correspondence room is a very
busy place, and hundreds Of letters in
tended for the collectors private eye are
opened and read by Mr.. JEFF
fries, who came to New York in the fan
Of 1892, and at once went 70 work az ms
present Job. l refer to this matter Of
because a great many
people think that by marking letter 10
a high official as private or personal
it viii be read only by him and i'm
medistely placed under his pillow at
night. The collector can, however, have
no secrets during Office hours, at least
the mails and hardly viva voce.
The cashiers room interested me a
good deal II always does wherever ]
90. So, with the collector % vouch for
me, l went through tie little dingy
Offices and dens whsre a. high a. a
million and half per day is handled.
This money, ~ Col Jones explained. Is
either in the form Of . specially certified
check " currency. and the latter Is con-
stantly assorted into the prUper denOni-
nations, 50 that AZ the time fox handing
over 70 the sub-tFeasury a. evening.
quarters are IN their proper parcels, duly
counted. 20 likewise small change and
large up 20 the ten thousand dollar bill
which / held in my hand quit while.
meantime asking Col Jones 70 notice
what peculiarly motiled appearance
Toe ~ ka4-