The Washington critic., 1890-03-10
THE CRITICS" CAMERA
PICTURES OF MEN AND THINGS AT
THE NATIONS CAPITAL.


Mayor Gardner and Candy-MsKer
pierson TO Fish in Florida-Idaho's
sagacious Delegates--GabrieI Gross
and His Narrow Escape from Death.
Two men who were the very autithe-
sis Of each other in personal appear
ance, except that the faces and hands
of both were deeply bronzed by expos
ure TO the sun, stood chatting together
in the rotunda of Willard's last night.
One was of herculcan build and with an
aldermanic allowance OF stomach. A
full, brown beard, slightly tinged with
gray, fell far below his chest, and a
wide brimmed slouch hat almost eu-
urely concealed the upper part Of his
pleasant countenance. 1t was Major
George w. Gardner of Cleveland, Ohio.
The other was below the middle
height, of slight but wiry build. He
had an iron gray mustache and keen,
sharp expression on his face. His
name is II. B. Pierson, and he is re-
sponsible for much of the annoyance
suffered by railroad travellers and Wis
ilors TO the circus, for he makes q
specially of manufacturing confection.
cry especially for candy butchers aud
train boys He has large establish
ment at Binghampton, N. Y, and has
accumulated fortune out of the Sc
ductive peppermint lozenge and the
rock.ribbed popcorn ball. Both he
and Mayor Gardner are on their way
home from tarpon fishing excursion
in Florida, and tell wonderful stories of
their encounters with these finny mon
sters.
The well organized committee now
in the city looking after the interests of
the bill to admit Idaho as State thor
oughly understand the value of news
paper aid, and have with them regu-
lar press agent lie is w. r. Wildman,
editor Of the Idaho States of Boise City,
the oldest paper in the Territory. Mr..
Wildman is q bright young journalist
and typical specimen of the Western
newspaper hustler. He has been here
since last November and has made
friends of every one with whom he has
come in contact at the Capital.
In charge of the gate at the Baltimore
and Potomac Railroad crossing at Third
and X streets southeast is an old man
who once had narrower escape from
death than falls to the lot of most men
TO tell of. His name is Gabriel Gross,
and he served both in the army and
navy during the late unpeasantness.
While engaged as fireman ON board the
monitor Catskill before Port Royal, N.
c., he fell, while obeying an order of
one of the officers, through an open
hatchway from the spar deck to the fire.
room. In falling his feet caught on
one of the steps of companionway
in such manner that they were doubled
up, crushing ali the bones into small
pieces.
He happened to fall INTO the pit in
which the big crank that drove the
shaft descended in the course of its
revolution. The upper part of the
crank was descending at the time, and
in the portion of second later he
would have been crushed to o jelly,
had not a messmate, who was standing
by, seen his danger and snatched him
from the pit. He had close shave,
for the top of the crank tore his cloth
ing from one side of him as he was
jerke6 out. Nearly all his ribs were
broken by the fall, and the internal Or
gans were so injured that his recovery
was thought impossible.
While he lay lowering between life
and death yellow fever broke out in
the fleet and he was one of the first to
be attacked by ii. He recovered, how.
ever, and shortly afterward received
his discharge. AS q result of the in
juries to his chest he has almost entirely
lost the use of his voice and can only
speak in a whisper. Owing to his
broken feet unaided locomotion is al
most impossible. He receives a pen.
sion of So a month, and upon this and
50 cents day he gets for working
fourteen hours and half out of the
twenty-four for the railroad company
he supports wife and family. Not
withstanding his intirmities it would be
difficult TO find more cheerful man in
n days walk than old Gabe Cross.
-------- -