The morning news., 1892-03-10
a VERY sMALLLOr.
One-Vigintrlionth OF an Inch of Land
Gold in California.

Gold in California.
From the San Diego (Cal.) San Dieoan.
City Tax Collector Kennedy this morn
ing continued the sale Of property on which
taxes have been allowed to become delin>
quent. This sale is usually a humdrum.
formal affair, attended by a few stand
by buyers who make their selections
beforehand and bid on only certain
pieces of property which they know
to be safe buy. But this year the
sale Is entirely different. New bidders are
present, and the competition is so lively
that the old-time buyers are not in it at all.
The bidders this morning ran to the full
limits Of the arithmetic and fraction of a
lot in New Town was sold at price which,
If applied to the entire lot, would bring the
value up to higher figure than ever was
realized during the altitudinous period of
the boom.
AS most people understand, the sale Of de-
linquent property is made on reducing bids
The law requires that when taxes are de-
linquent the tax collector must accept the
bid of him who will pay the taxes delin-
quent and take the least portion or fraction
OF the lot in payment therefor.
Yesterday it was thought q limit was
made when a bidder agreed to pay the
taxes on certain lot for a receipt che one
thousandth part of an inch of a lot. but to-
day that bid was beaten, and the arithmetic
| exhausted.
c. C. Hakes, R. W. Taylor, Mr.. Holling-
ton. lady buyer and a number of old time
buyers were at the sale; but when fractions
Of an inch were bid they quit in disgust and
left the sale to j. Z. Payne, j. A. Frame
and s. Kipp, the latter being especially ag-
gressive. New San Diego was reached in
the list, and several lots were turned over to
| buyers who offered to pay the taxes due In
| IF n
sandth Of an inch.
Finally Kennedy read: ''Lot A, block
76l. New San Diego taxes due, $40 25."
Ill take it." said Payne, who was
perched on a high stool Immediately in
front Of the tax collector, and who meant
that he would pay the taxes for a certificate
| covering the entire lot.
"I'll take half" said Frame, who meant
that for a certificate to half the lot he
would pay tue taxes
"I'l take it for ten feet 'front.'" said Kipp,
who meant that he would pay the taxes sor
| a strip of ten feet across the front of the lot.
Then the bids ran down from ten to five,
| to two, to one foot.
''1'll take one inch, said Frame.
"Half an inch." said Payne.
| "One-tenth," said Kipp.
"One-hundredth of an inch," said Frame.
Zone ten -thousandth," said Kipp.
| Zone hundred-thousandeth Of an inch, !"
said payne, and he looked triumphant, as
| though that was the limit-but it wasn't
"One-millionth," said Frame. Payne
stared, but did not raise.
"One-billionth, SAID Kipp, smoothly.
"One-trillionth." Frame offered, in tone
| which meant business.
"One>quintillionth, came from KIpp.
"What are those other figuresg' asked
Frame In reply. and he glanced around the
room as II in quest OF dictionary or an
arithmetic. 20, one-octillionth, he added
somewhat exhausted.
"I'l take one.vigintillionth of an inch,"
returned Kipp.
Payne fell off the high stool and Fran
was stuck. The eyes of the old-time bid
ders bulged out in amaZement.
SIS there anything lower than thatp
asked Frame in despair.
mo, sir. l have got you," said Kipp;
that is the last figure known in the arith-
metic, and you can't bid lower"
but don't know how to write it,n said
Kennedy. "I guess we had better pass it. Z"
"No, sir; that's my bid" insisted Kipp
"You write one-vigintillionth," he added,
spelling it out
And Kipp's bid was accepted, while Payne
was still making ciphers on a long piece of
paper, and Frame threatened to buy an
arithmetic.
Presently a copy of Robinson's arithmetic
was found by Clerk McConaughy, and then
everybody, including the reporter, knew
just how to write it. Decimally it would be
ike this: 0OO, 600 OOO, 900 600 COO, ,OOO, 900 =
900 900 900 OO0, ,OOO OOo 600, 600, 900 900 O0O,-
O00,000,O01.
And that is the proportion of an inch
which Mr.. Kipp agreed to take of lot A,
block 761, New San Diego, in consideration
of the payment of the delinquent taxes
amounting to SIC 25. The new town lots
are 100 feet deep. At the same rate what
would man pay for the entire lot.
A strip of land one-vigintillion of an inch
in width is not very wide, but it ls wide
enough to throw shadow on the title of the
property.