The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-02
THE royal PURPLE. .
FORHrOLD RAIL ROAD DEV5 10 D.
MRNTS AND CONSOLIDATE N.

. MHNI5 AND IL
The Stove Commirtee-A Myste lou 3
Railroad Clique and the Titles c We
1t BY Officials and Treinmen-SO ore
telling the Future-Interesting
Stories Told Reporter.
From the Washington Star.
One of the most mysterious cliques con-
nected with a railroad or moving In railroad
circles is the 'ssove committee" or, as the
trainmen call it, "Royal Purple" The
Royal Purple" is the source Of
all railroad information for which
no railroad officer is willing to be directly
responsible. The Royal Purple" is con-
nected with every railroad. 1t keeps watch
Of things, discusses internal aud external
policies. criticises the officers of the road
and passes out TO the world, through devious
and untraceable ways, tips" of what is
| going TO happen.
II an unpopular officer or agent Of
railroad company is about TO be removed
/ or transferred to some post less desirable
| than the one he has occupied he generally
| gets his first information about It from the
mysterious Royal Purple" or 'stove cOm-
mittee."
a conspicuous illustration Of this fact may
be cited in the case OF Charles Francis
Adams who was deposed from the presi-
denoy Of the Union Pacific railroad a few
years back by the late Mr.. Gould. The
news of Mr.. Adams prospectivefate, it will
! be remembered, was waited into the offices
of several large metropolitan papers from
the well-posted ''stove committee" and APP
Dearing in print was met with repeated de-
mails from Mr. Adams. But in about six
weeks time he was finally obliged to admit
its correctness.
THE sHADOWY COMMITTEE.
The different titles given this shadowy
committee by the officials and trainmen Of
the railroad service can be accounted for
perhaps in the adherence OF anything
anonymous by the former and the veneration
of the same by the latter. There is nothing
that pleases and gratifies a railroader In the
ranks so much as to be the custodian Of
piece Of news that concerns his road or his
fellow employees. The news, IL it be impor-
tant, must of necessity originate from the
higher officials of the road. and as those
autocTats of the wheel and rail are likened
unto kings by those under them the title
Royal Purple-is not such q meaningless
one after all.
Looking at it from an official stand point,
an atmosphere of practical intellectual at
tainnaents, nothing can appear so ridicu-
lous as a rumor. Anything that possesses a
well-dscerned basis, as for instance a great
necessity, will be given a second thought
but shadOwy rumnr or hearsay is too
small for Observation-Disclosures the title
''stovepipe committee"
1t is said that the Royal Purple" was
the custodian of the Reading receivership
secret some two weeks previous co Mr.. Pier
pOnt Morgan and that the true friends Of
the great coal-carrying road in its days Of
adversely had no cause to regret their al
legiance thereto.
READING RUMoR.
At the time Reading stock advanced in
an unbroken upward movement from Is on
the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and double
that on the New York boards, to 35, Mr.
Wanamaker was credited with having
cleared a round million and several of his
friends almost as much When the receiver
ship appointment was found to be inevi-
table and Reading stock slumped from 35 to
the neighborhood OF IL in a few days
rumors flew thick and fast that those who
had made money on the rise were the ones
who lost it on the decline. The "stove
committee said nay, and an extensive
pleasure trip to Mexico and the south would
seem to substantiate the latter's declara-
ton.
Were railroad officials more inclined to
grasp at shadows, SO to speak, in the shape
of rumors, than things more substantial, a
more healthy bank account would be theirs.
They are frequently custodiaus of secrets,
even before the Royal Purple in the
shape of contemplated improvements and
consultations that would boom the stock
Of their roads several points, yet they are 30
engrossed in working out their plans that
specializing on their knowledge is one Of
the last things thought of.
Some years back an old wholesale
grOcerymRu and commission merchant
living in Baltimore was In close touch with
the ''stove committee" in the shape of a
nephew who was the confidential clerk of a
high railroad official One morning the old
merchant received a dispatch that made
him exceedingly nervous and inquire how
much money was in the bank TO his
credit.
BALTIMORE GROCER's SUCCESS.
In telling this story to an Epeninq Star
reporter one evening recently a prominent
railroad official said:
Il was a bookkeeper for the old merchant
then and for the first time heard of the
mysterious stove committed AS be ran
his nervous hands over the books l inq uired
of him as to the identity of the sender of
the message. He replied in q testy voice.
30, It's from the stove committee, and
grabbing up his hat rushed from the count
"He left the message lying on the desk,
and l took it up and readit. 1t ran as fol-
lows
NOEEQeEu OSDbr6i looks DTlRQb to-day.
A balloon properly inflated goes up very
high
THAT was in the days before the Penusyl-
vanis railroad gobbled up the Northern
Central. That stock was selling at SIS
share on the Baltimore stock exchange.
! The old fellow had about 1000 shares, but
| he purchased 500 more at an average Of
| about $17 q share. Then it began to climb,
and just previous to my leaving his en-
ploy several years back he sold the entire
lot at 500 share, netting him nearly a
| $4,000 That was one case in which being
on speaking terms with the stove com
mittee. came in very handy.
THE old merchant then retired from
business and was made president OF an old
established bank at $1,000 a year. Not
long afterward the notorious Hungry Joe,
of confidence game fame wove a net around
him and although captured and sentenced
TO long term in Maryland state prison. it
is believed he secured fully $4,000 of the
old merchants money aud has 1t safely hid
den away as a nest egg when the time
comes for him to turn his back on the Jail
door. The disgrace almost lost the old mer-
chant his reason. as it did the bank presi-
dency, and one ia forced to ask himself
whether self-aggrandizement through the
stove committed really pays"
A FARMERS GREAT BLUFF.